How the first Mardi Gras defied anti-protest laws

from The Sound of Solidarity · host solidarity.net.au

Ken Davis, a '78er who took part in the first Sydney Mardi Gras, and Jean Parker from Solidarity discuss the lessons from 1978, when the first Mardi Gras protest march demanding LGBTIQ+ liberation was violently attacked by police with 53 arrests and people severely beaten. Mass defiance not only strengthened the fight against discrimination against LGBTIQ+ people but also triggered a campaign to drop the charges that won legal change and the right to march. As we face new anti-protest laws today, Ken and Jean will explain what happened and the lessons for today. Read more about LGBTIQ+ liberation. Find out more about Solidarity. This talk was given at a Solidarity meeting in Sydney on 26 February 2026.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Mar 6, 2026

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How the first Mardi Gras defied anti-protest laws

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