By JOLENE OGLE
Local man Brian Day grew up in an era when homosexuality was illegal and considered a form of mental illness.
To say it was hard would be an understatement for a man who has spent most of his life fighting for equal rights for the LGBTIQ community, despite risking jail, his career and relationships to do what he believed was right.
But Brian, now 74, said lobbying the government and protesting against the unfair treatment of gay people was just something he had to do, despite the dangers.
His actions showed great courage in a time when the political environment deemed his actions and lifestyle illegal and the social environment meant he suffered continual and persistent persecution and vilification.
“Looking back, I’m surprised at how courageous I was,” he said.
“I came out because I had to tell the truth. I didn’t realise the consequences at the time. It ruined my career… but I just kept going.
“We were all really scared in the ’70s but I was compelled by my spirit to do something. Just something had to be done.”
After a lifetime of bravely lobbying, protesting and fighting for the rights of gay people, Brian has finally been recognised for his years of hard work and the establishment of much-needed support groups throughout Australia and the Sunshine Coast.
On Saturday 28 February Brian will be honoured as a local hero at the Pride Fair Day at Eumundi Markets. For Brian, the award is both “intriguing” and well-earned.
“I certainly didn’t expect the award,” he said.
“I had given up the notion of receiving an award from the gay community. This is a big deal for me. This is a sign of appreciation.”
Brian began his work as a founding member of the Brisbane branch for the Campaign Against Moral Persecution (CAMP), one of Australia’s first gay rights political organisations formed in 1971.
During his university days in the mid-’70s, Brian was also heavily involved with the gay activist group, Campus Camp, at the University of Queensland, was a founding member of Australia’s first gay club in Brisbane, and he also co-ordinated the very first AIDS workshops around Australia to help provide support and education.
But Brian’s journey wasn’t without dark days.
“I was diagnosed with depression,” he said, “and I believed it until I met a community psych nurse.
“We talked a lot and I realised I wasn’t depressed, I was just very angry and very sad.”
It is Brian’s anger that has propelled him through the years, encouraging him to fight for what he believed in, and he has no plans to stop anytime soon.
“At the moment, there’s nothing in the school system that says it is OK to be gay,” he said.
“My dream is for kids to know its OK to probably be gay. I would be so happy to see parents being OK with their kids maybe being gay.
“Any parents you ask ‘what would you do if you child was gay’, they say they would treat them the same, the same as the rest of the family. That’s just not true. They are different. They shouldn’t be treated the same.”
A passion for caring for the special needs of the LGBTIQ community has been the focus of Brian’s latest work, including an expo for the over 50s LGBTIQ community at Lake Kawana Community Centre on 19 March.
“This will be a safe environment for non-heterosexual people over 50 years,” he said.
“There are just so many gays and lesbians over 50 who are still invisible.”
Sunshine Coast Pride will present the award to Brian on Saturday.
It said that Brian’s enduring, life-long support and advocacy for Australia’s LGBTIQ community makes him a worthy recipient.
