Gay rights: a true cultural revolution of our times

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Cultural changes of this magnitude don’t happen often. This is up with the fall of the Berlin Wall, but one question is whether it will be as permanent. Europe is starting to look a bit like Berlin in the 1930s. One week, a bearded drag queen wins the Eurovision song contest; the next week, there is a swing to the far right throughout Europe in elections for the EU parliament.

This week, I read an article in The New York Times by Kevin Eckstrom from the Religion News Service giving five reasons ‘‘why gay marriage is winning’’. Eckstrom’s perspective was American, but most tidal waves in popular culture begin in America. He listed TV programs that broke ground by placing gay and lesbian characters in the realm of mainstream entertainment, but then listed a change of which I was unaware – the grip of religion on American public life is slipping.

To quote Eckstrom, ‘‘A decade ago, 71 per cent of Americans said religion was ‘increasing its influence’ on American life. Today, nearly the exact opposite is true – 77 per cent of Americans say religion is ‘losing its influence’ on public life’’. Once Obama swung behind the gay rights issue, it became part of his changed and changing America.

The person who challenged my thinking on gay issues was Bob Brown – not so much by anything he said but by his example. I first met him 30 years ago in Launceston and liked him at once. He is one of the bravest men I’ve met and also one of the kindest. A gay history of Australia would record the contributions of pioneers such as Dennis Altman and Michael Kirby, but, in terms of changing attitudes at street level, Bob Brown must have played a part. For 30 years he was both constantly in the public eye and unashamedly himself.

On the local sporting scene, the book Rose Boys by Peter Rose, the openly gay son of Collingwood legend Bob Rose, represented a significant first. Carlton’s Brock McLean made a brave stand on behalf of his lesbian sister. Jason Ball, the young Kinglake footballer, squarely challenged many people’s preconceptions.

Finally, I would list the Prime Minister’s lesbian sister, Christine Forster, as a player in this drama. Abbott is opposed to gay marriage but was politically neutralised by his sister’s engagement. Suddenly, a lot of people seem to know someone who is gay or lesbian.

Martin Flanagan is a senior writer at The Age.

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