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 October 22, a rally was held on the steps of Parliament House to protest over laws discriminating against gay men in Western Australia and to persuade Parliament that the Bill should be passed.
Over 300 people attended the rally armed with banners and pink and mauve balloons to express their anger at unjust and discriminatory laws.
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The Bill was finally proclaimed in March of 1990. That year a group of LGBTIQA+ 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.
It included 200 people, and the month-long October festival had 30 events. The parade was held during the day, but the following year it was moved to evening when it was much cooler. Within two years over 1,500 people were taking part in the parade.
In 1993 Pride Fairday was held for the first time serving as an opening event for the festival. Over time the festival has slowly slipped from October into November and is now one of Perth’s biggest cultural events.
Singer Paul Lekakis celebrates his birthday today
There’s probably a generation of gay men who discovered their sexuality in the mid-1980’s when Paul Lekakis raced up the charts with his Italio-disco hit Boom Boom (Let’s Go Back to My Room).
Released in 1987 the song was filled with suggestive lyrics which were considered risqué at the time. Lekakis found his biggest success in Australia where the club track spent five weeks in the number one position.
The cover for the 12inch version of the record showed Lekakis looking sultry with his shirt falling open and his floppy fringe falling over his eyes, while in promo appearances he showed off his dance moves.
The singer was soon signed to a major deal on Sire Records, the same label as Madonna and Talking Heads, and soon he was in the studio working with Shep Pettibone – who at the time had been working with Janet Jackson and crafting Madonna’s mega-hit Vogue. His album Tatoo It was released in 1990.
Lelakis also went on to work with British producers Stock, Aitken, Waterman the team who crafted hits for everyone from Kylie Minogue to Jason Donovan, Bananrama, Donna Summer and Big Fun.
Lekakis tested positive for HIV around 1989, and since the 1990’s has worked to tackle discrimination and stigma. He chatted to OUTinPerth in 2012 to mark the 25th anniversary of Boom Boom (Let’s Go Back to My Room).
