Brian Patrick McGahen (3 March 1952 – 3 April 1990) was an Australian gay activist and social libertarian. He was born at Camperdown in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

to hairdresser Patrick James McGahen and Monica Marie Anderson, ''née'' Pettit. After attending De La Salle College Ashfield, he received a Bachelor of Social Studies from the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...

in 1974. As a student he opposed the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

, refusing to register for

conscription Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day un ...

; his advocacy of draft resistance led to his conviction for

sedition Sedition is overt conduct, such as speech and organization, that tends toward rebellion against the established order. Sedition often includes subversion of a constitution and incitement of discontent toward, or insurrection against, estab ...

. During this time he became a member of the

Communist Party of Australia The Communist Party of Australia (CPA), known as the Australian Communist Party (ACP) from 1944 to 1951, was an Australian political party founded in 1920. The party existed until roughly 1991, with its membership and influence having been i ...

. From 1974 to 1975 he was a social worker and drug counsellor, and he became a founding member of the Australian Social Welfare Union in 1976. Working first on the methadone program with the Health Commission of New South Wales, he also worked for the State Department of Youth and Community Services and in the 1980s reviewed the New South Wales Family Support Services Scheme. In the mid-1970s, McGahen became involved in the campaign for

gay rights Rights affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the death penalty for homosexuality. Notably, , 3 ...

as a member of Sydney Gay Liberation and the Socialist Lesbians & Male Homosexuals. He was an organiser for the National Homosexual Conference in 1978 and served as chairman of the

Sydney Mardi Gras The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras or Sydney Mardi Gras is an event in Sydney, New South Wales attended by hundreds of thousands of people from around Australia and overseas. One of the largest such festivals in the world, Mardi Gras is the ...

Association from 1981 to 1984. He stood as the Communist candidate for

Lord Mayor of Sydney The Right Honourable the Lord Mayor of Sydney is the head of the Council of the City of Sydney, which is the local government area covering the central business district of Sydney in the State of New South Wales, Australia. The Lord Mayor has be ...

in 1980 without success. In 1984, together with fellow Communist

Jack Mundey John Bernard "Jack" Mundey (17 October 1929 – 10 May 2020) was an Australian communist, union and environmental activist. He came to prominence during the 1970s for leading the New South Wales Builders' Labourers Federation (BLF) in the fa ...

he was elected as an independent to Sydney City Council, serving until the council's dismissal on 26 March 1987. Along with Craig Johnston and Bill Hunt, elected at the same time, he was the first openly gay member of the council. McGahen became director of a home care service in 1986, and he supported extended care to

AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...

sufferers, spousal immigration rights, and a permanent LGBT community centre. He joined the Pride steering committee in 1989 and became treasurer. In 1987 he had been diagnosed with

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune ...

, and chose voluntary euthanasia. He died at Elizabeth Bay on 3 April 1990, and was cremated. In 1992 he was posthumously inducted into the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Association Hall of Fame.

References

http://www.sydneyaldermen.com.au {{DEFAULTSORT:McGahen, Brian 1952 births 1990 deaths Sydney City Councillors People with HIV/AIDS Deaths by euthanasia Australian gay politicians Australian LGBT rights activists 20th-century Australian politicians 20th-century Australian LGBT people