In preserving the history of Queensland’s LGBTQI+ communities, State Library of Queensland has developed a fascinating collection including photographs, recorded oral histories, posters, t-shirts, flyers, magazines and more. Here are some highlights from our collection.
Shayne Wilde collection, 1980-2010
Shayne Wilde was an active member of QAGLR (Queensland Association for Gay Law Reform) and the Pride Collective in Brisbane during the 1990s, as well as being involved with numerous other community and activist groups. Shayne’s extensive collection (14 boxes to be precise) contains a plethora of materials including papers associated with QAGLR (Queensland Association for Gay Law Reform) and ACGLR (Australian Council for Lesbian and Gay Rights), t-shirts, posters and other ephemera.
This collection can be requested and viewed onsite at State Library.
LGBT Lives: Oral Histories, 2011
In 2010, a series of interviews were conducted as part of the LGBT Lives: Oral Histories project to create a permanent record of LGBTQI+ history in Brisbane. The audio files from several of these interviews are now available to listen to online through our One Search catalogue.
Brisbane Marriage Equality Rally photographs and video, 10 September 2017
On September 10, 2017, thousands turned out for a rally in Brisbane’s CBD in support of marriage equality. The Brisbane Marriage Equality Rally was in response to the Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey, a national survey conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics to gauge public support for the legalisation of same-sex marriage. Same-sex marriage would be legalised later that year on 9 December. A collection of 58 photographs and film footage from this rally can be viewed online via our One Search catalogue.
Ephemera collection
In everyday life, ephemera (such as flyers, invitations, concert programs, badges, tote bags, menus, ticket stubs and stickers) are items we often discard, however as time passes these ‘ephemeral’ items can become historically significant. You might be surprised to learn that State Library of Queensland collects ephemera on a wide variety of Queensland topics, including material related to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex and Queer + community. There is also a separate collection for the Brisbane Pride Festival. These ephemera collections can be requested and viewed onsite at State Library.
Equal Love Brisbane collection
Equal Love is a nationwide organization formed in 2004 as a response to the Howard Government’s amendment of the Marriage Act prohibiting marriage between people of the same sex. In 2014, Equal Love Brisbane donated a collection of t-shirts, badges, stickers, flyers, posters and other memorabilia related to their activism and campaigning for marriage equality. Our blog story from 2014 provides further details on this collection.
Greg Weir oral history 2010-2011
In this recorded oral history, one of Queensland’s best-known political activists Greg Weir discusses his involvement in a number of civil liberties movements and as one of the central organisers of the campaign for gay law reform. Listen to Greg’s story online.
PFLAG Brisbane [Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays]
Produced by the Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, back issues of this newsletter from 2005 onwards can be viewed online via our One Search catalogue.
Collection of posters on gay and lesbian themes. Set 1.
As the title indicates, this collection contains a variety of colourful posters from various events, including rallies, Pride Week celebrations, dance parties and more. This collection can be requested and viewed onsite.
Please note – more LGBTQI+ themed posters can be found in other collections, such as the AIDS Archive collection.
Prejudice and Pride Exhibition Material 1980-2010
In 2010, the Museum of Brisbane, in association with Queensland Association for Healthy Communities and State Library of Queensland presented the exhibition “Prejudice & Pride, Recognising the contribution of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender communities to Brisbane”. The Museum of Brisbane facilitated the donation of material from various contributors following the exhibition. The collection includes papers, ephemera, t-shirts, audio visual material, realia, and photographs relating to the Brisbane LGBT communities. The majority of this collection can be viewed onsite at State Library of Queensland.
A few items from this collection can be viewed online through our catalogue including, a 2004 short documentary film by Nick Poteri and Kris Taifalos called Why Pride?, which contains footage and interviews from the Pride event that year, as well as posters from Brisbane Queer Film Festival.
How you can help document Queensland’s LGBTQI+ history
State Library is responsible for collecting and preserving a comprehensive collection of Queensland’s cultural and documentary heritage for all Queenslanders. If you have material that you’d like to donate, visit our website to find out more.