Kirby toasts MAG
Former High Court judge Michael Kirby joined revellers at the Mature Aged Gays group’s recent 19th birthday party.
Kirby congratulated MAG for its emphasis on happiness and friendship when so many wanted to make life difficult for gays, often because of religious views.
Kirby spoke about two international bodies he has been appointed to — the Eminent Persons Group investigating the future of the Commonwealth, and the United Nations Development Program’s Global Commission on HIV and the Law.
Kirby said 43 of 54 Commonwealth nations retained colonial anti-gay laws which oppressed gay men and impeded efforts against HIV.
He said the Global Commission on HIV and the Law aimed to change laws that impeded the fight against HIV by giving women second-class status, increasing costs of HIV drugs, and criminalising men who had sex with men, drug users and sex workers.
Kirby joined MAG founder Steve Ostrow in cutting a cake, joking he was practising for a wedding cake when that became available in Australia.
Ostrow said he formed MAG after seeing most campaigns for gay men targeted 18-30-somethings, with little for over 40s whose concerns were “loneliness, estrangement from family, fear of the future and getting old alone”.
“I then lobbied ACON and convinced them to take on MAG as a project, which they did, and [they] have been with us all these 19 years with support while respecting our autonomy,” he said.
Kirby has done so much to lift the basic human rights of us all. I find him to be an outstanding person who has done a lot of good work not just for all of Australia. It is also not just Kirby who has helped but his partner also.
“just wanted to add a counterpoint” ? to what ?
You sound more like you are jealous than anything else.
Kirby is just an extremely well known and respected man who happens to be gay and is not afraid of using his status in the community at large to further our cause. Many will not risk their status, image, or popularity to stand up for us. But he does each time he has the chance.
You do not have to agree with every other gay, or even like them personally. But your post serves no purpose and sounds like bitchy queen syndrome to me.
I say GOOD ON YA, Michael Kirby. Thank you for standing up for all of us.
I have only met Michael Kirby twice and I have kept in touch with him by email on occasion but I have to say that I really do not like this man! Not meaning to be overly provocative, considering that this publication is obviously a big fan. Just wanted to add a counterpoint here. He certainly does have nice manners and says ‘all the right things’ but he just seems like such an over-rated gay hardliner to me. If I say that I honestly don’t like the man then apparently I’m ‘homophobic’ to some yet the plain truth is I find him to be extremely repugnant.
Everyone’s entitled to their opinion, and that’s mine!
In response to Mister Kirby, and with all due respect, I think that the ‘religious views’ based antipathy shown by some towards gays is returned by the gay community in equal measure.
Personally, I don’t think that either the religious right or the gay community can claim to have the ‘higher ground’ when it comes to satisfactory behaviour.
I think that in the context of social exclusion, MAG has served a worthwhile purpose and has provided a healthy outlet for some who have been marginalised. As we move in to the 21st century it seems imperative, now more than ever, that society tries harder to encourage greater integration.
It’s one world after all!