In the 1980s, many people in Wollongong wouldn't have known there was a gay scene—and it was probably safer that way, according to Grant Barnes, also known as drag queen Dee Dee La'mar.
Barnes said there were gay venues in the city, including the New Bar in the Grand Hotel building, the Colony Restaurant on Church Street, and Kennedys/Chequers on the rooftop at Piccadilly. He noted that if most people didn't know they were there, it meant they could be left alone.
The 1980s were a time of AIDS hysteria, police entrapment of gay men at beats (homosexuality was illegal until 1984), and widespread homophobia in Wollongong. Barnes said the scene operated through word of mouth and private parties, feeling safer as an underground network before the internet and Grindr.
Barnes, who was openly gay to friends but not his religious family, used drag to educate men on safe sex, drug use, and murders targeting the gay community. He encouraged discreet HIV testing to avoid stigma at sexual health clinics.
Barnes participated in an LGBTQI+ scanning day at Wollongong City Library, bringing items like ACON Illawarra documents, recordings of drag charity shows, and a drink voucher from Chequers nightclub. He also highlighted the Wollongong Gay and Lesbian Solidarity Choir, which included straight members and performed moving tributes to victims of gay hate crimes.
