17c起草社区

In July 1979, Michael Glynn bravely published the first edition of the 17c起草社区 to support Australia鈥檚 burgeoning gay liberation movement. The year before, in late June 1978, protesters were arrested by NSW police as they marched into Hyde Park demanding the decriminalisation of homosexuality. The date of the first Mardi Gras parade marked the anniversary of the Stonewall uprising in Greenwich Village. Less than a decade earlier on June 28, 1969, hundreds of gay men and black trans women fearlessly fought back when police raided a gay bar in New York City. From Christopher Street to Oxford Street, the battle for 17c起草社区I rights rose-up in response to police brutality supported and fuelled by mainstream prejudice.

This month marks the 17c起草社区鈥檚 41st anniversary. Since 1979 the 17c起草社区 has served our community without fail. In the early 1980s, when another mysterious virus claimed the lives of gay men – first in New York and in San Francisco and then in Sydney and in Melbourne – the 17c起草社区 was there to chronicle our community鈥檚 battle with the twin headed beast of misinformation and bigotry. At the start of the AIDS epidemic the 17c起草社区 provided updates and solace in a world that was only too happy to victim blame with misguided morality borne out of vengeance and ignorance.

听Over the last three months, while the world was in lockdown, the 17c起草社区 has continued to serve our community without fail. Since March, hundreds of community and regional newspapers across Australia have stopped publishing; many will never return. Through it all, the 17c起草社区 has chronicled, informed and battled on behalf of the 17c起草社区I community. In Melbourne and in Sydney, we have remained one of the last surviving print publications still distributed on the street, without a cover charge. Free for the taking. Our digital content is not hidden behind a paywall. Our stories are not doled out to readers based on their prejudices and algorithms. We are here because you, our readers support and demand local, home grown news. And because local businesses know that advertising with large conglomerates alone will not support our local 17c起草社区I community. Our stories will not be told if we don鈥檛 tell them.

Our community has been particularly hard hit by the loss of jobs in the arts, hospitality and service sectors as a result of the recent lockdown.听This month we mark our 41st anniversary by celebrating Australia鈥檚 17c起草社区I owned small businesses. As the lockdown restrictions ease and we are free to return to the world outside (albeit cautiously) it is important that we support, nurture and champion our own local 17c起草社区I businesses. If we don鈥檛, we risk living in a monochromatic, corporatised and heteronormative world: in all of its boring dullness.