Introduction—How the Personal Became Political: The Gender and Sexuality Revolutions in 1970s Australia

Abstract

ABSTRACTHow the Personal became Political presents new research on the events, policy changes and watershed developments in gender and sexuality in Australia in the 1970s. This Special Issue addresses the current political and theoretical significance of the 1970s revolutions, and key questions about the nature of sweeping change. How and why did matters previously considered private and personal, become public and political? What were the key policy shifts? How were protests in the streets connected to legislative reforms? Who were the critical players and what were the dramatic moments? How was resistance to change manifested, and what fears were articulated? How did Australia fit into the broader transnational movements for change? What have been the legacies and what can feminists and gay and lesbian activists today learn from them? Scholars from several disciplines offer fresh insight into this wave of social revolution, and its continuing relevance.