Noel Tovey

Noel Tovey is an Actor, Director, Choreographer, and was the artistic director for the indigenous welcoming ceremony of the Sydney 2000 Olympics. Born in the Melbourne slums in 1933, Noel was sexually abused for the first time at the age of four, abandoned by his parents at six. Bashed for being black, he ended up on the streets as a thief and 'rent boy'. Arrested and incarcerated the age of 17 for buggery, he contemplated suicide - but the voices of his ancestors prevented him and he turned his life around. Noel pursued his dream to become a dancer and actor. He built a career before leaving for England in 1960. There he became principal dancer with Sadler's Wells Opera Ballet and an acclaimed choreographer. He also opened an internationally renowned gallery with his partner, Dave - who sadly became of the first victims of AIDS, after 17 years together.

Noel returned to Australia in 1991 to connect with his Aboriginal heritage and contribute to the Indigenous community. Tovey frequently speaks out for the rights of LGBT elders and has documented his early life in Australia in his autobiography, 'Little Black Bastard'.

Why are you representing this same-sex law reform campaign?

I've seen so many years of discrimination against homosexuals. Ever since I can remember I've fought for equality- black, white, whatever. And now there have been these law changes. I'm very proud that I'm still alive and in a position to see them and to see the effect they'll have on young gay people of today, who won't have to suffer the way I did.

Why should people wear these 85 law reforms with pride?

Well if I had my way every gay person would have a t-shirt and wear it with pride. Recently in an interview, someone said, "What's the stigma - you grew up black and gay?" To me, if you are proud of who you are, you're proud of being black and you're proud of being gay, there's no stigma. It's another person's problem and I think that pride is what these T-shirts represent.

Have you experienced same-sex discrimination?

I was arrested at a drag party when I was 17, taken down to the police station and made to sign a confession that I had had sex with a female impersonator. Then I was tried for the abominable crime of buggery, for which the death penalty was still in the statutes. The lawyer who was given to me by legal aid said he hated poofs. I told him I hated him and that I'd defend myself. Then I was thrown into Pentridge prison where I was raped by one of the guards.

Have you experienced same-sex discrimination in a couple?

When I first met my partner Dave, I was a successful director. I thought, "Well if anything happens to me, Dave won't have any rights to anything I have", so I put our flat in his name. Dave died of AIDS in 1986, in one of the first waves. A few years earlier he'd shown me a bruise on his leg. We went to lots of doctors and they didn't know what it was. They said it was a blood disorder. Then I was in New York with some friends and I saw a poster that said 'Gala circus concert to raise money for gay cancer'. I asked what gay cancer was and they explained it was affecting gay young men in New York. Then I saw the first documentary on it, and this boy showed a bruise on his leg. I turned to my friend and said, "God that's what Dave has". So I nursed him through it, and I held him while they injected him in the heart.

When he died, because our flat was in his name, the landlord tried to sue me to get me out of our flat. I rang my lawyer and told him I wanted to take my landlord to court. The judge said that it would set a legal precedent. Fortunately for me, I knew a lot of influential people who were prepared to stand up in court and say Dave and I were a couple. Finally the landlord realised he wasn't going to win the case and agreed I could stay there. But in the intervening time I decided to come back to Australia. But I won.

How do you think these reforms will make a difference to same-sex couples?

I don't know about my life, but certainly same-sex couples of my generation who had no rights will now have rights. They may lose a little money on the one hand, but they'll gain a hell of a lot more on the other because now they're protected. If one dies, the other won't be thrown out of their house. There are now social security laws to protect them. And fortunately they will protect the younger generation of gay people, because they won't have to endure any of the things that I did.

Do you think these reforms are a huge step forward for Australia?

I think it's a major step forward for Australia, but I also think the whole world should know what Australia has done in changing these laws for gay people. I've been advocating for these reforms for so many years. I was for them before they went through. Now that they've been passed, I'm actually happy with the whole package, because what you lose on the roundabout, you make up on the swings.

What do you like about your T-Shirt design?

I love this design for several reasons. It's made a comment that the older you get the more medication you're on! And also it's my age, I'm going to be 76 on Christmas day so it's very personal. And the colour represents health. Gay people of my generation as we get older, we depend more on public health, more on hospitals. Now these laws have been changed, it'll help same-sex couples with the costs of staying alive.

NOEL TOVEY