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Gay in the 80s @gayinthe80s.bsky.social · 12/05/2025

May 1986. According to UKs 'Sun' newspaper, children saw pictures of "gay lovers" in their school libraries. But it wasn't gay porn, just a book about same sex parents raising their six year old daughter. It wasn't in school libraries either. Just one teachers resource unit. #medialies #homophobia

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Gay in the 80s @gayinthe80s.bsky.social · 09/05/2025

Photo of inside UKs Gay the Word bookshop in 1983. One year before shop raided and manager and directors charged with 'importing indecent or obscene material'. That meant queer material because UK queer publishing industry in its infancy then. Most seized material later cleared. #lgbtqhistory #80s

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Gay in the 80s @gayinthe80s.bsky.social · 22/03/2025

1981."Something for the Boys" A TV play about gay servicemen in 1944. Even in 1981, it was risqué showing two men in bed. Broadcast by Scottish Television less than a year after homosexuality decriminalised in Scotland. Available on YouTube. #queertelevision #gaysinthemilitary #loveislove #pride

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Gay in the 80s @gayinthe80s.bsky.social · 07/03/2025

Came across these images from the USA, UK and Australia today. This is how we fought back in the 80s.Hope they lift your spirits. 1) San Fran Lesbian/Gay Freedom Day. 1983. 2) Campaign Against UK's Section 28. 1988 3) AIDS Council of NSW, Australia. 1989. #fightback #Pride #loveislove #solidarity

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Gay in the 80s @gayinthe80s.bsky.social · 02/03/2025

1984.Anglican Church bans Sydney Gay Mardi parade from assembling on its city centre land. Mardi Gras having none of it. Take Church to Equal Opps Tribunal. Church backs down and rescinds ban before Tribunal even passes judgement! Mardi Gras theme that year "We'll dance if we want to"! #fightback

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Gay in the 80s @gayinthe80s.bsky.social · 26/02/2025

Feb 25 1982. Governor Lee Dreyfus signed into law a bill that made it illegal for state or private businesses to discriminate based on sexual orientation in employment and housing. Wisconsin become first US state to enforce such a law. [Source: @lgbthistory.bsky.social ]

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Gay in the 80s @gayinthe80s.bsky.social · 17/02/2025

Demonstrators outside St.Patrick's Cathedral during 1984 Gay Pride march. Police surround Cathedral to prevent possible confrontations. Groups of marchers chant slogans protesting Archbishop John O'Connor's refusal to sign gay anti-discrimination pledge required for city social services contracts.

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Gay in the 80s @gayinthe80s.bsky.social · 14/02/2025

1984. UK's Rugby Council says it won't include sexual orientation in it's Equal Opps policy. Tory councillor calls gay people vile. 'Sun' paper calls EEO for gays 'sick'. But after campaign by unions, gay groups and local Labour Party, Council has to call emergency meeting to reverse it's position!

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Gay in the 80s @gayinthe80s.bsky.social · 10/02/2025

June 24 1978, #Sydney Australia. A group of queer people set off on a 'mardi gras', along police approved route. But mid parade police decided the march should go in a different direction! Police antagonism grew. Mass arrests, brutality followed. So began Sydney's #GayMardiGras. Documented here.

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Gay in the 80s @gayinthe80s.bsky.social · 14/12/2024

December 1987 MP applauds firebombing of gay newspaper. During a Parliamentary debate on Section 28, Tory MP Elaine Kellett-Bowman learns the offices of London's Capital Bay newspaper had been firebombed. She cheers and declares, "... there should be an intolerance of evil." #section28 #homophobia

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Gay in the 80s @gayinthe80s.bsky.social · 10/12/2024

Today, 10th December is the 40th anniversary of the legendary Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners 'Pits and Perverts'London ball to raise money for striking miners. It raised the equivalent of £25k in today's money. The miners never forgot our support. #bronskibeat #pride #fightback #solidarity

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Gay in the 80s @gayinthe80s.bsky.social · 08/12/2024

December 8th, 1987. Section 28 begins. On this day, an amendment was added to the UK's Local Government Bill. Initially Clause 14 it would become #Clause28, prohibiting local council funding for education on homosexuality. #homophobia #gayrights #pride #loveislove #fightback [Pic: Capital Gay]

Article from Capital Gay newspaper reporting the amendment to the UK's Local Government Bill to prevent local Council funding for education on homosexuality

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Gay in the 80s @gayinthe80s.bsky.social · 05/12/2024

December 1980. New York Native launched as fortnightly LGBTQ paper. A valuable resource for AIDS crisis at first but paranoia and bitterness set in. Mid 80s ACTUP boycotting it. Circulation dropped steadily. Paper closed 1997. #larrykramer #gaycommunity #loveislove #newyork #hivaids #fightback

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Gay in the 80s @gayinthe80s.bsky.social · 02/12/2024

Anyone use Shirley's Removals/Lesbus in UK in early 80s? UK film company making short doc about them for BBC and would like to reunite early customers with Shirley. Details from nina@pierendproductionsltd.co.uk

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Gay in the 80s @gayinthe80s.bsky.social · 01/12/2024

1st December 2024. World AIDS Day. Remembering those around the globe who have died from AIDS. Parents, offspring, siblings, uncles, aunts, nephews, nieces, cousins, partners, lovers, friends, neighbours, or workmates. We remember them all. [Photo: NIH] #worldaidsday #hivaids

Panels from American AIDS,Quilt laid out in Washington during Second National March for Lesbian and Gay Guests Rights 1987

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Gay in the 80s @gayinthe80s.bsky.social · 27/11/2024

Howard Cruse's 'Famous Guilt Syndromes' from the Gay Comix series of the 1980s. This one is 'Committing a Crime Against Nature". #1980s #gacommunity #loveislove #pride #lesbian #gay #bisexual #transgender #lgbtqhistory #queerhistory #fightback #gaycomix #howardcruse #bi #trans #solidarity #gayusa

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Gay in the 80s @gayinthe80s.bsky.social · 26/11/2024

1989. Australia's own Section 28. A year after the UK implemented Section 28, the Western Australian government introduced similar legislation. As it decriminalized sodomy it made teaching about homosexuality in primary and secondary schools an offence.httpsu: //shorturl.at/ASYgu #homophobia

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Gay in the 80s @gayinthe80s.bsky.social · 21/11/2024

1984. The International Year of Lesbian and Gay Action. Well, apparently it seemed like a good idea at the time! Sadly the global community didn't seem to know about it so the only event was a few hundred people marching on the United Nations building in New York. #lgbtqhistory #loveislove #pride

The front page of Gay East Midlands with graphic declaring 1984 to be the International Year of Lesbian and Gay Action.

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Gay in the 80s @gayinthe80s.bsky.social · 20/11/2024

October 31st 1989.ACTUP demonstrators protest massive tax breaks given to Donald Trump for his New York property development while people living with AIDS are homeless. Dressed as Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, their sign reads 'Surrender Donald'. Sadly, he didn't. #Trump #ACTUP #NewYork #HIVAIDS

Protestor dressed as Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz holds up sign saying 'Surrender Donald" [Trump]

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Gay in the 80s @gayinthe80s.bsky.social · 19/11/2024

"AIDS Virus Kills Man in Britain" On this day in 1984, the UK's Daily Mail ran this banner headline. It implied this was the first man to die of AIDS. Only at the end of the last column on the second page it revealed that 32 gay men had already died. Clearly they weren't important. #queerhistory

News headline from Daily Mail in UK. Reads 'AIDS Virus Kills Man in Britain"

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