David Widdup ran in the 1972 election as a candidate in the seat of Lowe, against sitting Prime Minister William (Billy) McMahon, and made history as Australia’s first openly gay candidate for public office.
David Widdup (1947-1999) was a pioneer for LGBTQ+ rights in Australia. He made history at the 1972 Federal election, when he stood for election in the inner-western Sydney seat of Lowe (which is now mainly covered by the seat of Reid which takes in Strathfield). Lowe was held by William McMahon (from 1949-1982) and was Prime Minister at the time. Widdup became the first openly gay candidate to run for public office in Australia. His election material emphasised his status as ‘Homosexual Candidate for Lowe’.
His campaign slogan, ‘I’ve got my eyes on Billy’s seat!’ garnered significant media attention, though one of the local papers “The Aeroplane Press”, refused to publish Widdup’s advertisement. However, the opposition paper the “Western Suburbs Courier” accepted the advertisements. The catchy slogan and the campaign against a sitting Prime Minister gained significant interest.
While Widdup only received 218 votes, he succeeded in raising awareness of the LGBTQ+ rights in the wider community.
For further information on David Widdup and his campaign:
- State Library of New South Wales: https://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/research-and-collections/lgbtqi-collections
- Country Network Australia: https://countrynetwork.com.au/
The poster is courtesy of State Library of NSW Collection.
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