Kim Walker Beaumont died at the age of 62 on March 22 after a long battle with cancer. Many readers of Green Left Weekly will have known Kim and his partner Leon Harrison. Kim and Leon lived in Western Australia for many years and more recently moved to inner-city Sydney.
One of Kim's major achievements was creating and managing significant reforms in special education and facilities for the intellectually and physically disabled people in Western Australia. The philosophy and programs that were implemented, revolutionised the way disabled people were treated. These program have beene implemented in some other states of Australia, and in Germany and Denmark. His special interest in disabled people summed up Kim's philosophy of leading a compassionate life.
Kim was a tireless campaigner for gay liberation and a long term supporter of Green Left Weekly, the Democratic Socialist Perspective and Resistance. When the socialist youth organisation Resistance was organising the high school walkouts against Pauline Hanson in 1998, Kim was on talk-back radio every day defending the rights of young people to be political in opposition to the conservative views being peddled.
There were also very few rallies, be they trade union, environmental, civil liberties, refugee rights, etc., or Green Left Weekly fundraising dinners that Kim and Leon were not in attendance at. Kim marched the city streets to fight for a better world even when he was unwell and in pain.
In February, Kim and Leon celebrated 20 years together and were the first gay male couple in Australia to legally register their same-sex relationship at the British high commission office in Sydney under the new British Civil Union Partnership Act. While both born in Australia, having British passports provided Kim and Leon with this opportunity.
Shortly after the ceremony, Kim told Sydney's SX News magazine: "When we went to the British consulate, they were good enough to get approval from London to waive the time qualification because of my circumstances." While Kim and Leon's civil union was recognised under British law within the confines of the consulate, the moment the couple stepped outside after the ceremony, it became invalid under Australian law due to the government's refusal to recognise same-sex unions or marriages from other countries. Kim told SX News: "In a way, this is saying a big 'up yours, Mr Howard. Our 20 years of commitment is entitled to some form of legal recognition."
Kim was a wonderfully compassionate long-time friend and a sharp intellectual. I will miss his incisive emails and commentary on current affairs and the sincere love and attention that he extended to everyone in his life.
Carla Gorton
From Green Left Weekly, April 5, 2006.
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