October 22nd is a historic day in Western Australia’s fight for LGBTIQA+ rights
In October 1989, the Parliament of Western Australia was debating a bill to decriminalise homosexual acts between consenting males.
On 22 October, a rally was held on the steps of Parliament House to protest laws that discriminated against gay men in Western Australia and to encourage Parliament to pass the bill.
More than 300 people attended the rally, carrying banners and pink and mauve balloons to express their opposition to what they saw as unjust and discriminatory laws.
Do you have photos or memories of this event? Get in touch.
The bill was finally proclaimed in March 1990. Later that year, a group of LGBTQIA+ organisations came together to form the Perth Pride Collective and, for the first time in many years, held a Pride march to mark the anniversary of the protest.
Around 200 people participated in the march, while the month-long October festival featured 30 events. The parade was initially held during the day but moved to the evening the following year to take advantage of cooler temperatures. Within two years, more than 1,500 people were taking part in the parade.
In 1993, Pride Fairday was held for the first time, serving as the opening event for the festival. Over time, the festival gradually shifted from October into November and is now one of Perth’s largest cultural events.
Singer Paul Lekakis celebrates his birthday today
For many gay men coming of age in the late 1980s, Paul Lekakis’s club hit Boom Boom (Let’s Go Back to My Room) became an unforgettable part of the soundtrack to that era.
Released in 1987, the song was filled with suggestive lyrics that were considered risqué at the time. Lekakis found his greatest success in Australia, where the club track reportedly spent five weeks at number one.
The cover of the 12-inch single showed Lekakis posing with his shirt falling open and his floppy fringe hanging over his eyes, while promotional appearances highlighted his energetic dance moves.
The singer was soon signed to a major deal with Sire Records, the same label that was home to artists including Madonna and Talking Heads. He went into the studio with producer Shep Pettibone, who would become best known for his work with Madonna and Janet Jackson, among many others.
His album Tattoo It was released in 1990.
Lekakis also worked with British hitmakers Stock Aitken Waterman, the production team behind chart successes for Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan, Bananarama, Donna Summer and Big Fun.
Lekakis has spoken publicly about receiving an HIV diagnosis around 1989 and has spent much of his career challenging HIV-related stigma and discrimination.
He chatted to OUTinPerth in 2012 to mark the 25th anniversary of Boom Boom (Let’s Go Back to My Room).
