Sunshine and Rainbows: The Development of Gay and Lesbian Culture in Queensland

"Sunshine and Rainbows" is a history of the development of homosexuality as an Australian subculture. Proceeding chronologically from the 1820s through to the vibrant alternative culture that exists in 2000, "Sunshine and Rainbows" argues that the manner in which gay and lesbian identity has been constructed in Queensland is typical of Australia generally. Beginning with isolated acts suppressed by criminal law and medical opinion, a homosexual identity developed, which by the mid-nineteenth century was based on male appropriation of public space.A clandestine social subculture was in place during the first half of the twentieth century. Despite continued relgious, social, legal and medical repression, it became an obvious part of Australian sexuality, expressed through Beats and early gathering places such as coffee shops, hotels, and theatres. Well developed in urban areas by the 1930s and 1940s, the subculture strengthened in the 1970s and 1980s, when clubs, gay commercial venues and political organisations emerged. The fight for gay law reform, recognition of the rights of same-sex partners, and of individuals affected by HIV/AIDS, continues today. "Sunshine and Rainbows" discusses the different roles of gay men and lesbians in the subculture, arguing that by the end of the twentieth century a transition had occurred to a fully-developed alternative culture.