It's policians not punters who lost their nerve on gay marriage

Contents:

• ATRALIAN POLIL LEARS AGREE GAYS DON'T GO TO HELL
• ‘IT’S PART OF WHO I AM’: THE GAY LIBERAL MPS FOR WHOM THE POLIL IS MORE THAN PERSONAL
• CANBERRA, NOT SYDNEY, IS THE GAY AND LBIAN PAL OF ATRALIA
• FROM TROYE SIVAN TO PADAM PADAM: ATRALIA IS S GAY ERA AND THE WORLD SHOULD THANK
• TWO-THIRDS OF ATRALIANS SUPPORT GAY MARRIAGE, BUT POLICIANS ARE TOO WORRIED FOR THEIR JOBS TO PASS

ATRALIAN POLIL LEARS AGREE GAYS DON'T GO TO HELL

The leathery-lookg ducements are havg a limed effect on the whimperg ball of curls, a signer dog bred for the subject we’re about to discs – g out as a gay man at 64 – nerv would be unrstandable, pecially after four s of a picture-perfect, very public heterosexual marriage and a reer voted to nservative polics.

‘IT’S PART OF WHO I AM’: THE GAY LIBERAL MPS FOR WHOM THE POLIL IS MORE THAN PERSONAL

Gay sex remaed a crime Tasmania up until 1994, when Pl Keatg’s feral Labor ernment passed the Human Rights (Sexual Conduct) Act 1994, uniformly crimalisg nsensual gay sex throughout nservative polil circl Atralia, there is still only a handful of men who openly intify as acceptance has grown as Yabsley has aged, but gay and lbian people public life, let alone the nservative bastns of bs and polics, are still relatively rare.

CANBERRA, NOT SYDNEY, IS THE GAY AND LBIAN PAL OF ATRALIA

The first outwardly gay polician eher feral or state parliament was former senator and Greens lear Bob Brown, a GP who clared his illegal, same-sex relatnship a newspaper terview 1976, years before enterg Tasmania’s state parliament half a century later, nservative polil circl Atralia, there is still only a handful of men who openly intify as gay, the most high-profile beg North Sydney feral Liberal MP Trent Zimmerman, feral Liberal member for Brisbane Trevor Evans and former Human Rights Commissner and Liberal member for Goldste, Tim Wilson.

He talks enthiastilly about visg Sydney’s gay bars, chuckl about gog to men-only parti lled Thick ‘N’ Juicy and speaks wh utter nvictn about a new relatnship wh a man 20 years his junr, wh whom he says he’s “madly love” but who he’s termed to protect om public g out, Yabsley has experienced homophobia first-hand, beg asked to leave a homewar shop by a secury guard who saw the uple “nocently” kissg.

Here ner Sydney’s Darlghurst – jt a few hundred metr om where the annual Sydney Gay and Lbian Mardi Gras has been held sce 1978 on Oxford Street’s once-feted “Goln Mile” – rabow flags rate neighbourg balni. Dcribg his homosexualy at the time as “eply closeted” and the source of “much guilt”, he says his relatnship wh Sie was genue and mutually satisfyg om the start.

FROM TROYE SIVAN TO PADAM PADAM: ATRALIA IS S GAY ERA AND THE WORLD SHOULD THANK

In the same year, he feated Labor MP Fred Miller to w the state ner-cy seat of Bligh (later renamed Sydney), which stretched om well-heeled Darlg Pot to socially disadvantaged Redfern, and went on to vote favour of Labor Premier Neville Wran’s bill to crimalise homosexualy.

TWO-THIRDS OF ATRALIANS SUPPORT GAY MARRIAGE, BUT POLICIANS ARE TOO WORRIED FOR THEIR JOBS TO PASS

Dpe a state-wi swg to the nservativ that saw Labor lose ernment, the trend ner-cy Bligh was the oppose directn, and a strong mpaign the gay prs had urged voters to support Moore.