Over the centuries homosexuality has been seen variously as a sin, a crime or an illness (and, quite often, all three!). And these notions have persisted right up to the present day.

The situation in Australia shows and interesting correlation between perceptions of homosexuality as an illness and perceptions of homosexuality as a crime.

In 1984, after many years of debate in the Medical Journal of Australia, the Australian Medical Association decided to remove homosexuality from its list of illnesses and disorders. However, the vote was far from unanimous: in particular, both the Queensland and Tasmanian branches of the AMA opposed the decision.

The Queensland branch argued that it should be kept as a classification for those who were unhappy with their sexual orientation. Apparently it never occurred to them that defining homosexuality as a disorder in the first place might actually contribute to that unhappiness.

Tasmania, on the other hand, opposed reform on the basis of the perceived high incidence of sexually transmissible diseases amongst homosexuals. This position seems to have equated homosexuality with sexually transmissible disease; sadly, an equation that was attempted repeatedly by our enemies as the HIV/AIDS crisis unfolded.

It will come as no surprise to learn that Queensland and Tasmania were the last to decriminalise homosexual behaviour between consenting adults in Australia: Queensland finally did so in 1990 and Tasmania held out until 1997.