The Gay Solidarity Group formed in Sydney to mark ‘International Gay Solidarity Day’ on 24 June 1978.Īround Australia, various groups and organisations had been lobbying, staging demonstrations and marches, producing newsletters and a variety of other activities to promote their cause. The march was in opposition to the controversial Briggs Initiative which if passed would have mandated the firing of gay and lesbian teachers in California public schools.
In March 1978 the San Francisco based Gay Freedom Day Committee contacted Australian activists calling for solidarity activities to support a march planned on the anniversary of the Stonewall riots. These riots are widely considered to mark the start of the international gay rights movement. The Stonewall riots that began in the early hours of 28 June 1969 in New York City were the result of a police raid on a gay bar called the Stonewall Inn.
