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ABC News
11-07-2025
- ABC News
Queer history-maker Kate Rowe's proudest and darkest moments feature in her debut memoir
In 1978, a year after acknowledging to herself she was a lesbian, 26-year-old Kate Rowe was ready to come out publicly in Sydney's first-ever Mardi Gras parade. "It was the first time I'd said to myself, 'Up the lezzos,' which is what I was chanting," Kate says. "I felt good about it … It was a celebration rather than an excuse to flagellate myself." But what was supposed to be a party ended in violence, when police began to assault and arrest Mardi Gras participants. "I remember when we got to the end of Oxford Street and the [float] stopped. I was sitting on the bonnet of the truck and [Mardi Gras organiser] Ken Davis said to me, 'Get down because they'll get you,'" Kate says. "I was so naive politically, so naive, and I didn't understand what he meant." Caught in the ensuing riot, Kate says she was hit over the head with the lid of a rubbish bin and fell to the ground. She was then pushed and pulled between police and the crowd. Kate was thrown into a paddy wagon and taken to Darlinghurst Police Station where she was one of 53 people arrested that night. She was locked in a cell with 23 other women. That night, Kate says, she could hear fellow marcher Peter Murphy being brutally bashed in a neighbouring cell. "I'll never forget that … I've never forgiven that," she says. Forty-seven years later, this is just one of many astonishing life experiences Kate details in her debut memoir, How the F*ck Would I Know? In it, she also describes surviving sexual assault, marrying a dying gay man and competing in ten gruelling Ironman events. "In essence [the memoir] is about how I've survived and grown through the sometimes-awful experiences that I've had," she says. "I've kept this stuff in me for so long." Growing up in the UK, Kate was sexually abused by the father of a toddler she babysat. The abuse began when she was 11. After fleeing to Australia from England in 1971, she eventually settled in Sydney. There she experienced abuse again when, at age 37, she was violently raped by an unknown male intruder in her inner-west home. For years, Kate only told the police and her counsellor, but decided to write about the assaults because she thought "maybe this might help someone". It also helped her. "Every time I had to go back and edit, it was difficult … but it was like this enormous letting go." Kate, who also writes about her decades-long battle with drug and alcohol addiction, credits her ability to speak openly about traumatic events to recovery programs and therapy she has attended since the 70s. They have encouraged her to "own up to your demons". "I had to learn to be honest and deal with it so that [the past events] weren't ruling my life anymore," she says. There were other changes in Kate's life during this period. At a time when being gay was highly stigmatised, Kate overcame her internalised homophobia and accepted that she was attracted to women. "When I was at high school I got bashed in the toilet because I was being told I was a lesbian," Kate says. "I didn't even know what a lesbian was." In her 20s, the penny dropped when a friend asked Kate why she surrounded herself with women. "I realised that that's what I was doing." Her experience of violence at Mardi Gras was a political awakening that ignited a passion for LGBT and women's rights. "I went to a Fred Nile anti-abortion rally and I got arrested there," Kate says. After refusing to pay a $75 fine, Kate was sent to Silverwater Women's Correctional Centre, a maximum-security prison for serious offenders, for four days. "I entered a world that I never want to go back to. It really opened my eyes," Kate says. By the 90s, and now in her 40s, Kate's life again took a turn. "I just realised that I had to stop asking, 'Why me?'," she says. It was a question that, for Kate, had no useful answer. She started to feel a growing sense of optimism about her future. "I thought, one day my life is going to be OK. One day I'm not going to have all these dramas," she says. She started a media degree and found a cheap flat to rent in the Sydney suburb of Leichhardt. It was there she met Ray, a gay man who lived next door. "I knew he was a raging alcoholic the day I met him," Kate says. "I told him that I was an alcoholic, but I didn't drink anymore. We just hit it off." Some years later, after each had moved into their own home, Ray asked to see Kate. "I knew he had cirrhosis of the liver because he was as yellow as anything. And he told me he was sick and that if he didn't stop drinking, he'd be dead in a month. "In those days, superannuation was very