In Mardi Gras month, it's good to remember that Sydney has always had people of varying sexualities, and despite efforts to police them, they've always been here. The Dictionary's article on Lesbians in Sydney is by Rebecca Jennings, and traces the stories of female same-sex desire in Sydney from before the Europeans arrived. Rebecca's work is based on both archival research and oral history, and adds greatly to understandings of what was, for much of the period, a hidden and private culture. Castigated as sinful and immoral in the nineteenth century, lesbianism was medicalised in the twentieth century and considered to be a psychological disorder. At the same time, the tabloid newspapers revelled in the sensational stories of lesbian murderers (such as  Eugenia Falleni) or gangsters (like Iris Webber).

'Lesbian Brides' marching group, Mardi Gras 1994 by C. Moore Hardy. Contributed by City of Sydney Archives (061-061352)

With the advent of renewed movements for women's rights and gay liberation, the lesbian underground became a public subculture and an important part of the city's fabric. Women produced lesbian publications, such as Lesbians on the Loose, or LOTL as it is now known, plays, films and novels in Sydney, creating a vibrant cultural space in which lesbian issues were debated, often contentiously. These women were crucial to the development of second wave feminism in Sydney. Lesbian activists were part of the Mardi Gras from its beginnings in public protest, and remain stalwarts of the festival, as parade participants, artists and cultural producers, activists and fans out to have fun. Have a great weekend!