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Seven women and men were arrested at the ACT UP rally outside the US Consulate at lunchtime on Tuesday 19 June. The protest was one of several across Europe and North America to protest the opening of the San Francisco AIDS Conference, which has been subject to a strong world wide boycott because of US law forbidding entry of homosexuals and people with HIV. GSG people were among the participants, speakers and arrestees.

The brutal overreaction of the police undermines whatever confidence lesbians and gay men have in reforms to make the police more "gay sympathetic".

Prior to this ACT UP held two very successful rallies: on 27 April against delays in making AZT more available, and on 27 May at Parramatta Gaol, against the forced testing of prisoners and the refusal to make condoms and clean fits available.

ACT UP meets fortnightly on Tuesday nights at Surry Hills neighbourhood Centre. For more Info ring 283 3550 or wrlto to PO Box A1242 Sydney South 2000

Although the "Herald" said 20,000 people marched for the centenary of May Day in Australia, somehow it did not seem like that on the day. Down George Street, the parade looked impressively long and colourful. But traditional contingents from migrant political groups, from unions, from left parties, from peace and solidarity organisations were fewer and smaller than in the past.

25 people from Gay Solidarity, the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence and ACT UP formed a contingent behind a banner "Socialism, Feminism, Gay Liberation".

As always we were more militant, loud and humorous than most other May Day groups. For a change both Gay Solidarity and the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence were announced and welcomed from the reviewing stand at the Town Hall. At the Quay, Clothing Trades union leader, Anna Booth, made history by repeatedly mentioning gay liberation and womens liberation as key issues for the Australian labour movement. She was unaware that no one speaking officially from a Sydney May Day platform had ever said the G-word before.

Our chants were a mixture of old and new, of serious and light-hearted:

The June 1st murder in the Philippines of Richard Wilson captured the media's attention. But it also deeply shocked those of us who had known Richard over two decades of intense involvement in the gay, left and trade union movement in several cities.

Richard became active in the Sydney Gay Liberation movement in the early 1970s and helped build many campaigns for lesbian and gay rights; continuing this work in Gay Solidarity Group after we formed in 1978. In 1984 propelled by increasing racism within the gay communities Richard co-founded Gays Against Racism.

Richard's conviction that the road to our freedom is through the struggle for socialism led him to join the Socialist Workers Party in the early 1970s. Although he left the SWP in the late 70s, he remained a revolutionary socialist and a keen participant in his union the ACOA.

My lover Geoff and I saw Richard in Bangkok in February. He had been living there for a couple of years, teaching English at a Bangkok university. He was determined that our stay should be as enjoyable as possible and he jumped into his role as tour guide with great relish. It was on his way back to Sydney that he was murdered on what should have been a 24 hour stopover in Manila.

Richard was many things to me — amongst them a comrade, a housemate, (and on a few occasions a political opponent). In a world where socialist gay liberationists are all too few and far between, Richard's absence will be strongly felt. David Fagan

"Into the 90s", the conference organised by the Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby, took place on the 19-20th May. Out of a number of workshops the first draft of a charter was devoloped to provide a guideline for future activism. While attendance could have been higher, those attending spent two discussion filled days tackling a number of issues including: youth, anti-discrimination, violence, police, media and immigration.

A copy of the resolutions can be obtained by writing to GLRL, PO Box 9 Darllnghurst. 2010.

Enola Gay and friends took to the streets for the first World Environment Day actions in Sydney on 3rd June. Our presence in the colourful but quiet procession, ensured that the other 5000 participants and thousands of onlookers were introduced to what was undoubtedly a novel idea to many of them: the struggle for our earth and the struggle for lesbian and gay liberation go hand in hand. David Fagan

Our congratulations to Paul O'Grady, a left wing Labor member of the NSW Legislative Council, who became the first NSW Parliamentarian to come out in the mass media on 5 June.

The last Gay Solidarity newssheet carried an article "On Lithuania". Others in GSG have a different understanding of the USSR to that expressed by David S in that article. Undemocratic, bureaucratic, despotic, anti-gay, the regime in the USSR certainly is. But the USSR as "imperialist"? Not unless you empty the term of any content and use it simply as a synonym for all things nasty, otherwise you'd have to talk about "imperialist" Poland, "imperialist" Vietnam, "imperialist" Cuba. And why not "imperialist" Lithuania too? In any case, GSG is not a political party, but a diverse group of activists; so we are bound to have all sorts of views on different issues. That's how it should be.

GLRL are sponsoring a public meeting to launch a campaign to encourage lesbians and gay men to carry whistles as a defence measure against bashings. The meeting is on Wednesday 27 June at 7.30pm at the Mardi Gras, 15-19 Boundary Rd, Rushcutters Bay.

Melbourne's monthly newsletter of lesbian and gay activism is available from PO box 108 North Carlton VIC 3054 for $13 ($5 concession) for one year.

1990 marks the 21st anniversary of the rebellion at the Stonewall bar in New York. On 26th June 1969, lesbians, drag queens and other queers fought back against what could have been a routine police raid.

In 1978, the Gay Freedom Day Committee in San Francisco, fighting the advance of the New Right, requested that Sydney lesbian and gay activists hold solidarity actions on the Stonewall anniversary. The Gay Solidarity Group was formed and organised the first Mardi Gras, which was met with police brutality and arrests. In modern, "liberal" NSW, limited homosexual law reform and (almost useless) antidiscrimination provisions have been achieved, largely due to the 78 Mardi Gras and the ensuing street activism.

By coincidence the Stonewall anniversary falls on the date in 1935 that the Nazis expanded the German anti-homosexual laws to allow the eradication of the European gay and lesbian communities.

This year GLRL has taken the responsibility to organise a large Stonewall 21st birthday march. Bring banners and placards and meet at 1.30 Belmore Park, Saturday 30 June.

GSG is holding its annual dinner at the Heffron Hall, corner of Burton and Palmer streets in Darlinghurst at 8pm on Sunday 1 July. $10 and $5 concession.

CURRENT NEWSLETTER AND ARCHIVE OF PREVIOUS NEWSLETTERS

Mannie has a personal web site: RED JOS: HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVISM

Mannie's blogs may be accessed by clicking on to the following links:

MannieBlog (from 1 August 2003 to 31 December 2005)

Activist Kicks Backs - Blognow archive re-housed - 2005-2009

RED JOS BLOGSPOT (from January 2009 onwards)

This page updated 18 SEPTEMBER 2014 and again on 26 APRIL 2017

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