Paul O’Grady, the first openly gay member of parliament in New South Wales has died aged 54.

O’Grady became the first openly gay member of parliament in NSW when he revealed his sexuality in 1990. He had been elected to the legislative council in 1988 and served as member of the Labor party until his retirement from parliament in 1996.

Upon his retirement O’Grady shared that he’d been diagnosed with HIV. He shared his status with the general public through an interview with the Channel 7 program ‘Witness’. Mr O’Grady said he decided to share his experience to reduce the stigma for people living with HIV.

O’Grady passed away on Sunday morning, losing a long battle with cancer.

NSW Labor leader Luke Folley has said he is enormously saddened to hear of Mr O’Grady’s passing who he described as a friend and adviser.

“He was an adviser to me. He was somebody I respected for 25 years. I think of his enormous courage not only as the first openly gay member of parliament but also speaking about his battle with HIV,” Mr Foley told Australian Associated Press.

Tributes have also been made by federal Labor politician Anthony Albanese and NSW Labor member Helen Westwood. Westwood said O’Grady had led the way and made it a little easier for those who followed him.

NSW MP Penny Sharpe echoed the sentiment saying that O’Grady was smart, tough and uncompromising. Sharpe said O’grady had paved the way for other politicians including herself.

Victorian MP David Feeney posted a tribute to his Twitter account describing O’Grady as a trailblazer and courageous man.

OIP Staff