Gary Burns has arguably become Australia’s best-known gay activist, yet he’s reviled by the gay establishment. Peter Hackney wonders why.
13 December 2010
Gay rights activist and advocate, community agitator, Mardi Gras ’78er, anti-discrimination campaigner, serial litigant, serial pest, media whore.These are just some of the terms that have been bandied about to describe Gary Burns, the Sydney-based juggernaut whose strident defence of his community has brought him national and even international renown.
But what term does the man himself prefer?
“I’m all of them,” says Burns.
“Yes I’m a gay activist, yes I’m serial litigant, yes I’m a media whore – I’m all those things.
“I have to be. If I wasn’t a media whore I wouldn’t get my work done. By being a media whore I’ve built up a public profile – and that means people listen when I bring instances of homophobia to light. I can bring attention to things.
“Yes, I’m a serial litigant. I make no apologies for going after people in the public eye who promote homophobia. That’s what I do.
“Sometimes I hear people say, ‘Oh, he’s a serial litigant’, and they mean it as an insult but I’m proud of what I do.”
And why shouldn’t he be?
Burns has a strong record of fronting public interest cases against high-profile figures and media establishments who have engaged in homosexual vilification.
By way of his anti-discrimination cases, he has managed to get the likes of John Laws (the most powerful broadcaster in Australian history) and radio presenter Steve Price to publicly apologise for ridiculing gay men on Sydney radio station, 2UE.
In 2008, 2UE paid Burns $10,000 over the affair. Burns promptly donated every cent to HIV/AIDS charity, the Bobby Goldsmith Foundation (BGF).
This year, after Channel Nine presenter Eddie McGuire ridiculed flamboyant young ice skater Johnny Weir during Nine’s Winter Olympics broadcast, Burns met with McGuire and brokered an agreement which saw McGuire pen an article on gay youth suicide in Australia’s highest-circulating newspaper, The Herald-Sun.
McGuire, who lauded “maverick” Burns, affirmed that he was not homophobic, that ridiculing gay youth was wrong, and urged action on the “horrific” rate of gay youth suicide, bringing an issue mainstream Australia rarely thinks about to the fore.
So there’s no doubt that Burns is an influential figure in the gay rights debate and that he gets results.
Why is it, then, that the activist is so hated by Gay Inc.? Because make no mistake: while Gary Burns has many admirers at the grassroots level of the queer community, the gay establishment in his home city of Sydney hates him with a passion.
This was underscored in May when what can only be described as a Gary Burns hate group was set up on Facebook.
The ‘Gary Burns Does Not Speak For Me’ group was made up of many prominent Gay Inc. figures including members of gaystream organisations such as GLBT health body ACON; New Mardi Gras, the corporation that controls the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras; the NSW Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby; Sydney’s oldest gay newspaper, The Sydney Star Observer; Australia’s largest GLBT publishing company, Evolution Publishing; and Twenty10, which describes itself as a group that “supports and works with young people of diverse sexualities”.
The Facebook group, whose avatar was a picture of Burns’ face with a giant red cross through it, attracted many disparaging and outright hateful remarks, as Gay Inc. identities set upon Burns like a pack of dingos might react to Lady Gaga in her meat dress.
Burns, however, simply issued a matter-of-fact media release asking for assurances that the attacks (many of which were made during regular business hours) were not being made on work time – a valid query, especially since many concerned were employed by organisations propped up with government funds and generous donations from the public.
Within hours of the media release, the Facebook group mysteriously disappeared.
Another example of this curious case of gays shunning one of their own is the almost total lack of reporting on Burns’ high-profile work in Sydney’s gay media in recent times.
While a quick Google search will find Burns’ litigation and advocacy work drawing column inches across the Fairfax and Murdoch spectrums, Burns is now conspicuously absent from the pages of Sydney’s queer press.
So respected is Burns’ take on gay issues that he’s become a regular ‘talking head’ on queer topics on Channel Seven’s The Morning Show – while at the more serious end of the media landscape, journalists from Australia’s national broadcaster, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), regularly contact him for comment on gay affairs.
Yet his work is apparently deemed un-newsworthy by Sydney’s gay media.
Why? The editors of the publications concerned – City Voice, The Sydney Star Observer and SX – did not respond to questions on the matter.
Sydney gaystream organisations were only slightly more forthcoming when approached about Burns. Asked about staff involvement in the anti-Burns Facebook group, a NSW Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby spokesperson told The Scavenger: “It’s not the business of the Lobby what our members or employees do in their private time. The Lobby had no involvement with the Facebook group concerned and does not endorse its content in any way.”
Other groups failed to respond by deadline.
For his part, Burns has a theory about his pariah status in the upper echelons of Gay Inc.
“I’m an outsider,” he says. “It’s that simple. These people have corporatised themselves to the point where they think they’re above the community. They are nothing more than a self-appointed Gay Government.
“So when they see someone like me doing my work they think: ‘How dare he? He’s not one of us. He doesn’t have the authority to speak. We didn’t give him permission!’
“And what they don’t realise is that I don’t need their permission to do what I do. None of us do. No gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans or intersex person needs anyone’s permission to be an active member of our community.”
In fact, Burns doesn’t even believe he speaks for the GLBTI community.
“I don’t believe I do, no,” he says. “I’m an active member of my community but I don’t claim to speak on behalf of the community. I don’t have that right and neither do any of those groups. We might do work that benefits our community – but anyone who thinks they can speak for everyone is having a lend of themselves.
“My litigation is taken by me as a single complainant. I do seek public interest remedies so that gay people generally can benefit from my work, but I’m not a spokesperson for anyone but myself.”
Another reason for the gaystream’s distaste for Burns is pure jealousy, the activist surmises.
“I think there’s an element of ‘that should be me’ when the media contacts me for comment,” he says. “Yes, I think there’s a bit of the green-eyed monster there.”
Burns does acknowledge, however, that he might be partly to blame for his pariah status in some gay community circles.
“Look, I’m not Saint Gary and perhaps I haven’t helped myself in some ways,” he admits. “I don’t piss around the tree. Sometimes I’ve said things these groups wouldn’t like. I mean, I’ll tell you right now, I don’t have much respect for these boardroom sitters who call themselves gay rights activists but only ever speak out on safe issues like gay marriage.
“I actually do think gay marriage should be allowed for those who want it but I don’t want it myself. I want something that recognises that I share my queen-sized bed with another man, not something that pretends I’m just like Mummy and Daddy. So I guess when I say things like that, it raises their hackles.
“I’m also not backwards in coming forwards in defending myself, and people don’t like it when you throw shit back in their faces,” he continues.
“And I guess the gay newspapers don’t like the fact that I refer to them as the ‘dance bunny press’,” he chuckles. “But they are! It’s exactly what they’ve become. Pick up the gay rags these days and they’re full of stories about dance parties and even stories on their own advertisers! What happened to news? What about the community?”
But no matter what Australia’s gay establishment thinks of Gary Burns, one thing’s for sure: Burns will keep on keeping on.
“I have been hurt by things people have said and sometimes I get very discouraged and think: ‘What’s the point?’ But the feeling is only temporary because I’m not doing my work for recognition, I’m doing it because I believe it’s right.
“You can say what you want about Gary Burns but at the end of the day, I don’t get one cent for what I do. Most of those people in large gay organisations get paid to do what they do [and] some of them are on big, fat six-figure salaries. They wouldn’t even fart without getting paid.
“So say what you like but I’ll keep doing my work and I can hold my head high because my motives are true.”
To that end, Burns has lodged an appeal against the recent NSW Anti-Discrimination Tribunal (ADT) decision that dismissed his case against Channel Nine’s The Footy Show, for a skit which saw a fictitious gay brother of football stars Andrew and Matthew Johns ridiculed and taken to hospital for being “faulty”.
Burns is also proceeding with a case against One Nation candidate John Cunningham, who described gays and lesbians as “unfortunates” and said they should undergo “psychiatric counselling” during his failed bid to win a seat at the 2010 Australian Federal Election.
So while Burns might wish certain sections of the community would support him from time to time, he doesn’t need their approval.
“When it comes to homophobia, I’m going to keep banging like a dunny door in a windstorm,” he affirms.
Peter Hackney is associate editor at The Scavenger.Images of Gary Burns second one with his beloved cat Ivory, courtesy of Gary Burns.
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written by Another NON fan!, 16 January 2011
written by Michael Brandon, 24 December 2010
written by Gary Burns., 23 December 2010
Armchair wingers and commentators who have a yellow streak right down their backs.
Probably brown marks on their Calvin's too.
Too afraid to identify themselves.
Yet they feel their public vilification of me should be taken seriously by others.
The truth is I have lost faith in this community's 'GAY INC" because they are not about looking after our community.
ACON should be dissolved.
The Catholic priest called and the area blessed to rid the area of evil spirits.
When I was a 17 year old fresh faced gay teenager (in 1973) community meant looking after each other.
We had a real community,not this self serving & self appointed gay governance led by people who don't give a shit about the part of our community who struggles.
I am going to work extra hard in 2011 to help make it a better and safer place for us gay folk.
And if I should get any recompense I am going to give it away to a worthy charity.
My late mummy Mrs Burns always said to me," Son it is not the resented who suffer; they are usually unaware of the resentment.It is the resentor who does the suffering in the end".
Wise words mummy.
I want to conclude this missive with a message to all my detractors.
"I don't speak for you.I only speak for myself".
In 2011 instead of trying to discredit me why don't you all get up off your collective bums and support the work I do ?
Please consider !
:
written by Burns observer, 23 December 2010
written by Burns observer, 23 December 2010
Also, in regards to bias in favour of sources of advertising, SSO's Stacy Farrar explicitly wrote back in 2007 (in issue 85
that "The Star is not silenced by its media partnerships. We write about whatever is newsworthy." This was echoed by the editor again in August this year (editorial of issue 1036) and appeared to come with practical confirmation in that same issue when despite claims of high pressure including legal action from New Mardi Gras to keep quiet, the Star put it's readers ahead of NMG by printing details of an apparently rather embarrassing board election controversy. That issue from August, along with others, remains available for viewing on SSO's website. No I dont work for SSO or SX, but damn they owe me now.
written by shayne chester, 21 December 2010
I like that we have alternative publications where we can all have our voice, because queer politics is as diverse in its opinion as it is in its demography.
I do, however, find it problematic that Ms. Bryson of CV, who seems to have spent her entire life sheltered and nurtured as a Golden Child of Gay Inc., has not given more thought to many of her assertions, for they can so easily be shown incorrect.
There is a mountain of evidence that the right(er) wing of our community media, and their associates at Commonwealth Street, "shut out undesirables", contrary to Ms. Bryson's refutation. A couple of easy examples are the complete stonewall on any news about Gary Burns' battles, and the series of four articles run by the Star following investigations into BGF, which ignored the complainants and ran a biased study in publishing releases from the BGF CEO as 'news.' They made no attempt to contact either complainants against BGF for their side of the story. In fact all four articles were so unbalanced and incorrect, they are currently up before the Complaints Council of the Australian Press Council.
It is easy to show such bias - or 'GayInc covering each others' arses' - as it has become a tradition. I even recall the Star's lead hack commenting, "Gary Burns does not represent the gay community." I can assure that writer that not he, nor his publication, nor the diddling industry at Commonwealth Street that fosters complacency about HIV nor the odious online resource which presumes to represent us all with another "Most Influential gay and Lesbian" Logie night...represent me, my friends, or any community except themselves.
The proof of the pudding, Ms. Bryson, that GayInc are a self-serving elite lies in the financial statement, where a few crumbs are thrown at those for whom our organisations are funded to advocate, while spending the bulk of that funding on 'staff and executive benefits,' 'backslapping galas and chardy dinners, and yet another self congratulatory, invitation only for the boiz and gals of GayInc party night.'
written by David Skidmore, 21 December 2010
I admire the way Burns delivers - even though I really don't give a shit what John Laws call Carson Cressley. At the same time, the queer community would collapse if we only had individual activists and no "Gay Inc" organisations like the GLRL or AME. Collective struggle is essential because the enemies of queers have no compunction in fighting collectively.
