lgbtiq history
On this day December 6: American Medical Assoc. opposes ‘cure’
How far we’ve come! On December 6 1994, the American Medical Association declared its opposition to Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual ‘cures’. The association instead recommended ‘nonjudgmental recognition of sexual orientation and behaviour’. It urged doctors to seek a greater understanding of Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual patients. Additionally, the association stopped promoting ‘the possibility of sex …
On this day December 5: Bishop Atherton & John Childe hung
Bishop John Atherton and his steward John Childe went to the gallows on this day in 1640. On December 5, six years after he advocated for the enactment of the Buggery Act in Ireland, Atherton became its first victim. John Atherton moved to Ireland in 1630 after attending Oxford. In 1636, became Bishop of Waterford …
Easter Sunday 1923: f–k or fight in Broken Hill
Throughout Australian history, people outside the standard heterosexual norm frequently fled regional areas for large coastal cities in search of anonymity, increased tolerance and ready sex. But what of those who didn’t? Take Edward Plummer, assaulted during a night out on Easter Sunday 1923, and a man who lived his entire life in the family …
Gorgeous George: queer jargon and revolting allegations
Described as so handsome he verged on beautiful, George Bellingham Roberts featured in one of Sydney’s greatest society scandals. The divorce trial of the secretary to a former NSW Governor heard ‘grave and unpleasant evidence of unnatural behaviour’. Gorgeous George apparently fraternised with men who scorned the company of women while communicating in their own …
648 Ann St: a colourful history and lesbian vampire killers
New operators will soon take over the first floor and rooftop bars at 648 Ann St, Fortitude Valley. The building’s colourful history includes a role in the story of Brisbane’s notorious lesbian vampire killers. This writer enjoys vivid memories of various joints that operated at 648 Ann — the upstairs fortune tellers, my first broken …
George Lovell of Ferntree Gully: model citizen or pariah?
From the time of his 1905 arrival in Ferntree Gully, George Lovell impressed the locals with his community spirit. But what happened in early 20th century Australia when a selfless model citizen was exposed as homosexual? The accepted narrative of early 20th century attitudes tells us that the general public held gays in utter contempt. …
Peter Black on 50 years of C.A.M.P. in Queensland | CAMP INK
On the opening night of the annual MELT Festival at Brisbane Powerhouse, QC President Peter Black delivered a speech on the 50th anniversary of CAMP on Queensland. The Campaign Against Moral Persecution was the first local organisation dedicated to homosexual law reform in the state. Peter Black Peter Black is the Associate Dean of Learning …
Coming out to Granny – a personal memoire of the 1970s
I long considered my grandmother proof that the secret to a long life is to be a cold hard bitch. So I judged her the greatest obstacle to sharing my truth with the world when I came out at seventeen. I did not otherwise regard the experience as of any real consequence, never suffering the …
The pre Drag Race all-stars downunder – Aussie herstory
Today, RuPaul’s Drag Race defines drag. Indeed, drag queens of a particular vintage complain that baby drags have no idea the artform even existed before RuPaul’s Supermodel of the World. But a glance through old newspapers and magazines shows pre Drag Race all-stars downunder making Aussie herstory decades ago. Undoubtedly, thanks to RuPaul, drag enjoys …
Boot Co records archived at AQuA and State Library of Qld
Brisbane’s The Boot Co. recently donated historic newsletters and magazines to two institutions for preservation. The leather and fetish club gifted the ephemera to the State Library of Queensland and the Australian Queer Archives (AQuA). Also included, a published history of the club by historian Tim Roberts. The donations significantly expand the representation of the …