Editor's letter: Struggle for love and equality

SINCE Michael Kirby retired from the High Court he's revealing a life that, until recently, has remained private.

MICHAEL Kirby shows a surprisingly tender side in this week's cover story.

Tender is not a word one usually associates with High Court judges whose work requires a level of cold detachment.

But Kirby has retired from the bench and, more and more, he's revealing a life that, until recently, has remained private: his loneliness as a young gay man, his search for love, and his 42-year relationship with Johan van Vloten, "a truly remarkable companion".

His new book, A Private Life, covers aspects of his upbringing and career, but his relationship with Johan, and the issue of gay rights, are central themes.

"Fortunate is a human being, straight or gay, who has such lifelong love," he writes.

"Evil are those who would deny such love to a fellow human being."