Peter Bonsall-Boone

Peter "Bon" Bonsall-Boone AM (c. 1938[1] – 19 May 2017) was an Australian LGBT rights activist. He was a foundation member of the Campaign Against Moral Persecution (CAMP) and participated in the first Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.

Biography

Peter was born in 1938 and grew up in Gladesville. When he turned 18 he changed his surname to include both his parents, Winifred Bonsall and Michael Boone.[2] At the age of 19, in 1957, Bonsall-Boone was convicted twice of homosexual activity after being arrested on separate occasions at a public toilet and at a Sydney train station where he went to meet other gay men.[3] He later said that these convictions prevented him from his goal of becoming an Anglican priest; he was expelled from his theological college in 1962 when his criminal record was discovered.[1] He met his life partner, Peter De Waal, in 1966, and they both became foundation members of the Campaign Against Moral Persecution (CAMP), one of the earliest gay rights organisations in Australia.[4] Bonsall-Boon established the religious sub-committee of CAMP known as Cross+Section[2] and served as secretary of CAMP (1972-1974) and was elected co-president in 1974.[2]

In 1972, Bonsall-Boone and De Waal appeared in an episode of the ABC documentary series Chequerboard that featured them kissing briefly.[5] Their kiss has been reported as the first kiss between a same-sex couple on Australian television.[6][1] At the time, Bonsall-Boone was working as a secretary for St Clements Anglican Church in the Sydney suburb of Mosman; he lost this job as a result of his television appearance.[7] In 1973, Bonsall-Boone and De Waal set up an LGBT help line called Phone-A-Friend from their home. In 1978, Bonsall-Boone participated in a protest that would later be recognised as the inaugural Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, and was charged in the aftermath of the event.[5]

Bonsall-Boone was one of the group known as the “78ers” who participated in the events in Sydney in 1978 including the first Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade, protests at Darlinghurst and Central Police Stations and Central Court, and marches through the city.[8][9]

When Bonsall-Boone was diagnosed with cancer in 2015, he said that his dying wish was to be able to marry De Waal.[10] They campaigned parliament and wrote to the Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in 2017 in an attempt to have same-sex marriage legalised, noting: "please do it quickly as Bon's time is fast running out!"[11] Bonsall-Boone died on 19 May 2017, several months after celebrating his 50th anniversary with de Waal.[5]

Legacy

In June 2017, Bonsall-Boone (posthumously) and De Waal were both inducted as a Member of the Order of Australia in the 2017 Queen's Birthday Honours,[12] "for significant service to the community as a LGBTQI advocate and supporter, and through a range of volunteer roles."[13]

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References
  1. Suckling, Laura (27 October 2014). "When new state law allows removal of historic gay sex convictions, Peter Bonsall-Boone wants to be first in line". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
  2. French, Robert (28 June 2017). "Peter Bonsall-Boone, pioneer activist for gay rights". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 21 June 2019.
  3. Tovey, Josephine (3 October 2014). "Couple embrace historic gay law change". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 11 November 2014. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
  4. "Peter 'Bon' Bonsall-Boone dies waiting for marriage equality". OutInPerth. 20 May 2017. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
  5. "Vale Pete Bonsall-Boone". Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. 22 May 2017. Archived from the original on 31 May 2017. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
  6. "Mardi Gras 2017: Peter De Waal & Peter Bonsall-Boone". Special Broadcasting Service. 21 March 2017. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
  7. Reynolds, Robert (2002). From Camp to Queer: Re-making the Australian Homosexual. Melbourne University Press. p. 44. ISBN 978-0-522-85022-2.
  8. "78ers". Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Ltd. Retrieved 21 June 2019.
  9. "Who are the 78ers?". First mardi gras. Retrieved 21 June 2019.
  10. Koziol, Michael (9 April 2017). "'We've been second-class citizens for 50 years': A dying man's wish to marry the man he loves". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
  11. Wade, Matthew (19 May 2017). "Marriage equality activist Peter Bonsall-Boone passes away". Star Observer. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
  12. Murphy, Damien (12 June 2017). "Queen's honours list the most progressive since 1975". Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 16 June 2017. Retrieved 20 June 2017.
  13. "Member (AM) in the General Division of the Order of Australia" (PDF). The Australian Honours Secretariat. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 January 2018. Retrieved 20 June 2017.
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