Midsumma announces 2015 Festival Champions
VICTORIA’S premiere LGBTI culture and pride festival, Midsumma, has announced Kerryn Phelps and John Caldwell asĀ its 2015 Festival Champions.
It’s the second time Midsumma has introduced festival champions, after New Zealand MP and marriage equality advocate Louise Wall and Aussie Rules player Jason Ball had the honoursĀ for this year’s festival.
Midsumma chair Aaron Hockly has welcomed the Phelps and Caldwell as the 2015 champions.
“Both are high-profile advocates for the GLBTI communities as well as being very successful in their respective fields,” he said.
“Kerryn and Johnās appointment continues the boardās deliberate strategy of raising the festivalās profile and we look forward to working with [them]Ā to promote the Midsumma Festival and its aim of celebrating diversity.ā
Phelps is a professor for bothĀ Sydney University’s Faculty of Medicine in the School of General Practice as well as the University of New South Wales’s faculty of Public Health and Community Services, and she was the first woman to be elected president of the Federal Australian Medical Association, a position she held between 2000-2003.
SheĀ has been a familiar face to many Australians over the last 20Ā years during which she appeared regularly on TV, radio and the print media informing the Australian public on health issues, and is also an advocate for human rights.
Phelps married Jackie Stricker-Phelps first in New York in 1998 in a religious ceremony, and again legally in New York in 2011.
Meanwhile, CaldwellĀ isĀ this year’sĀ Victorian Australian of the Year 2014, as well as a chief executive, author, film producer, media personality and philanthropist.
KnownĀ for his youth protection work and for his endeavours in the anti-bullying space, Caldwell also advocatesĀ for gay rights as a patron for Melbourne’s JOY 94.9 community radio and supports initiatives against family violence.
As Festival Champions, Caldwell and Phelps will provide a public face for Midsumma and the work it does in celebrating diversity and reducing homophobia and transphobia.
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Seems to me that maybe the event organisers would want to re-evaluate their decision or a negative response may be had by the community….
He’s a liar and a fame whore!
He has made up stories about his life in his book to gain sympathy and pity from others.
When I worked with him, I couldn’t tell you how many of his different boyfriends came to work with us. Didn’t matter that they had zero skills in recruitment, the fact was, John was the boss and if he wanted his boyfriend to work in the office, then they would. In his book he talks about at one time how he was ashamed of being gay. How he would try and hide his sexuality from the workplace, how he would have work parties etc at his home and make his boyfriend sleep in a different bedroom etc, because he was really worried about how people would react to his sexuality. WHAT A LIE!! He made that up in his book. He always hired his boyfriends and he was not afraid to flaunt his sexuality! Nothing wrong with being gay and nothing wrong with owning who you are, but don’t write a book that lies about how you struggled with it in the workplace when you know that is not true!
Caldwell has a habit of hiring ex boyfriends so he can hold it over them .
Ask him about the ex who he took an AVO out on . Was supposed to be his best friend . This poor guy had to move interstate …..
Caldwell it seems didn’t like the truth being told about him on Facebook .
I worked with him for two years and he is nothing but a big BULLY! The way he treats people in the workplace is revolting. he threatens them with their job. Then when people leave he slags them behind their back. He is willing to bring someone down as soon as he decides that they don’t add value to him.
One poor girl who worked there even got made redundant on her maternity leave by him, and he refused for months to pay her the comissions that he owed her when she worked for him. He’s a fake, a self promoter and will walk over anyone for a slice of fame. Disgusting that people think he is a good guy, he is nothing but a fake person who is all about himself
John Caldwell is only interested in John Caldwell and whatever celebrity he can suck up to.
Agree with the above comment . Caldwell is nothing but a self promoter. What happened to the first charity he lined up with . His staff turnover is off the chart . Very sad that this is the sort of person chosen to represent our state as Australian of the Year
John Caldwell is nothing but a bully himself. He’s a fake, why don’t you speak with him about all the people he bullied in the workplace.