Lesbian and Gay history in Australia has been documented from the end of world war two. Gay and Lesbian emergence began with the expansion of networks and communities around the Oxford Street districts of Sydney. As a result, contemporary Gay and Lesbian politics became publicly aware in Sydney.

Gay liberation began in the 1970's in New South Wales, it's aim being to end sexual categorisation into Heterosexaul and Homosexual. It's goal to create sexual diversity and plurality.
Gay and Lesbian groups emerged publicly around the same time. Their aim was to defend and assert their communtities and social spaces and to resist various forms of social and cultural oppression. The group does this through such social institutions as the legal system, employment, custody and immigration.

In 1973 anti-homosexual laws including sex and gay establishments, were abandoned in South Australia, New South Wales and Victoria. However, experience has shown that the absence of anti-homosexual laws does not materially change the hostility encountered by most homosexuals.
In 1974 psychiatry in Australia adopted the view that homosexuality was a normal variant of sexual behaviour.
By the 1980's gay liberation's early emphasis on challenging the whole system of sexual categorisation into homosexual and heterosexual, had been replaced by an emphasis on securing rights and legitimacy as a minority group.
Also around the 1980's male homosexuality around the Oxford Street area of Sydney, and Prahran in Melbourne, started to become masculinised. Many gay men adopted the masculine styles of main stream heterosexual culture. Gay ploitics shifted too, and there was less interest in challenging the gender ideology of the wider society.
In mid 1981 the first media coverage of AIDS in Australia was released in the gay press.
In May 1983 Sydney's Gay community established an AIDS action Committee.
In the late 1980's South Autsralia, New South Wales and possibly Victoria passed laws making discrimination against homosexuals illegal.
Today Lesbian and Gay politics is alive and well. Gays and Lesbians are involved in a multitude of groups and organisations. (refer to appendix) (Healey, K 1995)

The religious system in Australia contributes dramatically to disadvantaging Gays and Lesbians.
By the mid fourteenth century radical change was brought about by the combined forces of church and state government which refused to accept homosexuality. A mans sexuality was now touched by the divinity of God, it became sacred. Women were so marginalised that they had not yet been considered. Any sexual expression outside marriage, or positions and acts within marriage which were not vaginal penetration in the missionary position, were contaminated by the Devil.
Gradually, all 'deviant' acts became grave and flagrant sins against the divinity of God. This change to a heterosexual 'idea' could not expunge the expression of homosexuality from all levels of society, including the church. Instead, it created a form of divided thinking in both the individual and the society. Now the expresion of homosexual feeling had to be thought of as something else, unless it became blatantly obvious and publicly obvious and the state was forced to take action. It is from this time, when the concept of homosexuality was discarded from the consciousness of society. Homosexuality had to be hidden. The status quo, heterosexuality had to be publicly enhanced. (Spencer, C 1995)

Human sexual nature, in the way it was considered socially, was divided into two parts, homosexual and heterosexual, as if they were mutually exclusive. From this time onwards an underground society which thought of itself as catering for the tastes of homosexuals began to flourish in cities in Australia.

The underground society of Gays and Lesbians became known as Gay ghettos and was then open to exploitation by the economic system. Gay ghettos are where there are a large concentration of homosexuals and where homosexual behaviour is largely accepted. For example the inner city suburbs around Oxford Street Sydney, Prahran Melbourne. In these areas, rents are much higher than in comparable non gay areas. There is also a large number of exploitative, that is overpriced, bars. 'Homosexual' restaurants, clubs, hotels, book shops, real estates, night clubs and businesses known to be 'gay friendly', all tend to be very over priced. The strength of social pressures against any overt homosexual behaviour has madehomosexuals particularly vulnerable to businessmen prepared to provide specialist services. But the Oxford Street area does not suffer from the same constricting socio-economic disadvantages as do comparable areas of Sydney. Lesbians and Gays are in most cases quiet well off. (Altman, D 1973)

The legal system in Australiacan be seen to disadvantage gay and Lesbian people. In gaols known homosexuals are often victimised by both inmates and wardens, in the picture of constant cruelty, taunting and rape. Like other stigmitised groups, homosexuals do not enjoy equal protection of the law. Lack of equal protection is most threatening in regard to the violence that homosexuals, particularly men who are at all effeminate suffer from. 'Poofter bashing', as it is known in Australia, is a common way for some men to assert their masculinity, and the police can not always be relied upon in such situations. (Altman, D 1973)

Funeral rights disadvantage homosexuals by denying same sex partners involvement in the organisation of burials and funerals. If a same sex couples partner is hospitalised, the biological family will be contacted, have visiting rights and the first input into treatment over the same sex partner.
Tax benefits apply in Australia for heterosexual married and non married couples. The same benefit does not apply to homosexual couples. Wills can be contested by the biological family of a deceased person, over the same sex partner of the deceased.