discriminatory. You had to be married to pass on your super … otherwise it would go to the state. And he literally said, 'I'm f***ed if I'm going to let that happen. Marry me,'" Kate recalls. "It literally came out of the blue. He had all his drinking buddies. I still don't know why he chose me." At an engagement dinner, Ray told Kate that he was HIV-positive. His partner had died of AIDS years earlier. "I always said to him, 'Whatever happens, I'll be there for you,'" Kate says. "We had joint bank accounts and then we went to marriage-guidance counselling. "It was really funny because we had to act as though we were heterosexual." Kate and Ray married in 1994. Ray died in 1997. After his death, Kate was financially secure for the first time in her life and, thanks to Ray, was able to get a house mortgage. "I will be forever grateful," she says. After distancing herself from pubs, Kate's social life took a hit, so she turned to sport instead. "It was a way for me to try and stay grounded," she says. "If I could feel physically strong, then maybe the emotional strength would come eventually." "It was a way of realising how precious life was and that I've got one body and I need to look after [it]." Kate went on to compete in 10 international Ironman events. She also competed in the Gay Games and volunteered on the organising committee for more than 20 years. "I spent so much of my time living a really unhealthy life," she says, "I had a choice to change that." Sport is now an integral part of her life. "I've been doing [it] for so long, I don't know how not to do it." Kate has decided to launch her book at Sydney's LGBTQIA+ history museum, Qtopia, which is based at the former Darlinghurst Police Station where she was locked up almost five decades ago. "Every time I go in there, it still brings that emotion up," she says. "It was time for me to make peace with myself and to accept what happened and that good can come out of it." Clean and sober for 48 years, Kate says writing her memoir has been the ultimate catharsis. "I just felt so much lighter," she says. "I'm a damaged unit in some ways. But all of that stuff, it's found its place in me. It doesn't define me anymore." How the F*ck Would I Know — A Memoir by Kate Rowe is out now.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Goth Icon, 67, Cancels Comeback Tour Over ‘Health Issues'
Goth Icon, 67, Cancels Comeback Tour Over 'Health Issues' originally appeared on Parade. As the lead singer of post-punk band Bauhaus, Peter Murphy became a goth legend in the late 1970s and early 1980s with now-iconic songs such as "Bela Lugosi's Dead," "Kick In The Eye," and "She's In Parties." The band, which also included Daniel Ash, David J and Kevin Haskins, helped lay the foundation for goth music with their distinctive image and haunting sound (aided by Murphy's distinctive baritone voice. After Bauhaus disbanded, Muphy embarked on a solo career, while the other members formed Tones on Tail and Love and Rockets. Murphy achieved commercial success in 1990 with "Cuts You Up," which peaked at No. 60 on the Billboard Hot 100. He has continued to perform and tour, even with Bauhaus from time to time—including a short-run reunion in 2022. However, Murphy has struggled with health issues in the past. And he was planning to tour this summer in support of his new solo album, Silver Shade. But on Monday (June 2), he announced he was canceling all dates. "It is with regret that, due to recent health issues, I will be unable to perform for you this summer," Murphy wrote on social media. "I am very much saddened by this news. This situation is hopefully temporary, and we will be able to announce shows in support of Silver Shade at some point in the near future." "Thank you so much for your patience and understanding. Love Peter x," he added. In 2019, Murphy was in the middle of a two-week residency in New York City when he suffered a heart attack. He underwent angioplasty and had two stents implanted in his heart. "After seeing myself go through the rigors of intensive care, I am very happy to say that I have made a full recovery," he said after the surgery. The goth icon has also dealt with substance abuse issues. Bauhaus's 2022 reunion was cut short when Murphy entered a rehabilitation facility "to attend to his health and well-being," per Stereogum. In 2013, Murphy was arrested in Los Angeles for a DUI, hit-and-run, and possession of crystal meth. The Glendale News-Press reported that he was sentenced to three years of probation and to attend 45 days of Narcotics Anonymous Icon, 67, Cancels Comeback Tour Over 'Health Issues' first appeared on Parade on Jun 2, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Jun 2, 2025, where it first appeared.
