Pride Spotlight: HON. MICHAEL KIRBY (1996-2009)

MICHAEL KIRBY (1996-2009)

Michael Kirby is one of Australia's most admired public figures. In times of spin and obfuscation, he speaks out passionately and straightforwardly on the issues that are important to him. Even those who disagree with him have been moved by the courage required of him to come out as a high-profile gay man, which at times has caused him to be subjected to outrageous assaults on his character. He is an international jurist, educator and former judge. Most notably, he was Australia’s first openly gay Justice of the High Court of Australia (1996-2009). In his retirement, he remained active and went on to be appointed to the UN Human Rights Council where he led investigations into the abuses of human rights in North Korea.

In 1991 he was awarded the Australian Human Rights Medal. In 1998, he was named Laurette of the UNESCO Prize for Human Rights Education. In 2010 he was named co-winner of the Gruber Justice Prize. In 2011 he received the inaugural Australian Privacy Medal. The honorary degrees of Doctor of Letters, Doctor of Laws and Doctor of the University have been conferred on him by universities in Australia and overseas. He lives in Sydney with his partner since 1969, Johan van Vloten.

You can learn more about the Hon. Michael Kirby here.