LGBTQ literature in Australia

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LGBTIQ+ literature in Australia, or queer literature, refers to Australian literature that is written by, portrays or reflects the experiences of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer people. The definition of what constitutes queer literature in Australia is evolving and open to debate. [1] [2] [3] [4]

Contents

20th century

For the greater part of the 20th century, literature that discussed or represented homosexuality was tightly restricted by censorship in Australia. [5] Before a national censorship authority was established, Australian Customs officers used their own discretion to confiscate books they deemed to contain obscenity, blasphemy or sedition. [6] [7] After the establishment of the Book Censorship Board in 1933, [5] prohibition or restricted circulation of literature considered to contain homosexual content continued to be strictly enforced, [5] sometimes with the risk of criminal prosecution. [7] Examples of LGBTQ literature subject to bans or restrictions in Australia in this period included The Magnificent by Terence Lucy Greenidge, The City and the Pillar by Gore Vidal, The Divided Path by Nial Kent, and Another Country by James Baldwin. [5] : 192–193  The Young Desire It (1937), written by Australian author Seaforth Mackenzie, and published in the UK, was a rare exception in being permitted entry into Australia despite the Board considering it to contain homosexual content. MacKenzie's novel won the 1937 Australian Literature Society Gold Medal. [8] No End to the Way, which was written by G. M. Glaskin under the pseudonym Neville Jackson, and banned from 1965 to 1966, is generally regarded to be the first openly homosexual Australian novel. [9] [5] : 193 

1970s and 1980s

The emergence of the gay liberation movement in the 1970s led to increased visibility and validity for queer culture and literature. [5]

In the 1980s, the outbreak of HIV/AIDS had a profound impact on the LGBT community, and the literature reflects the challenges faced by people with the disease.

In 1982, two years after New South Wales decriminalized sexual intercourse between two men, Wayne Harrison and Les McDonald opened The Darlinghurst Bookshop, the oldest and most iconic [10] bookshop in the LGBT community of Australia. [11] The Darlinghurst Bookshop became a central point for meeting and providing support for those who wanted to come out of the closet. During the HIV/AIDS crisis, the bookstore became an important source of information about the topic. Also, collaborating with relevant events and easing the journey for other LGBT businesses in a time of discrimination and hostility. [11]

1990s

The 1990s marked a significant increase in the production of LGBT literature in Australia. Emerging and established authors started to explore a wide range of sexual and gender identities and their works reflected a greater diversity and representation of the LGBT community.

In 1990, an award-winning novel and stage adaptation of Two Weeks with the Queen by Morris Gleitzman was published. While controversial, it was a pioneer in the field of homosexuality and the HIV/AIDS crisis. [12]

In 1994, The Monkey's Mask by Dorothy Porter was published. It is a crime novel in verse that tells the story of a queer detective [13] who enters the dangerous streets of Sydney. This work has been adapted for radio, television, and film, and has been published in multiple languages. [14] Also, the author has won awards with the first The Age Book of the Year and the National Book Council Award for this narrative poetry. [15]

The featured Loaded by Christos Tsiolkas, published in 1995 [16] and the autobiography Holding the Man [17] by Timothy Conigrave from the same year, which tell the history of love and loss of two gay men in the middle of the AIDS crisis in 1980.

21st Century

Australian LGBT literature has experienced a flowering in the 21st century, with a greater inclusion of LGBT characters and themes in diverse literary forms. Much of the literature, both fiction and non-fiction, has been fundamental to give a voice to the experiences and struggles of the LGBT community.

In 2015, some children's literature also took on queer and diverse topics, with numerous novels exploring the interseccionality between sexual identity, race, disability, and mental health like Becoming Kirrali Lewis, Cloudwish, The Flywheel and The Foretelling of Georgie Spider. [18]

Notable works of sapphic literature include poetry like Heat and Light by Ellen van Neerven in 2014 and Lemons in the Chicken Wire by Alison Whittaker in 2016; and in novels like Too Much Lip by Melissa Lucashenko in 2018. [13]

In non-fiction literature, notable works include Growing Up Queer in Australia from 2019, an anthology made by the journalist Benjamin Law. [13]

In 2022, notable masculine gay novels include Son of Sin by Omar Sakr, Losing Face by George Haddad and My Heart Is A Little Wild Thing by Nigel Featherstone. [13]

References

  1. ↑ Barlow, Damien; Leigh, Dale (2010). "Australian Gay and Lesbian Writing". In Birns, Nicholas; McNeer, Rebecca (eds.). A Companion to Australian Literature since 1900. Boydell & Brewer. pp. 445–458. doi:10.1017/9781571136985.032. ISBN   978-1-57113-698-5.
  2. ↑ Queer Literature: Then and Now (Panel Discussion) (YouTube video recording). Melbourne: Wheeler Centre. 11 January 2016. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  3. ↑ Hurley, Michael (2010). "Gay and Lesbian Writing and Publishing in Australia, 1961-2001". Australian Literary Studies: 42–70. doi:10.20314/als.c2b14e180e . Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  4. ↑ Blackburn, Mollie V.; Clark, Caroline T.; Nemeth, Emily A. (2015). "Examining Queer Elements and Ideologies in LGBT Themed Literature: What Queer Literature Can Offer Young Adult Readers" . Journal of Literacy Research. 47 (1). Sage: 11–48. doi:10.1177/1086296X15568930 . Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Fisher, Jeremy (2015). "Out of the Shadows: The Emergence of Overt Gay Narratives in Australia". In Moore, Nicole (ed.). Censorship and the Limits of the Literary: A Global View. New York: Bloomsbury. pp. 191–194. ISBN   9781628920109.
  6. ↑ "Censor nostalgia: Historian uncovers Australia's banned books". ABC News. 23 March 2012. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  7. 1 2 Moss, Sarah (23 August 2019). "Book Week spotlight on banned books highlights our freedom to read secret stories". ABC News . Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  8. ↑ "Seaforth Mackenzie Wins 1937 Literature Prize". The Telegraph . 22 November 1938. p. 8.
  9. ↑ "No End to the Way". Australian Queer Archives . Retrieved 13 June 2025.
  10. ↑ "An essential queer reading list". Vogue Australia . 11 February 2022. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  11. 1 2 "The Bookshop: The story of Australia's oldest LGBT bookstore". BBC News Online . 19 June 2019. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  12. ↑ "Morris Gleitzman. Biography". austlit.edu.au. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  13. 1 2 3 4 "Australia's literary canon doesn't have much for queer women – but these are some of my favourites". The Guardian . 4 March 2023. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  14. ↑ "11 Great And Enlightening Queer Australian Books To Read During Pride Month". Secret Adelaide. 3 June 2023. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  15. ↑ "The Monkey's Mask". Goodreads . Serpent's tail. 1997. ISBN   978-1-85242-549-4 . Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  16. ↑ "Review: Loaded". Australian Pride Network. 15 May 2023. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  17. ↑ "Holding the Man". Penguin Random House. 2 July 1996. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  18. ↑ "What young adult fiction looked like in 2015". Australian Pride Network. 28 January 2016. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
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