In recent years, Sydney and NSW have taken important steps toward recognising the injustices experienced by LGBTQ people, but these acknowledgements have come far too late. Throughout much of ACON’s early history, LGBTQ people lived under laws and attitudes that criminalised who they were, who they loved, and how they lived.

Before homosexuality was decriminalised in 1984, gay men in particular faced police harassment, surveillance, and arrest. Even after legal changes began, violence persisted, both physical and systemic, most visibly through hate crimes. From the 1970s to the early 2000s, dozens of gay men and trans women were murdered in Sydney and along the NSW coastline.

Many of these killings happened in known gay meeting places, like Marks Park at Bondi, where victims were attacked, pushed from cliffs, or beaten to death. A culture of police indifference, and in some cases open hostility, meant many cases were poorly investigated or simply ignored.

Founded in 1985 during the early days of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, ACON emerged in this environment of violence and neglect. While its initial focus was care and prevention, ACON soon became a broader voice for justice, advocating not only for those affected by illness but for those targeted by hate.

In 2018, ACON released In Pursuit of Truth and Justice, a landmark report compiling findings from a review into dozens of suspected anti-LGBTQ hate crime deaths. The report revealed systemic failures by police and the justice system and called for formal recognition and reparations. Its findings helped inform the NSW Parliament’s Special Commission of Inquiry into LGBTIQ hate crimes in 2022, which was an unprecedented step toward accountability and truth telling in the state.

The release of the Inquiry’s report in 2023 had recommendations aimed at improving shortcomings in the investigative practices of the NSW Police Force that ACON continues to work towards achieving.

Community remembrance has played an essential role too. After years of advocacy by ACON, Waverley Council and local residents, a permanent public memorial was built at Marks Park. Unveiled in 2021, Rise honours the victims and survivors of LGBTQ hate crimes. It stands as a place for reflection, mourning, and resilience. It’s a recognition of not only what was lost, but of the strength of those who refused to be silent.

In 2025, this legacy continues. ACON remains committed to advancing education, remembrance and law reform, working with survivors, families, historians and affected communities. Justice is not only measured by prosecutions or apologies. It also lives in truth, in memory, and in the fight to ensure that future generations are protected, respected and free.

As we reflect on four decades of ACON’s history, we honour the lives stolen too soon, the people who fought for justice in their names, and the community’s enduring promise to never forget.

To learn more, visit acon.org.au/safetyandinclusion and bondimemorial.com.au.