Japan Today
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Japan Today
More arrests after third night of unrest in Northern Ireland town
By Peter Murphy and Clara Lalanne Riot police were pelted with petrol bombs, masonry and fireworks and nine officers were wounded in the third night of unrest in Northern Ireland, police said on Thursday amid simmering anti-immigrant anger. The three days of clashes in Ballymena erupted on Monday night after two teenagers were arrested for an alleged attempted rape of a young girl at the weekend. Police have not confirmed the ethnicity of the teenagers, who remain in custody and had asked for a Romanian interpreter in court. The crowds eventually dispersed late Wednesday without a repeat of the chaotic scenes seen on Monday and Tuesday when houses and businesses were torched and 32 police officers were injured. But in Larne, around 32 kilometers away, local media reported that masked men on Wednesday torched a leisure centre that was temporarily sheltering people from Ballymena who had been evacuated from their homes. Police condemned Wednesday night's violence, which included a hatchet being thrown at officers, calling it "completely unacceptable disorder". Six more people were arrested, the Police Service of Northern Ireland said. "As a result of a significant policing operation calm was restored to all areas at around 1 a.m. this morning," the force added. Three teenage boys aged 15, 17 and 18 were due to appear in court on Thursday having been charged with rioting, according to police. A total of 41 officers have now been hurt in the three nights of unrest, the PSNI said, though most of the injuries were not severe. Ministers from every party in the province's power-sharing executive strongly condemned "the racially motivated violence witnessed in recent days", while UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer denounced the "mindless violence". The UK's Northern Ireland minister Hilary Benn, who visited Ballymena on Thursday, said he "utterly condemned the terrible scenes of civil disorder". Police called the violence "racist thuggery", deployed riot officers with dogs and asked forces in England and Wales for help quelling the unrest. Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson said Thursday that "this criminal behavior has no place on the streets of Northern Ireland and is completely unacceptable". On the fire in Larne, police said: "Shockingly, people were inside the building at the time of this fire -– thankfully no injuries were reported." Ballymena residents have described "terrifying" scenes in which attackers had targeted "foreigners" over the previous days. Some people fixed signs to their houses indicating they were Filipino residents, or hung up British flags. Political commentator Alex Kane, a former Ulster Unionist Party communications chief, told AFP "most of those involved in the rioting... were from the working-class loyalist community" who support Northern Ireland remaining part of the UK. "This is a demographic which feels left behind" by various political and social forces, he added. "An unsettled community, particularly when it is mostly composed of the young, is often quick to anger and easy to mobilize on the street. It's a problem which won't disappear any time soon," he warned. While acknowledging the protests were a "bit extreme", college student Lee Stewart described them as necessary "to defend our own people". "We view it as the police aren't doing anything to stop what is going on to those poor wee girls," Stewart, 18, said. © 2025 AFP
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Peter Murphy Cancels 2025 Tour Dates Due To Ongoing ‘Health Issues'
Bauhaus frontman Peter Murphy has announced he will not be hitting the road this summer as planned, with ongoing health issues to blame for the nascent cancellation. Murphy announced his news via social media on Monday (June 2), informing fans that, 'It is with regret that, due to recent health issues, I will be unable to perform for you this summer. ' More from Billboard Cynthia Erivo Opens Up About Her Queerness: 'The More Yourself You Are, The Better Understanding Starts to Happen' The Roots Apologize to Fans After First Day of 2025 Roots Picnic Marred By Long Lines: 'Safety Will Always Be Our Number 1 Priority' Rod Stewart Postpones Las Vegas Colosseum Residency Gig Due to Unspecified Illness 'I am very much saddened by this news,' he added. 'This situation is hopefully temporary, and we will be able to announce shows in support of Silver Shade at some point in the near future. Thank you so much for your patience and understanding.' The forthcoming tour dates were set to see Murphy touring in support of Silver Shade, his first new solo album since 2014, with festival dates scheduled throughout the U.K. and Europe between June and August. Murphy's live appearances have been limited in recent years, with a heart attack necessitating the postponement of his 2019 residency at New York venue Le Poisson Rouge. A reformed Bauhaus would later cancel a run of North American dates in 2022 after stating that Murphy would be 'entering a rehabilitation facility to attend to his health and well-being.' In early 2023, the Celebrating David Bowie tour was rescheduled after Murphy underwent 'an unexpected medical procedure,' before he