The NSW government is promising a permanent home for the Qtopia museum

The NSW government has announced that the LGBTQI+ museum Qtopia will be permanently housed in the former Darlinghurst police station.

NSW Arts Minister Ben Franklin used the opening of WorldPride to announce that the government would provide a central space for Qtopia to recognize queer history and celebrate diversity.

Demonstrators outside Darlinghurst Police Station in 1978.

“I am so proud to announce that tonight the NSW Government will ensure that Qtopia, a museum dedicated to telling our stories, to telling our history, will have a permanent home in the old Darlinghurst Police Station, ” he said.

The museum’s location is significant to Sydney’s gay community, as it was one of the sites for the first Mardi Gras protest in 1978.

Now known as the 78ers, the protesters took to the streets to support and celebrate New York’s Stonewall movement, while also calling for an end to the criminalization of homosexual acts and discrimination against the gay community.

Protesters were attacked and thrown in jail; many were charged.

The initiative to recognize this part of Sydney’s history was supported by Member for Sydney, Alex Greenwich.

“This announcement liberates a dark place for the LGBTQ community and turns it into a space of reflection and celebration,” said the independent MP.