Lex Watson was at the forefront of bringing change in Australia
Gay rights activist Lex Watson passed away on the 6th May 2014.
Watson was born in Perth in 1943, he spent some of his formative years in Geraldton, before attending the Perth Modern School and the University of Western Australia, where he won a scholarship and studied History, English and Philosophy.
Watson moved to Sydney to continue his studies and worked teaching politics in the Government Department of Sydney University. He became passionate about the rights of gays and lesbians and became involved with law reform, joining the ACT Homosexual Law Reform Society in 1970.
He was a founding member of Campaign Against Moral Persecution (CAMP), Australia’s first openly homosexual group. Watson has been credited with consolidating the organisation that paved the way for LGBT Rights in Australia as the group’s first co-president.
In 1976 he appeared on the ABC program Monday Conference to discuss the issue of gay rights, the interview was filmed in Mount Isa, Queensland in front of a hostile live audience.
At one point a member of the audience threw excrement at Watson, while another said the Cyclone Tracy disaster in Darwin was a message form God in response to the growing number of visible gay people in Australia.
Audience members asked questions which would astound Australians today, but one by one Lex Watson defended gay people from a wide range of often incredulous accusations.
Warning: This video has comments which might be distressing to some readers. For 24-hour crisis support and suicide prevention call Lifeline on 13 11 14. For Australia-wide LGBTQI peer support call QLife on 1800 184 527 or webchat.
Watson spent his life advocating for the rights of the LGBT community and assisted in creating a dialogue between the gay and medical communities in the midst of the development of public awareness of HIV/AIDS in the 1980s. He was a regular writer for the Sydney Star newspaper and continued to speak out for gay rights throughout his life.
He became founding president of the AIDS Council of NSW in 1985, and also founded NSW Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby. In later years Watson became dedicated to recording the history of the LGBT community and held a presidency of the Pride History Group.
A month after his passing he was posthumously appointed as a Member of the Order of Australia in the Queen’s Birthday Honours. Watson had been informed of the award prior to his death.
Film star Marlene Deitrich died on this day in 1992
Marlene Dietrich was a German actress and singer who became a major Hollywood star in the 1930s.
Born in Berlin in 1901, Dietrich grew up in a comfortable middle-class family and began her acting career on the stage in the early 1920s. She gained international fame for her role as the seductive cabaret singer Lola-Lola in the 1930 film The Blue Angel, which marked her first collaboration with director Josef von Sternberg. She then went on to make several successful films in Hollywood, including Morocco, Shanghai Express, and Destry Rides Again.
Dietrich was known for her androgynous style and her portrayal of strong, independent women on screen. She often played characters who were confident, self-assured, and unafraid to challenge gender norms.
Her off-screen persona was similarly unconventional, and she was admired for her daring fashion choices and her outspoken views on politics and social issues. During World War II, Dietrich became a staunch anti-Nazi activist and used her fame to support the Allied war effort, performing for troops and selling war bonds.
Despite her success in Hollywood and her status as a cultural icon, Dietrich remained a private and enigmatic figure throughout her life. She retired from the screen in the 1970s and spent her later years in seclusion, rarely granting interviews or making public appearances. She did however remain politically active reportedly calling world leaders including Ronald Regan. Mikhail Gorbachev, and Margaret Thatcher to share her thoughts.
She died in Paris in 1992 at the age of 90, leaving behind a legacy as one of the most influential actresses of the 20th century. It’s been widely acknowledged that Dietrich was bisexual and had many romances throughout her life.
Deitrich is referenced in many popular songs, she gets a mention in Rogers and Hart’s The Most Beautiful Girl in the World, is the titular Marlene on the Wall for Suzanne Vega, and is name checked in Madonna’s Vogue.
