As a complement to the Life As A Human philosophy, this profile by Julie Harrison will be the first in the Interesting Humans series — short profiles of fascinating human beings from around the world who are making a difference.
Twenty-eight years ago, the first case of AIDS was diagnosed in Australia. Dr. Basil Donovan, a world expert on sexual health, was on the frontline. And when I say frontline, I really mean frontline.
One of the many initiatives that he crusaded for — in a team effort with Julie Bates, a sex worker and advocate — was a prevention strategy that involved mandatory condom use in brothels. Some of this work, and its inevitable heart-break, was captured in the film Rampant – How a City Stopped a Plague. Rampant tells the story of how a committed coalition of medical professionals, homosexuals, sex workers, nuns, drug addicts and politicians “broke the law, offended everyone, and saved tens of thousands of lives.”
Today, Dr. Donovan is a practicing Sexual Health Physician at the Sydney Sexual Health Centre, Sydney Hospital; and Professor of Sexual Health at the National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research, University of New South Wales. His research and policy interests include clinical and public health aspects of HIV/AIDS and other STIs; and STI prevention, particularly for priority populations such as homosexual men, sex workers, prisoners, Aboriginal people, and travellers.
How did you choose your career path?
After deciding that I had just about given up medicine, I worked as a locum at the Sydney STD Clinic and I became enthused the first morning. Nobody talked down to the customers and everyone was treated as equal.
What has been the most difficult thing you’ve had to face?
The relentless deaths of young people before effective anti-HIV treatment became available.
What kind of demands, if any, does a successful career like yours make on family life?
I’m not so sure that successful is the right word. But commitment consumes a lot of time, so family life is limited.
If you didn’t work, what would you do?
Write.
What is your greatest extravagance?
Wasting time. But as Bertrand Russell said, “Time that you enjoyed wasting is not wasted time.”
What one word do you think is most commonly used to describe you?
That’s a question for someone else.
What do you consider to be your greatest life achievement to date?
Contributing to the control of HIV in Sydney and elsewhere — and surviving (just).
If you could come back to earth as another human, who would it be?
Prince William.
What aspect of humanity do you most deplore?
Officious public service.
What aspect of humanity do you think is most worthy of celebrating?
Compassionate public service.
Photo Credits
“Condom Hockey” allspice1 @ flickr. Creative Commons. Some rights reserved.
Hi Neimad – thanks for sharing your experience from Australia on this. I am sure there must be a personal toll taken by those who crusade and give of themselves in exchange for the larger good of a group of people … but then again, the toll is not likely as great as the satisfaction gained from “making a difference.” I doubt I will ever make such a difference in my life, I just hope to take a few small steps here and there in the right direction. But I deeply admire those who do.
I remember the disease emerging, I was a young boy in rural Aust and the National concern reached fever pitch in the coming years. It looked as though it was unstoppable at the time early 80’s. Having seen the Doc Rampant, It is apparent the unlikely coalition bore the brunt of the traggedy to protect the unknown masses. At what personal toll?
Good questions … Here are links that I think can answer your questions:
This article summarizes in a personal way his experience with Julie Bates as they tackled the brothel issue in the 80s:
http://www.scarletalliance.org.au/Reviews/bearup07/
This article notes that the different states in Australia have different laws for the legalization of brothels. It would seem that the state that Dr. Donovan lives in (NSW) has legalized brothels as of the 80s:
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/238675,brothels-help-prostitutes-stay-healthy.html
And from this link you can actually view the video Rampant. I’d highly recommend it.
http://www.guba.com/watch/3000102436/Rampant-How-a-City-Stopped-a-Plague
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Great profile! Made me want to learn more about the advocacy Dr. Donovan performed 20 years ago. Was Dr. Donovan one of those who, “broke the law and offended everybody”?
I’m also curious – are brothels regulated somehow in Australia? How would they make condom use mandatory otherwise?
Good question. We, the sex workers of Australia with the support of people like Basil championed the right and need of sex workers for clients to accept the use of condoms. The mandatory use of condoms was not a government regulated move but a voluntary act that sex workers took on to save their own lives and in so doing probably saved thousands of othrs.
This was achieved by encouraing massage parlour opertors to promote safe sex in their establishments regardless of the legal impediments. At the time ealy 1980s, the sex industry right across Australia functioned under prohibition. Sex worker rights advoates and our supporters have been lobbying for law reform of the sex industry now for over 39 years. We have seen a few reforms but only in NSW have we achieved a largely decriminalised system. This came about in 1995 following the revelations before the Wood Inquiry into corrupt police. Sex services premises in NSW are now meant to be regulated like any othe use of land uner the Environment Planning & Asesment Act but there are stil major obstacles to local council embracing the ideal of the reforms – political expeiency and moral panel usually prevail when a development application for a SSP comes before them and it is thus refused. This leaves proponents scrambling to find thouands of dollars to fight the on via an appeal in the Land & Environmetn Court – unjust and unnecessary expenditure on the part of rate payers (council) and the proponents.