Liberal and Proud
Often, the Liberal Party is unfairly criticised for its history on LGBTQI+ matters. Sometimes that criticism has been fair, especially when candidates and sometimes even members have offered views that are not in line with mainstream Australia. But in reality, the Liberal Party has a strong history of action on LGBTQI+ rights, which has come as a direct result of its ideology.
In 1973, five years before the first Sydney Mardi Gras, former Liberal Prime Minister John Gorton moved a motion in Federal Parliament. It was the first of its kind, calling for the decriminalisation of homosexuality across Australia. The motion stated that ‘in the opinion of this House homosexual acts between consenting adults in private should not be subject to the criminal law’ and received strong bipartisan support in the House of Representatives. This motion kicked off the eventual unwinding of oppressive sodomy laws across all states and territories from 1975 to 1997. I consider it our political Stonewall, and a moment that the Australian Parliament should be proud of.
Liberals Tim Wilson and Trent Zimmerman celebrate the passing of Marriage Equality legislation in 2017
It would only be 44 years later that the Australian Parliament would have another of its proudest moments in queer history, as Senator Dean Smith’s bill passed both Houses of Parliament unamended, with an undeniable majority, and with it same-sex marriage in Australia became law. I am the first to say I was no fan of the plebiscite; we pay our parliamentarians to make difficult decisions for us, and this is one they should’ve done on their own. However, after 6 years of Labor and in the middle of a second term of a Coalition government, the question remained unanswered. The plebiscite offered the only path forward. In the end, marriage equality was delivered by a Liberal government, the law sits on the books as a private member's bill drafted by a Liberal Senator, and it is an achievement that the Liberal Party should be proud of.
Even today we’ve seen huge advances in LGBTQI+ causes under Liberal Governments. For example, in my home state of New South Wales, the current Liberal Government has commissioned a first of its kind judicial inquiry into gay hate crimes. This came off the back of another first of its kind Parliamentary inquiry into the same crimes, which was supported by out and proud Liberal MLC, the Hon. Shayne Mallard.
In 2016, we saw the NSW Parliament apologise for the harm it was responsible for against gay men and women across the years. Liberal member for Coogee, Bruce Notley-Smith, the first openly gay man to be elected to the NSW Legislative Assembly, lead the apology motion by saying “As a member of the parliament which dragged its feet in the decriminalisation of homosexual acts, I apologise and say sorry. And as a proud gay man and member of this parliament offering this apology, I say thank you”.
These examples only offer a glimpse of the progress in policy and approach towards LGBTQI+ people under Liberal Governments, and along with advances made in tandem by successive Labor Governments, Australians as a whole have a lot to be proud of.
Last year, in response to a question regarding what the NSW government will do to protect LGBTQI+ people, Dominic Perrottet stood up in Parliament and said “I am a Liberal, and a fundamental aspect of being a Liberal, is understanding that governments should, as much as possible stay out of people’s lives, because we believe that a strong society is not the product of a government or programs, but a product of flourishing families and individuals, communities and businesses across our state. Human flourishing is only possible when the inherent dignity of everyone in our society is recognised and affirmed.”
As we reflect on 5 years since marriage equality and 49 years since that first motion in the Federal Parliament, it is important to remember that the LGBTQI+ community and Liberal party can and should always coexist, because both share a common foundation; the desire to promote human flourishing.
Jack Barlow is Co-Chair of Liberal Pride NSW
List of Liberal LGBITQ+ accomplishments:
1973: Former Liberal Prime Minister John Gorton puts forward a motion in the Federal House of Representatives that calls for the decriminalisation of homosexuality across Australia
1980: Victorian Liberal Government decriminalises homosexuality in Victoria
1995: Victorian Liberal Government legislates first anti-discrimination protection for LGBTIQ+ people
2014: Liberal Bruce Notley-Smith becomes the first openly gay member of the NSW Legislative Assembly
2014: NSW Liberal Government amend law to allow for the removal of historic gay and lesbian offences to be extinguished from records
2014: NSW Liberals abolish the “gay panic defense”
2015: Liberal Trent Zimmerman becomes the first openly gay member of the Federal House of Representatives
2016: Liberals deliver the first official Government apology to 78ers
2017: Liberal Don Harwin is appointed as the first openly gay cabinet minister in NSW’s history
2017: Liberals deliver Marriage Equality
2018: Liberal establish NSW’s first inquiry into historic LGBTIQ+ hate crimes
2018: Tasmanian Liberal Government amend law to allow for the removal of historic gay and lesbian offences to be extinguished from records
2019: Liberals approve HIV self-testing kit for use nationally
2019: Liberals approve PrEP on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS)
2019: Liberal Angie Bell becomes the first openly lesbian member of the Federal House of Representatives from a major political party
2020: South Australian Liberal Government abolish the “gay panic defense”
2022: NSW Liberal Government makes available rainbow birth certificates – without gender or sex listed
2022: NSW Liberal Government commits to opening NSW’s first LGBTIQ+ health centre with ACON.