'March in Support of the Homosexual Law Reform Bill' poster

This poster advertised significant protest events held in support of the Homosexual Law Reform Bill in May 1985. The 'Bigot Busters' rally was held at the Wellington Town Hall on 21 May 1985 and was attended by 1400 people. A few days later on 24 May, about 5000 people attended the Lesbian and Gay Rights March in Wellington, with about 2000 people attending the Auckland march on the same day.

Lambda symbol and design

The poster was designed by Neil Costelloe (1960-1990) for the activist group Gay Task Force during the Homosexual Law Reform campaign in 1985-86 (Costelloe died a few years later in London from AIDS-related causes).

The poster features the Greek letter lambda. In the context of chemistry and physics this symbol means the complete exchange of energy. It became the symbol of the gay rights movement in the 1970s (pre-dating the rainbow).

In 1969/70, American graphic designer Tom Doerr selected the lambda to be the symbol of the New York chapter of the Gay Activists Alliance (formed in 1969). In December 1974, the lambda was officially declared the international symbol for gay and lesbian rights by the International Gay Rights Congress in Edinburgh, Scotland.