Matters of Interest

Pride March

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY (15:24): 'Pride' is the key word. In November, as the Pride March makes its way through the streets of Adelaide, we can absolutely be proud that this annual event has been running for more than 50 years; proud because the walk has become more of a celebration than a statement, and proud that members of the LGBTQ+ community are in a better place than they have been. Unfortunately, the LGBTQ+ community still has a long way to march before they are accepted by everyone and before they no longer have to lobby for understanding. That means we all have a long way to go.

Despite that, the Pride March shows how far we have come since the dark days when members of the gay community were persecuted, condemned and fired just for being themselves. We only need to look back beyond the 52 years this march has been held for, back to the death of Professor George Duncan. This was a man drowned in the River Torrens for daring to identify as homosexual.

That the killing went unpunished in a state that was ahead of all other states in social advancement is jarring, and still hard to believe. It is made even harder to accept by evidence that three vice squad detectives were believed to have been responsible. At least South Australia, partly in response to that tragic crime, was the first state in Australia to decriminalise homosexuality. The legislation was introduced as a private members' bill by the Hon. Peter Duncan, the member for Elizabeth, a newly elected member of the parliament at the time.

While this was a dark day in our history, the subsequent efforts of the Labor Party in this state ensured that Professor Duncan did not die in vain. The South Australian Premier of the day, Don Dunstan, offered government protection for witnesses to come forward, and in 1975 the same Dunstan government fully decriminalised homosexuality. In the great Labor tradition of fairness for all and protection for those who cannot protect themselves, this legislation made South Australia the national leader for gay rights.

If this march were held 60 years ago anywhere in Australia there would almost certainly have been turmoil. The ratbag element, masquerading as people with so-called old-fashioned values, would have almost certainly resorted to violence. Based on what we know about the death of Professor Duncan, the police of the time may not have been there to protect the innocent in the same way they would be now. In the past, members of the community who marched in the Gay Pride March could well have been beaten, abused or even arrested.

Now, members of the police force openly march with pride in that Pride March. Times have changed and, for all the progress we still need to make, this simple street march is a wonderful way to record that change. The gay and lesbian community has been more broadly accepted for the better part of a generation, but others are not. The transgender community still experiences prejudice on a daily basis, often through nothing more than ignorance.

If you are a member of the LGBTQ+ community, or you know someone in that community, I encourage you to walk in this march. If you do not know any gay or trans people, I still encourage you to walk. This is a celebration of diversity, of love and of acceptance. You do not need to have any affiliation with the LGBTQ+ community to know that when we can celebrate, rather than begrudgingly tolerate, someone's harmless lifestyle beliefs and orientations, we live in a better world.

Of course, being begrudgingly tolerant is not even the worst it gets. There are still too many people in the community who despise members of the LGBTQ+ community for no greater reason than ignorance. Their outdated sensibilities are offended, and they take it out on people who have done nothing to them. These are the dangerous few who make for a very unsafe community, not just for the LGBTQ+ community but for anyone who stands up for them.

I am proud of South Australia's ability to overcome a history that, as in many parts of the world, turned a blind eye to such heinous crimes. This state overcame that past at a far greater rate than most other jurisdictions, and we have now become an international leader in recognising the rights of the LGBTQ+ community. The Pride March celebrates that turnaround while striving to make sure the progress continues. Every step we take in the march is a step in the right direction.