Restricted to Adults Only: Homosexuality and Film Censorship Reform in 1970s Australia

Abstract

:In the 1960s, Australia's film censorship system became the subject of heated debate, leading to significant legislative reforms in the early 1970s. Among the reforms was a new, legally enforceable R rating that banned entry to specific films for anyone under eighteen years of age. Assured that depictions of homosexuality would not be seen by children, Australian censors allowed a range of films that had previously been banned to appear at local cinemas, including The Boys in the Band (1970) and The Gay Deceivers (1969). Gay and lesbian activists had reason to celebrate increased access to homosexual stories on screen. The reforms equally conformed, however, to an argument often made by conservative commentators, that information about gay and lesbian life was inherently harmful to children.