LGBT Community from 1968 to Present: History, Changes, and Future

Running Head: LGBT COMMUNITY FROM 1968 TO PRESENT 1
LGBT COMMUNITY
Name
Institutional Affiliation

LGBT COMMUNITY FROM 1968 TO PRESENT 2
LGBT Community from 1968 to Present
Introduction
Ancient civilizations around the world have recorded numerous instances of same-sex
love and sexuality entailing the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.
Indigenous Australians were not an exception to cases of same-sex relations which erupted in the
18th and 19th centuries. Australian laws on LGBT were based on Britain laws in which lesbianism
was never illegal but sodomy was severely punished. The LGBT community’s rights in Australia
were therefore not organized until in the late 1960s when organizations such as the ACT
Homosexual Law Reform Society and DaughtersofBilitis were formed (Lamond, 2018).
What Changed
It was the Campaign Against Moral Persecution (C.A.M.P.) which brought real change in
Australia regarding the LGBT people. This organization carried out their first demonstration in
1971 outside the Liberal Party headquarters in Sydney seeking a reform in homosexual laws.
Other gay rights organizations were formed during this period, the largest of which was Society
Five, a gay association based in Melbourne. Following the founding of these various gay rights
groups, the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras was formed by copious people matching down
George Street in Sydney. This event is celebrated annually since then. As a result of these
reformations, gayism, which was earlier on viewed as a disorder was removed by the Australian
Medical Association from its list of illnesses and disorders in 1973(Rosenmann et al, 2016).
Regardless of the seemingly general acceptance of gayism and lesbianism, some people
even in leadership positions such as Prime Minister John Howard would not come to terms with
homosexuality prevalence in Australia. Additionally, he refused to support the aforementioned

LGBT COMMUNITY FROM 1968 TO PRESENT 3
celebration adding that he would be disappointed if any of his kids announced that they were
homosexual. In 2003, the Australian government was so prissy towards the LGBT community
that even attempts of the UN Human Rights Commission to create equality for this community’s
rights in Australia were futile. In 2004, the Marriage Act 1961 was amended prohibiting
marriage between homosexual couples. During the same year, gay adoption was also declared
illegal by John Howard. Despite the government rejection of gay rights around this period,
specific states such as Victoria were making steps towards same-sex equality by passing of non-
discriminatory laws ((Lamond, 2018).
By 2010, more people acknowledged the LGBT community leading to the adjustment of
the legal system as well ((D’Alton, 2016). In 2016, for instance, Queensland amended the age of
consent laws which led to expungement in most of the Australian states and abstraction of
conviction records of people previously charged with anti-homosexual laws.
Growing Up Gay in Australia
Growing up with the knowledge that I am gay in Sydney, Australia was not the best
experience or feeling. There were so much discrimination and wrong perception of the LGBT
community during that time. This acumen was made worse by numerous arrests and entrapment
of the gay people, often without a valid reason for carrying out these apprehensions. The school
was not any different from the streets in regards to homosexuality views. There was phobia all
over which caused little to no discussions on this issue in schools. Since the 1970s, however,
things have changed and people have become more acquiescent and appreciating of homosexuals
with an awareness and understanding that they are not different (Clarke, 2010). I have also learnt
that the acuity of homosexuality is different n differing schools depending on each institution’s
leadership. Teachers associations have also tried to accommodate students irrespective of their