Queensland Decriminalises Homosexuality

On 19 January 1991, Queensland became the last Australian state to decriminalise homosexuality, following the recommendations of the Fitzgerald Inquiry and years of tireless activism. The Criminal Law Amendment Act removed sections 208 and 209 of the Criminal Code, which had criminalised consensual homosexual acts between adults.

The campaign for decriminalisation was led by groups including the Queensland AIDS Council and the Queensland Association for Gay Law Reform. Activists faced significant personal risk in a state where the Bjelke-Petersen government had been openly hostile to LGBTQ+ rights for decades.