Peter Benn, Author at Star Observer /author/peterbenn Setting Australia’s LGBTI agenda since 1979 Tue, 10 Dec 2024 06:23:46 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1 /wp-content/uploads/2023/02/starobs.png Peter Benn, Author at Star Observer /author/peterbenn 32 32 GREY MATTERS: Today’s Older Gay Man /grey-matters/grey-matters-todays-older-gay-man/234287 Tue, 10 Dec 2024 06:23:46 +0000 https://starobserver.com.au/?p=234287 This is my 50th Grey Matters column. Being nearly 25 years into this new century, I think it’s doubly time for a snapshot of today’s older gay man, and our ...

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GREY MATTERS: National Coming Out Day, and What It’s Like Being Outed /news/grey-matters-national-coming-out-day-and-what-its-like-being-outed/233327 Thu, 10 Oct 2024 23:54:13 +0000 https://starobserver.com.au/?p=233327 In this month’s Grey Matters column, Peter Benn discusses National Coming Out Day, as well as the nuances of coming out and his lived experience of being outed.  My coming ...

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GREY MATTERS: In Praise of Gay ճԹpapers /opinion/in-praise-of-gay-newspapers-grey-matters/231993 Fri, 12 Jul 2024 00:55:58 +0000 https://starobserver.com.au/?p=231993 Is it a stretch to say gay newspapers were a mini forerunner to today’s internet? Check these similarities… ճԹ Old editions are time capsules with headlines telling big stories – ...

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Gay Dating Apps Are For Everyone /grey-matters/grey-matters-apps-are-for-everyone/228203 Tue, 30 Jan 2024 05:51:08 +0000 https://starobserver.com.au/?p=228203 Recently, my dating/sexual experiences have segued into areas I’ve not previously experienced – and they all reflected the sexual loneliness of city-based men in their early 50s. The first man ...

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Memories Of Christmases Past /opinion/memories-of-christmases-past/227640 Wed, 13 Dec 2023 08:47:59 +0000 https://starobserver.com.au/?p=227640 It’s Christmas again, and I’m reflecting on my Christmases past. ‘The Isolated One’ ‘The Isolated One’ – Christmas Day in Dublin 2004  while waiting to depart on a tour the ...

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Gender Diversity At The Gay Sauna /opinion/gender-diversity-at-the-gay-sauna/226933 /opinion/gender-diversity-at-the-gay-sauna/226933#comments Thu, 02 Nov 2023 11:44:54 +0000 https://starobserver.com.au/?p=226933 It was a surprise that the first naked body I saw as I entered the gay sauna was female and not a  gay male.  It was an ‘open’ night for ...

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Grieving After The Death Of A Sexual Partner /news/grieving-after-the-death-of-a-sexual-partner/226712 /news/grieving-after-the-death-of-a-sexual-partner/226712#comments Thu, 19 Oct 2023 23:38:59 +0000 https://starobserver.com.au/?p=226712 Nearly twelve months after his death, a casual sexual partner’s dating profile still has his enticing photos smiling back at me from the internet. Clive’s death has only recently become ...

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Beware Of Scammers /opinion/beware-of-scammers/226159 Tue, 12 Sep 2023 13:00:58 +0000 https://starobserver.com.au/?p=226159 Scamming attacks are definitely becoming more prevalent. Recent weeks have seen both myself and my friends the target of multiple scams, with increasing variety, sophistication and frequency. These include mobile ...

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Media Is Ignoring Our History /opinion/media-is-ignoring-our-history/225469 Mon, 07 Aug 2023 11:41:57 +0000 https://starobserver.com.au/?p=225469 It’s my observation that mainstream Australian newspapers are doing mature-age gay men a great disservice in not reporting the deaths of iconic gay heroes from our earlier years. It would ...

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Make Gay Saunas More Social for Seniors /opinion/make-gay-saunas-more-social-for-seniors/225047 /opinion/make-gay-saunas-more-social-for-seniors/225047#comments Wed, 19 Jul 2023 07:39:34 +0000 https://starobserver.com.au/?p=225047 Gay saunas operate some terrific themed nights, though no Australian sauna seemingly offers afternoon-themed events for gay and bi Seniors. Yet that’s when we, the retired older men, are available. ...

