Justice Kirby and homosexual
rights
Justice Michael Kirby is a High Court judge in
Australia. As a practising homosexual, he has made a number of speeches
promoting the homosexual cause. He has also spoken out against Christians who
oppose the promotion of homosexuality on the basis that the Bible says it is
sin. He made his homosexuality public by acknowledging his long-term
partner (from 1969) Johan van Vloten in the 1999 edition of 'Who's
Who'. [Mentioned on the glbtq encyclopedia entry
for Kirby.]
The section
'Speeches, articles, incidents' provides links to speeches and media reports.
2000
In 2000, we printed an article titled ' Justice
Michael Kirby and Homosexual
Rights', documenting several occasions when he
had spoken out against Christians. That article is attached below.
Over the intervening years Justice Kirby has continued to make public statements about
the acceptance of homosexuality - both in Australia and overseas.
2007/2008
In 2007 he was quite vocal in calling for
rights for homosexuals and continuing to criticise church doctrine.
In
November/December 2007 he gave two interviews to Sunday Profile on the
ABC. He said that the 'discomfort' about homosexuality comes from religious
instruction - in particular that of the two Sydney Archbishops. A series of
letters written by a Sydney Anglican minister challenging Justice Kirby about
his homosexuality when he says he is an Anglican were printed in the paper
in April 2008.
He followed that by speaking at a 'Conversation', at an aged care forum and
to the media in 2008, calling for rights for homosexuals including aged care
and pensions (he is due to retire in 2009 and wants his
male partner to received his pension if Kirby dies first.
These recent events are itemised in the article attached
below titled 'Justice Michael Kirby and Homosexuality'
- printed in Salt Shakers journal, June 2008. Links to
the individual incidents/transcripts/articles are in the article and also below.
Justice Kirby's Speeches and activities:
To read Justice Kirby's speeches, click here.
__________________________________
Speeches, articles,
incidents
The following incidents are in
date order, with the most recent at the top.
2008
30 April 2008 - Government
announces 100 laws to be changed
The federal Rudd government
announced that they would change 100 laws to give rights to same-sex couples.
This includes pensions and superannuation, as called for by Justice
Kirby.
Law
reforms for gay couples
The Age,
30/4/2008.
28 April 2008 - Aged care
forum
Justice Kirby spoke at an aged care forum organised by
the homosexual lobby. He called for pensions for same-sex couples' and for
church aged care centres to be 'gay-friendly'.
Media articles:
Judge against
anti-gay message
News.com,
29/4/2008.
Older gays and
lesbians suffer discrimination
AM, ABC,
29/4/2008.
Click here for ABC Story version.
10 April 2008 - Media article
Admit your sins to the Lord, priest tells gay
judge,
Sydney
Morning Herald, Linda Morris, Religious Affairs Writer - April 10,
2008.
Article about letters between Rev Richard Lane and Justice
Kirby with Rev Lane challenging Justice Kirby – letters available at same link –
under photos.
8 April 2008 -
Interview - 'Conversation with Justice
Kirby'
Conversation between David Marr and Justice
Kirby.
St James Institute, Sydney.
Click here
for full Transcript.
(43
pages)
16 January 2008 - Appointed Patron of Freedom 2
B[e]
Justice Kirby was appointed Patron of this group,
which is run by Anthony Venn Brown as a support group for pentecostals who
think they are homosexual.
Freedom 2 B[e],
Board Members and Patrons - announcement.
2007
5 December 2007 - Response
to call on pensions from Govt.
Kirby's
call answered on judges' same-sex pension
The
Australian, December 05, 2007.
2
December 2007 - Interview Part 2
Bold Enough: Justice Michael
Kirby
Sunday Profile, ABC. 2 Dec 2007.
November 2007 - Interview
Sunday Profile:
dissenter or activist
In November 2007 he did a long 2-part
interview with the ABC's Sunday Profile.
He spoke about his time on the High
Court, judicial activism, Islam, multiculturalism and sexuality.
He said "Australia is uniquely well placed as
a multicultural society and a multi-religious society to find bridges between
faiths".
He went on to say "I'm
a little bit suspicious of the word tolerance. It's a rather condescending
notion, isn't it, that you tolerate somebody else. Acceptance is the notion that
you just accept that people are different and have different views and we've all
got to live together."
He then applied the same concept to his
homosexuality, referring to "Coming over the bridge from tolerance to
acceptance".
Justice Kirby called himself a "Christian Anglican", referring to his upbringing
and saying he liked the traditions of the church. He also criticised the "religious
instruction" of the two Sydney Archbishops, Peter Jensen and George Pell
as causing people not to be tolerant of homosexuality.
Media report: Bishops
hinder gay tolerance, says Michael Kirby
The Australian , November
26,
2007.
16 November 2007 -
Speech
FUNDAMENTAL HUMAN RIGHTS AND
RELIGIOUS APOSTASY
by the Hon Justice Michael Kirby AC
CMG
The
Griffith
Lecture 2007,
Queensland Conservatorium,
Griffith
University
, Friday, 16 November,
2007
10
October 2007 - Speech:
CONSENSUS AND
DISSENT IN AUSTRALIA
The
Hon Justice Michael Kirby AC CMG
10th Annual Hawke Lecture, 10 October
2007.
July 2007 - Call for
superannuation and pension rights
Kirby asks for
law to recognise his partner
ABC, 12 July
2007.
2002
March - Senator Heffernan and Justice
Kirby
Senator Heffernan referred to Justice Kirby in
the Senate on 12 March 2002.
* Senator
Heffernan's speech, given under the 'Governor-General's Speech' debate, can be found in
the Senate
Hansard. (Click link, then choose Hansard in
html; then use Search; type in judge
and Kirby).
* For the Prime Minister's response in Questions on Notice,
click the same link; type in Heffernan
and 13-3-2002. It is the first
document).
* For Justice Kirby's response to Senator Heffernan's accusations, click here.
Apology from Senator
Heffernan: The Comcar docket mentioned in
Senator Heffernan's speech was then found to be false.
* He apologised to Justice Kirby in the Senate on
19-3-2002AD. For his speech, follow Senate Hansard link above - use Search; type
in: Heffernan and regret, 19-3-2002).
* To read Justice
Kirby's response, click here.
January 2002 - Campaigning
in India
Justice Kirby visited India in January 2002 to campaign for rights for
homosexuals.
* India
Times article Author: Jenny Stokes | Modified: 5 June 2008 |
