Solidarity is possible: rethinking gay and lesbian activism in 1970s Australia

This article critically engages with the debate around whether gay and lesbian activism in the 1970s was marked by solidarity or inevitable fragmentation investigates the dominant fragmentation thesis, which presupposes that the union between men and women was fragile at best and thus necessarily came to an end. Drawing on three examples from the archives of Australian gay and lesbian history, this article offers an alternative glimpse of moments of solidarity from the time. What these moments reveal is that the question of fragmentation was a contested arena, where many sought unity over separation in order to fight common struggles around homophobia and sexism.