Gay and Lesbian, Then and Now

‘These are our stories. All of us live in them.’ —Anton Enus, SBS News



This is the story of a peaceful revolution.



Drawing on in-depth interviews, it tells the intimate life stories of thirteen gay and lesbian Australians, ranging in age from twenties to eighties.



From the underground beats of 1950s Brisbane and illicit relationships in the armed services, to Grindr, foster parenting and weddings in the twenty-first century, Gay & Lesbian, Then & Now reveals the remarkable social shifts from one generation to the next.



Where once gay and lesbian Australians were treated as criminals, sinners or sick, today they are increasingly accepted as equal. The majority of Australians support same-sex marriage. This rapid transformation in attitudes has opened the way for lesbians and gays to ‘become ordinary’ – to experience freedoms that were once barely imaginable.



Gay & Lesbian, Then & Now reveals the legacies of homophobia, the personal struggles and triumphs involved in coming out, and the many different ways of being gay or lesbian in Australia – then and now. It is a moving account of a quiet revolution.



Robert Reynolds is Associate Professor in the department of Modern History, Politics and International Relations at Macquarie University. His previous books include What Happened to Gay Life? and History on the Couch (as co-editor).



Shirleene Robinson is Vice Chancellor’s Innovation Fellow in the department of Modern History, Politics and International Relations at Macquarie University. Her previous books include Homophobia: An Australian History (as editor).