Been There Done That

16 Mar 2018

Looking backwards – showing the path ahead …

Activism, Anniversary, Archives, Diversity, Gay, History, Politics, Visibility

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Looking backwards – showing the path ahead …

Coming Out is often a traumatic process – but fancy doing it at a Disneyland ‘Gay Day’, safely among your friends; or locally using our ‘midsumma Carnival Day’ or ‘Pride March’ to be lost in the crowd.

Gay icons sometimes are shared with the general population – especially when they are the calibre of Rudolph Nureyev, the athletic Russian ballet dancer, born on 17 Mar 1938 but died too soon on 6 Jan 1993 of complications from HIV/AIDS. The Arts are all the richer for the contributions of our gay icons.

Another shared gay icon was born one year later on 18 Mar 1939 – Hon Michael Kirby, a retired Justice of the High Court of Australia and proudly gay with his partner. He is a shining example for our baby-queers to emulate.

In Australian history, on 2 Mar 1986, Queen Elizabeth II gave Royal Assent to the Australia Act – her signature relinquishing British interference in Australian government. By proclamation, the Australian Act came into force simultaneously with a similar act passed by the British Parliament.

March is a busy month for world events – the Ides of March, 15 March, when in year 44, Julius Caesar, a great military strategist and politician, was assassinated by his friend Marcus Brutus in move to overthrow Caesar and save the Roman Republic. Politics was tough in those days.
Also in March, the world-wide Irish diaspora celebrate St Patrick’s Day on 17 March.
And locally, at the anniversary of International Women’s Day, we recognise the role of free-style swimmers Fanny Durack (died 20 Mar 1956) and Mina Wylie who both won medals for Australia in the 1912 Summer Olympics in Sweden, being the first women to represent Australia in any sport at the Olympic Games.

We remember the introduction 10 years ago on 14 Mar 2008 of the Victorian Relationships Bill – an early attempt to secure equality for same-sex couples, and setting the scene for the drive for proper same-sex marriage equality, which was finally achieved in 2017.

We note the intention of our GLBTIQ compatriots in Britain to set up their own gay Museum, to ensure their history and achievements are documented and celebrated for all times.

Listen to these stories, opinions and more, presented with some merriment by Chris, Gordon & Phil.

Show #794 – First broadcast on 13 March 2018