Tragedy has turned into triumph for a pub owner in Melbourne who has applied to his local council to transform an empty church hall into Australia’s first Gay and Lesbian cultural centre and museum.  Tom McFeely (pictured), a former Liberal Party candidate for the state seat of Richmond and now current owner of gay pub ‘The Peel Hotel’, was thrust into action when one of his bar staff admitted to him that he was forced out of home and subsequently had to stop studying medicine when he came out to his parents. Though he admits there’s a time and place for marches, McFeely wants to make sure the museum focuses more on the history, struggles and victories of the community rather than the stereotypical visuals of boys in “bathers and leather G-strings”. 

"The new generation of young people seem to think the battle is over – all we need now is gay marriage – but it's only a few years ago that homosexuality was decriminalised and to this day there are still people in the outer suburbs, in country Victoria, who don't have it as easy as inner-city gays."  McFeely was quoted as saying.  So to erect a proposed museum in Collingwood would merely be another brave stance the community has put forward, and we can only hope this is all talk that becomes a much needed reality.