What's needed are more effective organisations and people with fresh ideas ready to campaign on the important issues. An individual didn't repeal anti-gay legislation in Australia and elsewhere - it took a whole political movement.
written by Michael Brandon, 17 December 2010
written by Paul Kidd, 17 December 2010
written by shayne chester, 16 December 2010
written by Rowland Paul, 16 December 2010
written by Michael Brandon, 16 December 2010
http://napwa.org.au/people/paul-kidd
Positive Life NSW says you are NAPWA's Media and Comms Officer:
http://positivelife.org.au/media
The AIDS Council of SA's October 2010 Media Backgrounder lists you as NAPWA's Media and Comms Officer:
http://www.acsa.org.au/linked/resources/Media Backgrounder.pdf
As Shayne Chester pointed out, ACON says you're NAPWA's Media Liaison:
http://www.acon.org.au/hiv/news/napwa-gilead
If you haven't been employed by NAPWA "for quite a number of years" why are all these groups, including NAPWA itself, convinced that you're NAPWA's media person? If this was an attempt to distance yourself from Gay Incorporated so that you can appear impartial, it's fallen very, very flat.
written by shayne chester, 16 December 2010
In any case, it is your position with GayInc that informs your opinions in this forum. And you're certainly all over GayInc like rubella.
written by Paul Kidd, 15 December 2010
written by Gary Burns., 15 December 2010
The Footy Show complaint was a private complaint by me.
It had nothing to do with the CONVICTS or ACON for that matter.
Why did Gay inc not respect me ?
The meddling of Gay Inc could of damaged this case.
Gay Inc also said the $10,000 I donated to BGF was returned to me.
The innuendo behind this duplicity was I spent the money on a gay cruise to Acapulco.
Gay Inc remind me of crabs in a bucket.
Crawling all over the place and going nowhere.
Gay Inc should just all mind their own business while enjoying their six figure salaries courtesy of the NSW tax payer while I get on with the real business of gay activism.
After all I can't do my work in a closet.
written by Burns observer, 15 December 2010
Gary too, would benefit from giving more consideration to Bambi's mum's advice.
written by shayne chester, 14 December 2010
written by Gary Burns., 14 December 2010
I admit my grammar is terrible and my spelling is as crook as rook wood but this shouldn't detract from the work I do on removing homosexual vilification.
If I am this embarrassment why does Mr Kidd continue to attack me from the safety of his paid position at NAPWA ?
Or perhaps he was on his morning tea break today when he ridiculed me ?
written by Geoffrey, 14 December 2010
written by Tony Wilmot, 14 December 2010
Paul, why don't you reveal your biases? You are a member of Gay Inc if ever there was one. Maybe since you work for NAPWA you should do the work you're paid for instead of attacking community members on work time. Or are you having a day off?
written by stacey dowson, 14 December 2010
written by Peter Hackney, 14 December 2010
You have also called me a supporter of Gary Burns. That label I will agree with. While I am not a fan of everything he does, I would consider myself broadly a supporter. The same is true of our gaystream orgs - while I do not support everything they do, I am in a general sense a supporter of the work they do
Regarding the claim that this article is "one-sided garbage": I contacted all the organisations and publications mentioned in this piece for their side of the story. Only one chose to go on the record with comment - the others either declined or did not even bother getting back me. If you are concerned about this story being one-sided, I suggest you take it up with them.
Thanks for your interest.
written by Brintley Boyd, 14 December 2010
written by Steve Flanagan, 14 December 2010
written by Queerrebel, 13 December 2010
written by Paul Kidd, 13 December 2010
The dog barks, but the caravan moves on.
written by A newish member of "Gay Inc.", 13 December 2010
I am a fairly new member of the 'Gay Inc.' and was keen to write an article about Gary a few months ago when he seemed to be running for public office (this turned out to be a publicity stunt).