Discrimination in the education system in Australia can be seen by the lack of interest by schools to the introduction of a non-compulsory 'Homophobia Education Kit' for all New South Wales schools. This blatant disregard for homosexual students is then played out in homophobic abuse in schools playgrounds by students with no understanding of homosexuality.
Half of all boys in co-educational schools showed homophobic feeelings, with the figure rising to sixty five percent of boys in boys-only schools. The reverse is seen in girls-only schools with ten percent of girls experiencing homophobic feelings, but in co-educational schools fourty percent of girls experienced homophobic feelings. (Van De Ven SMH 1995)
Dr Van de Ven, a former school Principal said that homophobia was often left unchecked in New South Wales schools. He believes anti-homophobia educational programs could successfully reduce hostility. An anti-homophobia kit was developed by the Department of School Education in 1991, but it is not a compulsory unit of study.

Gay and Lesbian people are discriminated against by the Family System in Australia by not representing homosexuals as family in family oriented TV shows / magazines / advertisements / neighbourhood or community centres. There is very little text or educational material for families with a Gay or Lesbian member.
The problem most young Gay and Lesbians have with coming to grips with their sexuality, is coming out to their parents who represent the dominantsexuality. A sister was usually the first to be told, followed by the mother, female friends, brothers, then father. Mental and physical problems including depression are common when hiding sexuality and can lead to suicide. This was supported in recent medical studies that revealed high rates of suicide among young homosexual men. Eighty percent of young gay men do not tell their families about their sexuality. (Sex in silence)

In conclusion to this assignment, issues around the disadvantageous status of the Lesbian and Gay communities in Australia by numerous social institutions is evident. These social institutions including the religious, economic, legal and educational systems disadvantaging is completely unnecessary and reversible. This can be achieved by acknowledging, representing, understanding and achieving social equality for all Gay and Lesbian Australians.

The 'Kiman Tribe' of Melanesia in Pre History performed rituals where every boy past infancy was taken away from his mother and the women's house to sleep with his father in the men's house. At the first sign of puberty, his maternal Uncle was appointed to penetrate the boy anally, thus seeding him with the sperm which would make him strong.
The 'Marind Tribe', also of Melanesia, practised the 'Sosom' ritual, at which no women were present. 'Sosom' was a castrated giant who wore a string of severed heads around his neck. A large red phallus stood in a clearing and the boy initiates were brought to it. The older men danced and then there would be a male orgy where for the first time any man could penetrate any boy-initiate. This was the only time in the Marind calendar when promiscuity was permitted.
The 'Nambas' who lived in the highlands on the Island of Malekula also had homosexual rituals for boy-initiates, very similar to the Kiman Tribe. There was, too, a metaphysical aspect to the homosexual coupling, for the participants believed they could generate a power to transform themselves both physically and mentally. Female homosexuality in Tribal situations was rare and little known.
Greek mythological initiations involved the youth as a pupil, disciple or apprentice, while the older lover was a master, warrior, teacher and model. The myth involves an abduction and travel outside civilisation, to a wild forest, an untamed area, where the older man would reveal a knowledge of life. The most famous male couple in Greek myth is Zeus an Ganymede, but Apollo to was constantly stealing beautiful youths.
The Babylonins believed if a man had intercourse with another man of his equal, he would be foremost among his brothers and colleagues. If he had intercourse with a male courtier for a whole year, all troubles would leave him. But if he had intercourse with his male slave, he would bring trouble. While to penetrate someone of high social status or ones equal could bring high social status, it would bring bad luck to seduce someone of low status.
In Ancient Rome men openly attempted to seduce boys. By the second Century BC boy-love was in fashion. If a Roman wanted secure affection, respect and faithfulness, then he chose a wife. But if he wanted sexual passion, anguish and romantic ardour, he chose a youth. (Spencer, C 1995)

Statistics representing Gay and Lesbian Australia:

Sydney Morning Herald June 1995
Dr Paul Van de Ven, of the University of Sydney, conducted a three year study of 130 students aged between 13 and 16 years of age from six government High Schools in Sydney. Two schools were boys only, two girls only and the others co-educational. The study found that between 50 and 65 percent of boys had homophobic feelings, and between 10 and 40 percent of girls.

Sex in Silence
A National study of 2100 young Gays aged between 11 to 26, conducted by the Australian Federation of AIDS found that 53% of respondents had not told others about their sexual feelings.

Gay and Lesbian Organistaions and groups:
Immigration and custody taskforces / The sisters of perpetual indulgence / AIDS coalition to unleash power / Lesbian and gay anti-violence project / Gay and Lesbian teachers and students / AIDS councils and bureaucracies / Parents and friends of Lesbians and Gays / Queer Nation / Dykes on Bikes / Mardi Gras / Lesbian and Gay rights Lobby.

References
Altman, D 1973. 'Homosexual - oppression and Liberation'. Penguin books
Healey, K 1995. 'Sexuality - Issues for the Nineties'. The Spinney Press: Australia.
Spencer, C 1995. 'Homosexuality- A History'. Fourth Estate Limited: London.
Van de Ven, Dr P 1995. University of Sydney "Sydney Morning Herald'.