dropped out entirely 'due to ill health and doctor's orders to rest and recover.' In December 2024, an upcoming U.K. and European leg of the same tour was cancelled after it was announced Murphy had 'suddenly taken ill.' Murphy rose to fame as a member of Bauhaus in the late '70s, with their debut single 'Bela Lugosi's Dead' being considered one of the pioneering gothic rock tracks. Bauhaus split in 1983 after releasing four albums, and Murphy launched a solo career in 1986. His third album, 1989's Deep, would peak at No. 44 on the Billboard 200, with the single 'Cuts You Up' reaching No. 55 on the Hot 100 and topping the Modern Rock Tracks chart the following year. Bauhaus' reunions would result in a final album in 2008, with the group releasing their final single, 'Drink the New Wine' in early 2022. In May 2025, Murphy released his latest studio album, Silver Shade, which featured contributions from Boy George alongside members of Tool and Nine Inch Nails. Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
GMA Network
27-05-2025
- Politics
- GMA Network
International poll observers call for hybrid election system in PH
The International Observer Mission (IOM) has supported calls for a hybrid election system in the Philippines as it found the Eleksyon 2025 to be 'neither free, nor open, honest, nor fair.' "The IOM is calling for the adoption of a hybrid election system that combines manual counting at the precinct level with the automated electronic transmission of results," said International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines Global Council chairperson Peter Murphy. 'This system would replace the fully-automated process and enable an independent and impartial audit and verification of the votes, strengthening public trust in the electoral system,' he added On Tuesday, the IOM released its full report on the recently-concluded midterm elections, saying it was marred by various issues including rampant vote-buying, voter disenfranchisement, systemic, coordinated and well-funded red-tagging and disinformation against progressive candidates and party-lists. The IOM also monitored reports of elections-related violence, influence of foreign military and American geopolitical interests, harassment and barring of international observers. 'The 2025 IOM, similar to the findings of the International Observer Mission (IOM) for the 2022 elections, found the massive scale of problems identified in the 2025 elections rendered the elections neither free, nor open, honest, nor fair,' said IOM Commissioner Andrea Mann. 'The pattern of issues in the elections this year speaks to a much larger context of inequality, inequity, facism, foreign influence, and systematic human rights violations against the Filipino people. It utmost urgency for the international community to pay heed to these major issues,' Mann said. The IOM started the observation of the 2025 midterm polls from late April to mid-May, with more than 50 international human rights advocates participating and 29 field observers deployed. It likewise coordinated with poll watchdogs such as Kontra Daya and Vote Report PH for the elections observation. Commissioners and volunteers have been deployed in key areas nationwide to observe and document incidents threatening the integrity and safety of the electoral process. Final report According to its final report, the mission independently confirmed cases of civil and political rights violations during the May elections including: 111 cases of vote-buying 63 cases of violation of the right to freedom of association 21 cases of violation of the right to liberty of movement 14 violations targeting communities 51 cases of inaccessibility and disenfranchisement This included incidents of malfunctioning automated counting machines (ACMs); reports of ballots being wrongly read as overvotes; premarked ballots; and voters unknowingly voting for a different candidate or unable to find their names on the voter roll. A total of 30 reports of election violence, one enforced disappearance; ten cases of extrajudicial killings, and seven cases of forcible evacuation and displacement were also monitored by the IOM. The international organization also flagged the low voter turnout of registered Filipino voters abroad, which it attributed to the online registration glitches and delayed pre-enrolment requirements. To resolve this, the IOM called for a simplified registration system for OFWs. It also proposed sanctions and disqualification against candidates who engaged in vote-buying. The IOM also recommended to declare the Election Day as a regular paid public holiday. Comelec GMA News Online reached out to the Commission on Elections for comment but poll spokesperson John Rex Laudiangco earlier said the commission will comply to new election laws should the existing legislation be amended. 'As to the call for hybrid elections, we submit to the wisdom of Congress in legislating laws amending, if ever and if any, Republic Act No. 8436 as amended by RA9369. As we had fully complied with the full automation requirements of these laws, Comelec equally commits to fully comply with any new law on elections should any be passed by Congress,' Laudiangco said.—AOL, GMA Integrated News For more Eleksyon 2025 related content and updates, visit GMA News Online's Eleksyon 2025 microsite.
