The Premier of New South Wales, Australia's most populous state, issued a formal apology for the harm caused by laws criminalizing homosexuality that were in place until 40 years ago. The Premier expressed deep regret for the pain inflicted by these unjust laws, acknowledging the damage done to individuals and communities.
New South Wales was the last state in Australia to offer an apology for its previous legislation criminalizing gay sex acts, following similar apologies from other states in 2016 and 2017. The decriminalization of homosexual acts between adult men occurred in 1984, with the state also recording numerous 'gay hate' deaths in the 1980s, partly due to fear and hostility surrounding the AIDS epidemic.
