M.P. Calls For Isolation Of Gays (Press, 30 June 1983)
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Summary: M.P. Calls For Isolation Of Gays (Press, 30 June 1983)
The Rev. Fred Nile has urged the Australian Federal Government to impose quarantine measures on homosexuals returning from the annual Gay Freedom Day parade in San Francisco. On 30 June 1983, Nile, who is a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council and director of the Festival of Light, claimed that an estimated 1,200 Australians participated in the event, which attracted around 300,000 attendees. Nile expressed concerns regarding the potential spread of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (A.I.D.S.), a disease that has been linked predominantly to homosexuals, intravenous drug users, Haitians, and haemophiliacs, constituting over 94 per cent of its victims in the United States. In a series of urgent telexes sent to Immigration Minister Stewart West and Health Minister Neal Blewett, Nile called for medical testing for A.I.D.S. and suggested that homosexuality was at the "eye of the storm" regarding the epidemic. He expressed his belief that it would be unlikely for at least one of these individuals to return with the disease and echoed concerns about potential sexual activities during their time in San Francisco. Nile noted that 19 suspected cases of A.I.D.S. had already been reported in Australia and linked the disease's arrival to homosexuals returning from previous events, such as the gay Olympics held in San Francisco 18 months earlier. He argued that Australian homosexuals could be easily identified upon their return, as many had travelled through group package deals often publicised in gay publications. Meanwhile, amidst Nile's warnings, there appeared to be a decline in A.I.D.S. cases in New York City, attributed to changes in lifestyle among homosexuals and possibly a decrease in the disease's virulence, according to New York's Health Commissioner Dr David Sencer. He suggested that this trend could also lead to a slowing of A.I.D.S. spread in other areas of the country. Overall, the controversy surrounding Nile's remarks highlighted the growing fear and uncertainty around A.I.D.S. during this period, particularly as the disease continued to unfold as one of the most alarming medical concerns of the time.
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