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The Laws and Notable Events (1990s)

1990 – QLD decriminalises male acts of homosexuality.

1991 – Queen release the song “These Are The Days of Our Lives”.

1991 – ACT discrimination against LGBT+ people becomes illegal. The law was updated in 2016 to include intersex people.

1992 – NT discrimination against LGBT+ people becomes illegal. The law was updated in 2024 to protect against religious discrimination.

1992 – The ban on same-sex attracted people in the military is removed.

1997 – The first Chill Out Festival in Daylesford.

1997 – TAS decriminalises male acts of homosexuality.

1997 – TAS equalises the age of consent for heterosexuals and homosexuals to 17 years old.

1998 – Police march in full uniform at Sydney’s Mardi Gras for the first time.

1998 – TAS discrimination against LGBT+ people becomes illegal. The law was updated in 2013 to include transgender and intersex people.

The Laws and Notable Events (2000s)

2000 – TAS reforms its law about men being able to crossdress between sunset and sunrise.

2000 – VIC discrimination against LGBT+ people becomes illegal.

2002 – WA discrimination against LGBT+ people becomes illegal. The law was updated in 2013 to include intersex people.

2002 – WA same-sex couples are legally allowed to adopt.

2002 – QLD discrimination against LGBT+ people becomes illegal.

2002 – WA equalises the age of consent for heterosexuals and homosexuals to 16 years old.

2003 – NSW equalises the age of consent for heterosexuals and homosexuals to 16 years old.

2003 – TAS removes the gay panic defence.

2004 – NT equalises the age of consent for heterosexuals and homosexuals to 16 years old.

2004 – ACT removes the gay panic defence.

2004 – The Howard Liberal government change the Marriage Act to explicitly exclude same-sex unions.

2004 – ACT same-sex couples are legally allowed to adopt.

2005 – VIC removes the gay panic defence.

2005 – The Australian Defence Force extends equal benefits to same-sex families.

2006 – Goulburn Valley Pride Inc. is formed.

2007 – The Howard Liberal government tries to ban same-sex adoption worldwide. They failed due to Labor’s victory in the election.

2008 – WA removes the gay panic defence.

2009 – The Rudd Labor government removal of discrimination against same-sex couples from federal laws regarding tax, veterans, affairs, social security and health.

What is the ‘Gay Panic Defence’?

The ‘gay panic defence’ is a legal argument intended to downgrade murder charges to manslaughter. In murder cases, the male defendant can argue that the victim was ‘provoking’ him with homosexual displays or advances, until the defendant murdered him through a loss of control. Manslaughter charges carry lesser penalties than murder charges.

Language Through The Ages

Same-sex attracted men were often referred to as sodomites or buggers, terms that come from Christianity. Within social circles gay men sometimes referred to each other as mollie or queens. Until the 1920s, the word ‘hermaphrodite’ used to refer to intersex people, or gender diverse people. Then the word was replaced with intersexuality and intersex. In 1910, the word ‘transvestite’ was introduced, and in 1949 ‘transsexual’ was introduced to refer to gender diverse people. ‘Transgender’ was used after 1971 but other terms didn’t phase out until the 1990s. Gay men and women in Australia referred to themselves as ‘kamp’ (with a ‘K’). In the late 70s, the term ‘lesbian’ became more popular, and gay men and women started using ‘camp’ (with a ‘C’). In the 90s, many women reclaimed the word ‘dyke’ as a way to identify, in the same way that much of the LGBT+ community has reclaimed the word ‘queer’.

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(This image and related history are part of the Our Queer History Museum project.)