In June 1978, on the other side of the world, another anniversary march for Stonewall turned into a riot of its own. The day had been planned in three parts — a morning march, an afternoon public meeting, and an evening parade — with the parade deliberately scheduled at night to draw people "out of the bars and into the streets."

Police had approved the parade route down Oxford Street, then stopped it partway through, confiscated the sound truck, and ordered the crowd to disperse. The crowd didn't. What followed was a riot, with police using force severe enough to make headlines well beyond Australia. Fifty-three people were arrested that night — the moment now regarded as the birth of Sydney's Mardi Gras.