Pride History Group previews LGBTI project

As part of Sydney Pride Fetival, the Pride History Group will be giving an interim report on its oral histories project, 100 Voices.

For some time, members of the group have been interviewing gay men and lesbians involved in the history of our communities, from their earliest beginnings to the immediate past.

While the project is ongoing, it will be formally 'launched' as an on-line resource at next year's Mardi Gras.

In the meantime, the group will present and interim report and play excerpts of some of its interviews at their Sydney Pride Festival event.

"We have been trying to get as much information as we can about our gay history pre-decriminalisation, because there's a paucity of material out there," group secretary Robert French tells SX.

"We know of gay men and lesbians who wrote letters and kept journals say in the 1920s and 30s, but on their death the family found such material embarrassing and all too often destroyed it.

"Since there is so little material from before the gay liberation movement, we are really keen to talk to older members of our community because we need to capture their memories."

The Pride event will be hosted by current program co-ordinator Scott McKinnon and former co-ordinator John Witte.

"They will present what we've done, where we're at, how many people interviewed so far," French says.

"We just thought it was a good idea to report our progress to the community.

"Anyone interested in our history should find this a fascinating afternoon."

The 100 Voices event will be held on Saturday June 23 at 2:30pm at the Stonewall Hotel. All are welcome.