'Make a noise': The ordinary people who took their fight to our highest court

This is a story of courage and a pivotal moment in Australia's journey towards equality. In the 1990s, Tasmania remained a place where consensual acts between men were criminalized, carrying severe penalties. Rodney Croome and Nick Toonen, facing this deeply homophobic reality, decided not to remain silent. Their decision to challenge this archaic law, even to the point of confessing a crime to make a statement, led them to the High Court of Australia.

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You want to get four votes. So, the most important thing is to be conscious of each of the seven personalities, or at least of the four of them you want to get.

The High Court, the ultimate guardian of our nation's laws, has a profound history of interpreting and reshaping Australian society through its rulings. From native title to border security, its decisions have had far-reaching consequences. For Croome and Toonen, their case was about fundamental human rights and the right to love without fear of persecution. It was a fight against shame and the oppressive atmosphere that characterized the era.

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Those men didn't go to jail. They had been fined but their names were in the newspaper. Most gay men who had been arrested and convicted left Tasmania, and some still took their own lives.

Their struggle, and the eventual decriminalization of gay sex in Tasmania, is a testament to the power of ordinary people to effect change. It underscores how legal battles, fought in the highest courts, can dismantle discriminatory laws and pave the way for a more just and inclusive Australia. This case, like others that have reached the High Court, demonstrates its crucial role in defining the nation's values and protecting the rights of all its citizens.

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the shame and the fear just melted away