State Library of NSW Opens Pride Line To Commemorate 50th Anniversary Of First Gay Pride Week
Image: State Library of NSW X
The State Library of NSW has opened up a Pride Line to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Australia’s first Gay Pride Week, which took place September 6 – 18, 1973.
They are calling on members of Queer communities to call in and share their pride stories by leaving a voice message.
The number for the Pride Line is 02 9273 1212, or you can visit the State Library of NSW Pride Line booth in the Macquarie Street foyer.
These recordings will become part of the State Library’s LGBTQI+ collections.
‘Your Stories Have Value’
According to organisers, “The State Library has been collecting LGBTQI+ material since the 1970s and continues to collect, now and into the future.
“We are all living our stories and play a part in creating history. Your stories have value and deserve to be recorded.”
In a post to instagram, The State Library shared one such story.
“High school student and gay activist John Englart was one of the many people who took part in Australia’s first national gay rights event.
“Englart started keeping a diary in 1970, when he was just 15 years old. In the same year he moved from Tweed Heads in northern NSW to Sydney.
“In September 1973, Englart took part in Gay Pride Week and wrote about his excitment, and his own ‘coming out’. Englart later donated his diary to the Library along with 89 black-and-white photographs he snapped on his Instamatic camera.”
View this post on Instagram
The Pride Line will be open until Monday, October 30.
Call the Pride Line at 02 9273 1212
If you have a story to share, come and visit the Pride Line booth in our Macquarie Foyer. Or call the Pride Line on (02) 9273 1212 to leave a message. Your stories will become part of the Library's #LGBTQ+ collection.
☎️ Learn more about Pride Line: https://t.co/opsRVmjVhD pic.twitter.com/tMkoiAdqj9
— State Library of NSW (@statelibrarynsw) September 8, 2023
