Kirby calls on leaders to come out
Former High Court Judge Michael Kirby has urged high-profile gay Australians to come out and end the ‘pretending’.
In an address to the Law Society of Victoria, Kirby called on sport, business and political leaders to come out and stand up for same-sex marriage.
“If only all the members of the sexual minority stood up, the whole shabby enterprise of pretending would be over,” he said.
Kirby, who has been with his partner Johan van Vloten for the past 43 years, said acceptance would “not happen until the pretending is no more”.
“One can hardly blame heterosexual people for discriminatory attitudes when these are evident in the conduct of high public office holders, professionals and business professionals, sportspeople and business leaders go along with the policy of secrecy,” he said.
“This is where sexual orientation is different and special.
“Bound up in openness, and comfort within one’s skin, is acceptance and normalcy.
“But it will not happen until the pretending is no more. And honesty, scientific proof and rationality rule the world.”
His speech outlined what same-sex marriage advocates could learn from the womens’ rights movement and said sexual minorties needed more leaders in politics and academia. While he highlighted
Greens’ leader Bob Brown as an openly gay politician, he questioned the absence of sexual minorities represented as leaders in elected parliaments.
“The big reforms affecting gender and sexual orientation must come from elected parliaments, not the judiciary in Australia. This is why openness is so important,” Kirby said.
He also reflected on recent comments by British PM David Cameron who said he supported same-sex marriage because of the bonds it creates in society.
“One must hope for a similar attitude to emerge in Australia. And for the freedom of all parliamentarians to give effect to that view if they truly hold it. Not to keep it closeted and secret, like some dark shameful error or moral blemish to be hidden from the light of truth and rationality,” Kirby said.
Michael Kirby was Australia’s longest-serving judge when he retired in 2009 and an openly gay marriage equality advocate.
By BENN DORRINGTON
I agree with him. For one, you would be hard pressed to find anyone who has not faced some hardship from coming out, but you’ll find it impossible to find a person who was not empowered by it. Secondly, we owe a debt of gratitude to our predecessors who faced far greater violence and ridicule than we could ever know. Without them, we would not be able to even have these discussions. Third, it’s all about how you do it. If you come out with live instead of anger it makes a world of difference.
It pays to remember that Michael Kirby himself could have come out a lot earlier than he did! He chose to keep his silence rather than potentially jeopordise his highly paid legal career. Hypocrite?
Radical? How ridiculous. You must still be in the closet. How sad. You must be terribly oppressed. Ah yes, I will pray for you.
radical53, what a lot of nonsense!
It is personal choice if someone wants to come out.
It is not Kirby’s or anybodies right to enforce their agenda on anyone.
We would all be better off if we all did go back in the closet.
The gay community is doing more harm, than good to their cause. It has inflamed so much homophobia around the world because the gay community has become extremist.
We have gone from Oppression to Liberation to Repression. Who wants to be gay today. There is nothing to identify ourselves now.
Shame.