Gay men haunted by old convictions
MUCH has changed since Noel Tovey was convicted of having gay sex more than 60 years ago. The prison he was sent to has closed. The law that made sexual activity between men a crime no longer exists.
But Tovey believes that his criminal record remains in the Victoria Police database, and that he is still smeared with a ''buggery'' conviction he has no way of removing.
For an unknown number of older gay men, historical convictions for consensual sex continue to cast a shadow over their lives. Despite Victoria decriminalising gay sex in 1981, these men are still prevented from applying for some jobs, such as teaching, or taking on volunteering roles.
Tovey in 1955.
''It was the era of the witch-hunt for any gay man,'' says Tovey, a high-profile indigenous dancer, of when gay men were regularly arrested for ''homosexual acts''.
Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/gay-men-haunted-by-old-convictions-20130106-2cbed.html#ixzz2HGB1s3gZ
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