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Dr Charles Silverstein: Joy Of Gay Sex Author Dies Aged 87 /news/international-news-news/dr-charles-silverstein-joy-of-gay-sex-author-dies-aged-87/222708 Tue, 04 Apr 2023 08:27:05 +0000 https://starobserver.com.au/?p=222708 We recently lost one of the great pioneers of the modern gay movement. Dr. Charles Silverstein (April 23, 1935 – January 30, 2023), who died aged 87, was the co-author ...

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Note To My Younger Gay Self During Pride Month /news/note-to-my-younger-gay-self-during-pride-month/221341 Mon, 13 Feb 2023 23:22:58 +0000 https://starobserver.com.au/?p=221341 It was April 1968, and as an awkward young adult not long in the city from my rural upbringing, I was having an employment interview for a foot-in-the-door office job. ...

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NUDE BEACH MEMORIES /news/nude-beach-memories/220081 /news/nude-beach-memories/220081#comments Tue, 03 Jan 2023 02:23:39 +0000 https://starobserver.com.au/?p=220081 “Lordy, Miss Molly, just look at all those poor boys who can’t afford swimsuits.” Some thirty years ago, our mini-entourage of four arrived at the isolated gay nude beach. Sexually ...

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Biphobia Is Real /news/biphobia-exists/216424 /news/biphobia-exists/216424#comments Thu, 22 Sep 2022 15:19:50 +0000 https://starobserver.com.au/?p=216424 The message to my gay hookup profile often begins with “I’m inexperienced but very curious. I’m married with no sex at home. Discretion is important. Can’t host.” You can read ...

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A Positive Attitude To Ageing As A Gay Man /news/a-positive-attitude-to-ageing-as-a-gay-man/213779 Tue, 23 Aug 2022 10:50:05 +0000 https://starobserver.com.au/?p=213779 “I am not the sum of my histories. I am a collection of my possibilities.” This sage advice neatly sums up my recent experiences with other older men.  After retirement, ...

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Swapping Icons for Heroes /news/swapping-icons-for-heroes/215880 Fri, 19 Aug 2022 04:57:16 +0000 https://starobserver.com.au/?p=215880 Judy (Garland, that is, would have been 100 years old this year). Judi (as in Dench, is 87) and Jude (as in Law, 49). These entertainers are all icons of ...

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Touched By A Stranger, For All The Right Reasons /news/private-parts/213179 Mon, 23 May 2022 10:09:41 +0000 https://starobserver.com.au/?p=213179 As sexually active gay men, bodily fluids and nudity are part of our playground. We know that occasionally s**t happens, fingers get inserted into pleasure zones, and in anonymous sexual ...

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TELECASTING MARDI GRAS /artsentertainment/telecasting-mardi-gras/211836 /artsentertainment/telecasting-mardi-gras/211836#comments Fri, 08 Apr 2022 23:06:44 +0000 https://starobserver.com.au/?p=211836 This year’s Mardi Gras telecast was a stunning live party event. A celebration and public relations exercise that highlighted the size, diversity, and complexity of the LGBTQI community. The ABC ...

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Retiring To A Seaside Town? Check Out Your Gay Support System /news/retiring-to-a-seaside-town-check-out-your-gay-support-system/211069 /news/retiring-to-a-seaside-town-check-out-your-gay-support-system/211069#comments Tue, 15 Mar 2022 22:25:24 +0000 https://starobserver.com.au/?p=211069 “I can’t stand another freezing Melbourne winter. I’m heading north to the sunshine.” So said my late-sixties single gay friend, Howard*, as he made plans to auction his apartment. With rigid determination, he then headed ...

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Blinkered Urologists Need To Be Re-Educated About Gay And Bisexual Diversity /grey-matters/blinkered-urologists-need-to-be-re-educated-about-gay-and-bisexual-diversity/209743 Sat, 12 Feb 2022 21:57:16 +0000 https://starobserver.com.au/?p=209743 It’s happened again! Yet another married friend, this time, David*, has had his sexuality ignored by his urologist following a diagnosis for prostate issues. In his early seventies, he has ...

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