Out of the closets, into the streets showcases the early gay liberation movement in Melbourne, covering the years 1971 to 1973. Following on from the Archives’ successful photographic exhibition during the AIDS 2014 conference that covered gay liberation across Australia, this exhibition draws on archival material, objects and moving image to bring the histories of Melbourne gay liberation into the present. Additional exhibition information and events information to follow.
"As gay people found their voice in the early 1970s artists, often at the very beginning of their careers, were there to capture meetings in lounge rooms, consciousness raising groups and street protests. The liberation movement meant ‘being there’, putting your body on the line. This embodied politics couldn’t stop in the streets: that is, the public arena as conventionally understood. ‘Being there’ politically also applied to households, classrooms, sexual relations, workplaces and the natural environment." Raewyn Connell, ‘Ours is in colour: the new left of the 1960s’.
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