By any standard, it has been an extraordinary transformation.
Thirty years ago, homosexuality was the practice of a small and virtually unseen minority, a marginalised sub-culture viewed with suspicion and distaste by society at large. How quickly things have changed. Within the span of a generation, our society seems to have moved from condemnation to open acceptance and promotion. Now the suspicion and condemnation is of those who might speak ill of homosexuality.
Perhaps the most potent symbol of this transformation in Australia has been Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. From its beginnings as a small, counter-cultural protest march in 1978, the event has become a juggernaut no longer even requiring its sexual adjectives. It is now known simply as 'Mardi Gras' and is touted as the largest and most important festival on Sydney's calendar. It is broadcast as prime time on network television, with breathless commentary from popular personalities, and live crosses to cross-dressed roving reporters.
