Providing a personal view of a landmark moment, Mark Gillespie’s essay makes many comments in regards to the role of police and authority in maintaining social order and how that order is defined by the prevailing social norms of the time. Gillespie provides detail and historical context to how the march of 1978 came to occur before taking his reader through the evening and the escalating sense of enthusiasm, pride and resistance which came as a result.
Enthusiasm and excitement begins to simmer towards violence and unrest as a driver of an open back truck is arrested by police officers. It is in this moment that Gillespie outlines how the march transitioned from celebration to protest. As the vehicle, quite literally there to provide a “platform” for the marchers, is stopped and its driver arrested, Gillespie brings into question the role of police in such circumstances. If protests are to disrupt the day to day and interrupt the norm, then at what point are police officers charged with the responsibility of keeping ‘order’? Further to this, how are those discriminated by a society expected to enact change when the daily ‘order’ sees them persecuted and mistreated?
If we consider the march of 1978 as an expression of identity and celebration, then Gillespie leads us to see the police on that evening as looking to “put [them] back in [their] closets”. His personal recollections allow us to consider the frustrations of the homosexual community of the time and their search for allies as they rallied against a culture that looked to at best ignore them, at worst, violently suppress them and their attempts to be seen as equal to their heterosexual peers. We can also consider if, in this episode, the police are an extension of the rest of society, looking to maintain a sense of control. Whilst we may look back with the benefit of hindsight, it is worth considering how many people would have accepted, or even encouraged the actions of the police that evening.
The role of authority in now engaging with minority groups is seen as critical by Gillespie as he outlines hopes for a more equitable future. We can consider progress to be seen in groups such as police moving from being an instrument of control and subjugation to a protector and champion of civil rights. And whilst the police of 1978 may have been representative of prevailing social norms of the time, Gillespie provides hope that celebration and inclusion can lead to understanding and acceptance rather than disruptive and violent clashes of those looking to be recognised and valued and those looking to suppress them.
Gillespie’s piece captures the energy of June 24th 1978 whilst also providing the historical context that led to such an unleashing of long-held frustrations. The 1969 Stonewall Riot is mentioned as a predecessor to the march, illustrating the impact of protests to spread and gather momentum as those who have suffered under unjust and unequal laws and practices are empowered by their peers. From Gillespie’s perspective, it seems that the events of the first Mardi Gras march were an explosion of years of pain and unrest; a fire that had been gathering fuel and now simply needed a spark.
To so openly put themselves into the public eye was an act of bravery, highlighted by Gillespie’s allusions to criminality and electroshock therapy – both realities of the time. Amongst a society that forced them to hide from who they were and live a “double life”, somehow the courage was found to stand as a community in solidarity. As Gillespie puts it:
“We were sick and tired of being criminalised, pathologised, demonised, of being made to hide who we were and having our rights to live as human beings denied.”
Gillespie also makes mention of “transgender and Aboriginal people and people from migrant backgrounds all mixing in” and lending support to the movement, along with the mention of straight people coming out fromm bars and restaurants. This brings to light the sense that, despite heavy social opposition, a sense of momentum was gathering behind the movement. We can view protest as something of a ‘tipping point’ with this in mind, considering that those who wish to voice their frustrations and demands for change as being confident enough to do so because of support they can rely on from others. Gillespie mentions how “in numbers, suddenly, wonderfully, we were unafraid”. When we consider this alongside the “bipartisan support” of a small group of politicians, it becomes evident that social change involves the lobbying of others for support and that action and time can lead to these numbers reaching a critical point.
By contrasting the violence of the first march with pictures of celebration at a more recent Mardi Gras, Gillespie illustrates how protest can take many forms. We are left to question if peaceful protest is effective and even possible, given the history of the march and the severe manner in which the 1978 marchers were dealt with by authorities. The progress made for the gay community is tempered by Gillespie’s stressing that the “struggle is not over.” Thus, we see that the dynamic and controversial beginnings of the pride movement have now transformed into a statement that must remain political in nature.
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