Order of Australia
From QueerBio.com
The Order of Australia is that country's highest civilian honour, established in 1975 to replace the British honours system, and is awarded for significant national and international achievement and meritorious service. Nominations to the order come from the public and it is administered by the Governor General of Australia. The order is divided into the following:
- Knight or Dame of the Order of Australia (AK or AD – Civil division only – Closed to new appointments in 1986);
- Companion of the Order of Australia (AC);
- Officer of the Order of Australia (AO);
- Member of the Order of Australia (AM); and
- Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM).
We have identified the following individuals as LGBTQ recipients of the Order of Australia:
- Virginia Bell, Justice of the High Court of Australia
- Deborah Cheetham, Soprano Opera singer, playwright
- Carin Clonda, squash player
- Natalie Cook, beach volleyball player and the first Australian to play in five successive Olympic games
- Rodney Croome, activist
- Ken Duncan, photographer
- James Gleeson, surrealist painter
- Brian Greig, former Senator and LGBTQ activist
- Daniel Kowalski, Olympic gold medal-winning swimmer
- Michael Kirby, lawyer and retired justice of the High Court of Australia
- Ian Thorpe, five-time Olympic Gold swimmer
- Lex Watson, Activist
- Patrick White, writer and Australia's only recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature
