Last week, the whole of Australia seemingly were appalled by a story broken by BuzzFeed that hit home why marriage equality is more than just symbolism (and why symbolism sometimes matters). Newlywed British couple Marco Bulmer-Rizzi and his husband David Bulmer Rizzi had been together for five years when they married in June 2015 in front of witnesses in south London, and then had a full ceremony in front of family and friends in Santorini. Their trip to Australia was their honeymoon. Arriving in Australia in late December, the couple had been travelling around the country when they reached their final stop: Adelaide.
It was here, while staying with friends, that David fell down the stairs one night two weeks ago. “I went to bed and David was to follow me shortly,” Marco Bulmer-Rizzi told BuzzFeed, “He was just reading his Kindle. I woke up 45 minutes later and heard this awful noise, and I turned on the light and he was lying at the bottom of the stairs in a bloodbath.”
An ambulance was called, and paramedics worked to try to save his life. David was put in an induced coma and rushed to an Adelaide hospital where Marco was told to call his husband’s parents with the horrific news their son was in a critical condition.
After an internal scan revealed the extent of the swelling of the brain, doctors told Marco his husband would die within 24 hours. By the following day, David was brain dead, and Marco organised for his organs – his heart, liver and pancreas – to be transplanted to three Australians on organ donation waiting lists.
It was after his husband died, Marco was told that if grieving for the sudden loss of his partner wasn’t bad enough, Australian law would treat their relationship as if it never happened. The funeral director told the widower that because his husband had died in South Australia, which does not recognise overseas same sex marriages, his husband’s death certificate would read: “Never married”.
He asked the authorities if his marital status could be left off the death certificate entirely, and was told it wasn’t an option. He called on the British consulate to intervene but was told there was nothing they could do. As South Australian law did not recognise their relationship, Marco was also not acknowledged as next-of-kin and it was David’s parents who were consulted on funeral arrangements.
His father Nigel echoed the sentiment of many when he said: “It’s degrading. It demeans my son’s memory and denies their relationship. It’s cast them as second-class citizens. No one should ever have to go through what we’ve gone through. We’re at the bottom and somebody has dug a deeper pit.”
Thankfully, after a huge outpouring of sympathy and outrage, the South Australian Premier has announced he will introduce legislation that recognises overseas same sex marriages to state parliament by the end of the year, following other states like NSW and Victoria that already do, and apologised to the family. But it is still depressing to realise we live in a country where we’ll happily take a dead man’s organs while refusing to recognise his relationship.
Just a few weeks before Pride March, a disturbing story has emerged of a gay man being allegedly bashed in St Kilda Botanical Gardens in an incident police are investigating as a homophobic hate crime. The 32-year-old Danny Levi Bryce-Maurice was celebrating a friends’ birthday in the gardens on the night of Saturday January 9 when four men called him a faggot in the public toilet block, and one elbowed him in the face. When several of his friends came to his aid, and confronted them, two of the men then beat him and kicked him, leaving him with a broken nose. The alleged attackers have not yet been caught. Anyone who might have witnessed the incident should call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
As part of Midsumma, Gasworks is presenting the world premiere of Elegy, a moving play about the plight of gay refugees and based on interviews with real people. Directed by John Kachoyan and featuring an acclaimed performance by Nick Simpson-Deeks, the play is on at the Studio Theatre at Gasworks Arts Park in St Kilda until Saturday February 6.
If theatre isn’t your thing, check out the third annual multi-media art exhibition Company of Men featuring the works of many Melbourne and international artists and presented by the Victorian Aids Council. This exhibition is on at Brightspace in St Kilda until Saturday February 6.
On Wednesday January 27, She Speaks Northside is a LGBT panel discussion to be held at Francesca’s Bar in High Street Northcote, where the panel discussion will be talking about women’s sport.
On Friday January 29, the famous Midsumma Mooning at The Laird in Abbotsford will see hundreds of gay boys get their kit off for a laugh and to win prizes (and admirers). Hosted by Dean Acuri, there is also a half-time comedy show. The cheeky charity event has been going for more than 20 years, and raises funds for the David Williams Fund to support those living with HIV/AIDS. Tickets are $15 or $20 on the door. The Laird is men’s only.
Miss Gay and Miss Transsexual Australia’s annual pageant for female impersonators, drag performers and transgender women will take place at The Substation in Newport on Saturday January 30 from 6pm.
On Sunday the annual Pride March will see tens of thousands of people turn out in rainbow regalia in St Kilda’s Fitzroy Street. The march kicks off from 2pm sharp, and the free festivities continue in Catani Gardens on the foreshore until 7pm. Second release tickets are still available for the Premier event after party Yass Pride! at Luna Park.