An email reply came back from Gary within minutes, firing off insults and bile, then declining an interview. Similar insults and slander about my workplace, colleagues, other gay media outlets, myself personally (I've never met Gary) and just about everyone with some profile in our small community have arrived in my email inbox from Gary on an almost daily basis ever since.
I once responded, asking him politely to stop sending his emails, but received a reply back saying the emails must continue because he "enjoys annoying people". So I never replied back again. If anyone ever emails Gary to fire back or even just defend themselves, we all get CC'd on Gary's various nasty responses.
Anyway, that is why 'Gay Inc.' has no time for Gary Burns. It's very simple, and no great conspiracy.
I personally wish Gary well with his work, it takes all sorts to make this colourful world, but it would certainly be a relief if his emails stopped. I've had four of them from him about this article already this morning.
written by Gary Burns., 13 December 2010
I personally shine in the light of GAY INC's hypocrisy and treachery.
I threaten them by exposing them for what they are. They are fakes who portray me as a leper and a trouble maker.
My work will continue with or without their support
written by Brintley Boyd, 13 December 2010
written by Burns observer, 13 December 2010
written by Mr Holly Johnson, 13 December 2010
I was always impressed by the best ever Antipodean export Mr Peter Tatchell,
but I'm glad to hear there is another Gay Knight in shining armour who defends himself
and the rest of us down under.
written by Richard Watts, 13 December 2010
Often, he just speaks for himself.
Is Burns a lone voice crying in the wilderness, a committed activist; an obsessed individual? I suspect at times he's all three. But he still doesn't speak for me.
written by Nick, 13 December 2010
This requires they appear as amenable social citizens, who can do business with anyone, who share principles with those they do business with, (whether they actually do or not), and those who speak out and criticise these powerful organisations and the structures that support them, need to be kept quiet so they don’t tarnish the slick and marketable Gay Inc image. Business reputation is vital. This applies to commercial and non-commercial organisations and individuals as they all have goals within the social power structure. And that someone could even do the job of some members of Gay Inc better and on a lower budget damages their reputations as players.
Gay Inc is probably what some activists in the past looked forward to, because they knew they would profit from it, and social acceptance was a way to get a bigger bite of the cherry. Yet it certainly wasn’t the goal of other activists, who wanted to create something better and more just than the way things are now. I am so grateful to those who put ideals before the desire for power or money, and that gratitude goes out to people like Garry Burns especially. Thankyou so much.
written by Mardi James, 13 December 2010
written by Felicity Aimee, 13 December 2010
written by shayne chester, 13 December 2010
First, City Voice did cover the outcome of Mr Burns' vilification complaint at the ADT. It was the only one of our community media that did (in issue 021). I'm sure that Mr. Hackney would appreciate my correcting his honest oversight.
Second, I've been acquainted with Gary for a long time and have always been amazed by his spirit. For example, I wrote to him after the ADT handed down its latest adjudication and I assume he was rather floored by that decision because his terse reply was, 'I have to go out for a walk." But only hours later, he was posting on Facebook, 'this only means I will have to work harder in my appeal." I don't know how any human being could fail to be impressed by such an heroic and indefatigable champion of the rights of all of us to live free of ridicule and hate speech. His work is important because it is that hate speech which informs and condones homophobic violence.
And finally, to me, this story is less about Gary Burns, who's bona fides are beyond doubt. It is about the pusillanimous anxiety ridden minority who believe they have achieved some position that gives them propriety over 'community.'
Ownership of community is not achieved by schmoozing and backstabbing your way onto a useless board, it is won by doing the hard yakka on the coal front, as Burns has always done. The betrayal of 30 years of fighting for our community by those who exploit it for profit, manipulate it for some spurious power and use our media distort and mislead, is execrable.
Why does GayInc hate Burns? Because hate is the sister of fear. And because he represents all they should be or could be and are not and probably never will be.
