How the first Mardi Gras defied anti-protest laws

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.