Pride Walk

Last updated 29 Mar, 2022

The Pride Walk celebrates the achievements and recognises the struggles faced by the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Intersex (LGBTQI) community in their journey toward acceptance. The City of Adelaide installed the Pride Walk in October 2016.

In collaboration with historian Ian Purcell AM, the timeline text stencilled onto the path aims to give an insight into major legal and policy reform in South Australia. It acknowledges key community events, with the focus on South Australia which paved the way being the first state to decriminalise homosexuality in 1973.

The Pride Walk is located in the north-western quadrant of Light Square adjacent to the Adelaide College of the Arts.

The timeline below depicts the journey and achievements of South Australia’s LGBTQI community. Each date corresponds with a key event in the lead up to and surrounding major law reform milestones and community achievements.

1971	In a time when male homosexuality is still considered illegal, Premier Don Dunstan announces a review of criminal law.
1972	Dr George Duncan is thrown into the River Torrens and drowns. Public outrage surrounding his murder triggers homosexual law reform. MP Murray Hill introduces a bill to decriminalise homosexuality after Dr Duncan’s murder. The bill was unsuccessful.
1973	Adelaide holds first Pride March during Gay Pride Week.
1973	MP Peter Duncan introduces a bill that passes, making SA the first state to decriminalise homosexuality.
1979	Police files on homosexuals are burned in the Centennial Park crematorium.
1984	The Equal Opportunity Act makes discrimination against a person’s sexuality illegal.
1986	The AIDS Council of SA leads the community in promoting greater awareness of HIV and AIDS.
1989	First annual LGBTIQ Picnic in the Park is held.
1997	First annual Feast: Adelaide’s Queer Cultural Festival.
2003	Second Pride March is held 30 years after the1973 March and becomes an annual event.
2005	Community leader Ian Purcell is awarded the Order of Australia.
2006	The SA Domestic Partnerships Act gives equal rights to same-sex couples excluding access to IVF, parenting and adoption.
2007	SA Police establishes a Gay and Lesbian Liaison Officer Network.
2013	The Spent Convictions Act allows pre-1973 homosexual offences to be expunged.
2014	The SA Government releases the LGBTIQ Inclusion Strategy.
2015	The SA Government commits to legal reform to end LGBTIQ discrimination.
2016	The SA Government passes the Statutes Amendment (Gender Identity and Equity) Bill. The SA Government and City of Adelaide fund the Feast Festival Arts and Cultural Hub. City of Adelaide installs Pride Walk in recognition of the LGBTIQ community’s contribution to cultural diversity. Community leader Ian Purcell AM loses his battle with liver cancer and passes away 6th November, two weeks after the opening of the Pride Walk.
2017	The Australian Government passes the Marriage Amendment Bill making same-sex marriage legal.
2020	State Parliament passes legislation that abolished the "Gay Panic" defence... the last jurisdiction in Australia to do so. The bill was passed in late 2020 and the legislation came into effect early 2021.