Catharine Lumby on Frank Moorhouse and the Urge to Censor

In this talk, Catharine Lumby, the author of the first biography of Frank Moorhouse, will discuss Moorhouse’s life-long opposition to censorship both in his writing and his activism.

Moorhouse’s politics were forged in the cultural crucible of the Sydney Push and the left-wing liberation movements of the 1970s. A bisexual and self-described “cross-dresser”, Moorhouse was a sexual libertarian who, with Wendy Bacon, edited a range of underground magazines for which they received 40 prosecutions and earned Wendy Bacon a week in jail.

Moorhouse also wrote an unpublished erotic novella containing material which would now be unpublishable. In this talk, Catharine will explore Moorhouse’s views on censorship in relation to contemporary ‘cancel’ culture and the move to silence and deplatform speakers with whom they disagree on the activist left.

Catharine’s novel Frank Moorhouse: A Life was shortlisted for the 2024 National Biography Award.

Please join us after the event for light refreshments. Copies of the book will be available to purchase on the night, courtesy of Gleebooks.

About the speaker

Catharine Lumby is Professor of Media at the University of Sydney. A former print and tv journalist, she is the author, co-author and editor of eleven books. She is currently writing a book for Simon and Schuster on left-wing identity politics, the role of social media and the demise of civil discourse.