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| Issue No 10 |  |
23 April 1999 |
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Piers WatchPiers on Justice Kirby
Nothing like a homosexual High Court judge to get one salivating, eh Piers? In a piece that I think was intended to be light-hearted, Piers this week exhibited a meanness of spirit that betrays an insecurity that could easily be mistaken homophobia. Basing the column around Justice Kirby's decision to out himself by placing a "p" next to the date he started his partnership with his lover in the latest edition of Who's Who, Piers gives his prejudice free rein. He plays around with this "p" like a schoolboy with a dirty joke. What does the "p" mean? he asks. What do ya reckon, Piers? Poofta? Pooh-puncher? Peadophile?? Contrasting the "p" with marriage's far superior "m", he turns the argument into an attack on homosexuals seeking legal recognition of their relationships. "For no matter how much Oxford St friends of Dorothy may wish, "p" can never equal "m"," Piers concludes. All of which trivialises a brave decision from one of Australia's leading jurists, who's taken principled stands on a whole range of social issues. Like drug law reform, international human rights, and rights for people living with HIV. It's interesting to compare Justice Kirby's Who's Who entry with Piers'. The first point is that Kirby's is more than twice as long -- although I'm sure Piers would agree that size is not everything. More striking is the substance of the entries.Justice Kirby's entry is full of honorary positions to national and international legal human rights organisations such as the WHO Global Commission on AIDS, the UNESCO International Bioethics Committee, academic institutions and senior positions with the International Commission of Jurists. The list goes on and on and on. In contrast, Piers lists a long line of paid jobs, all with News Ltd publications or subsidiaries. Where's the list of philanthropic pursuits, you ask? Well he's a member of a couple of yacht clubs and, and, oh, his hobbies are sailing, literature, the arts and gardening. Afficinadoes might also be interested to note that Piers was an Industrial Roundsman on the Sydney mirror in 1970 and Newsday in 1969. Two very different lives; but judging from their records its surprising (or is it?) to see which one is doing the belittling.
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   Interview: Latham: Leading With The ChinLabor's heretical voice talks about trade unions and how they'll survive in the land of the Third Way. Unions: Nursing the NumbersActive members are the key to recruitment for one of the state's strongest unions, the NSW Nurses Association. We talk to some of the star recruiters. History: A Sense of CommunityHistorian Greg Patmore looks at labour-community coalitions in the Lithgow Valley between 1900 and 1932. International: Labor Council Official to Dili Front LineLabor Council�s Chris Christodoulou will be one of the first foreign unionists to head to East Timor in the leadup to independence. Review: When Billy Met LindsayWhat happens when a British political popster meets with an Australian political thinker? Legal: CyberPorn in the WorkplaceA new protocol in the NSW public service is setting the benchmark for acceptable use of the internet.
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