"After his sexuality was discovered, the show's anchor Peter Cundall intervened to secure his role."
Jerry Coleby-Williams, the longest-serving presenter on ABC's Gardening Australia, has shared his experience of concealing his homosexuality on screen for 26 years. He came out in 1978, and in 2024 he marched with the ABC float at the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.
Early Life and Coming Out
Growing up in England in the late 1960s and 1970s, Coleby-Williams knew same-sex attraction was taboo. He came out to family members in 1978, and later that year he publicly came out during a speaking competition at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, advocating for an equal age of consent.
Career at Gardening Australia
Coleby-Williams joined Gardening Australia in 2000. He stated that after his sexuality was discovered, the show's anchor Peter Cundall intervened to secure his role. He also said he was asked to remove a pink triangle pin, necklace, and earring, and to dye his bleached hair back to its natural color. The ABC stated that the program encourages presenters to bring their authentic selves to work and is committed to inclusivity.
Personal Life
"I lost friends to the HIV/AIDS epidemic."
Coleby-Williams met his husband Thuan, a Vietnamese market gardener, through Facebook in 2015. They married after same-sex marriage was legalized in Australia in 2017. Coleby-Williams also stated that he was raped at some point in the past and lost friends to the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
Mardi Gras Participation
Coleby-Williams described marching with his husband at the 2024 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras as exciting and uplifting.