Legendary Theatre Director Richard Wherrett will launch a groundbreaking Community History Exhibition at NSW State Parliament on Monday 26 February.

'Mad, Bad and Dangerous To Know' explores 100 years of gay and lesbian subculture in Sydney and provides a new perspective on Australia's Centenary of Federation celebrations.

The exhibition covers the entire 20th century, from the days of Australia's "Gay Governor" of 1899-1900 and the notorious artists' balls of the 1920's through to the underground nightlife of Sydney's mid-century Bohemia. It explores the appearance in the 1960's of drag clubs such as the Jewel Box and an emerging lesbian subculture, followed by the explosion of the Oxford St club scene in the 1970's.

The exhibition also celebrates 30 years of gay and lesbian activism from the formation in 1971 of CAMP Inc. (Campaign Against Moral Persecution) the stories of Gay Lib and Radicalesbians and the first Mardi Gras in 1978. It goes on to record the legislative and social reforms of the 1980's and 1990's, including the Gay & Lesbian Rights Lobby's recently successful campaign for the legal recognition of same sex relationships in NSW.
The exhibition combines still images, text, video and recorded oral histories. Many of the photographs and some of the film and video footage and have never before been on public display. It also presents the first ever exploration of the portrayal of lesbians and gay men in mainstream Australian cinema.

An official Centenary of Federation event, 'Mad, Bad and Dangerous To Know' is timed to coincide with the 2001 Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras Festival. Exhibition Organisers expect to attract high numbers of interstate and international tourists visiting Sydney for the annual Mardi Gras celebrations.

Free to the public, the exhibition will be on display in the Fountain Court of Parliament House for two weeks from this Monday. The official launch, hosted by the Hon Meredith Burgmann MLC will be held at 6.30pm on Monday in the Strangers Lounge at Parliament House.