About The Same Same 25 The Same Same 25 is an annual celebration of the 25 Most Influential Gay and Lesbian Australians. They are publicly nominated, and chosen by a panel of community leaders. For the past two years, the announcement of the 25 Most Influential Gay and Lesbian Australians has attracted widespread national media attention and focused on the achievements and influence of a varied and inspirational group of people. View the Same Same 25 for 2008 here. View the Same Same 25 for 2007 here. About Same Same
The Judges - The Same Same 25 judges are drawn from a wide cross-section of the community, representing a broad field of influence and experience in their chosen professions. Andrew Creagh (Editor, DNA Magazine), Cec Busby (Editor, LOTL Magazine), Rachel Cook (Editor, Cherrie Magazine), Christian Taylor (Editor, SameSame.com.au), David Wilkins (ACON), Kevin Golding (Business Analyst), Peter Walton (Publisher, Evolution), Libby Clark (Co-founder, Sound Alliance), Tim Duggan (Co-founder, SameSame.com.au)
The Process - The Same Same 25 is publicly nominated, and chosen by a panel of community leaders. Anyone in Australia can nominate someone for the Same Same 25.

Dorothy Porter

Poet

This year, the Same Same 25 posthumously celebrates and remembers talented poet, writer and openly gay woman Dorothy Porter.

Raised in Sydney, where she studied at the University of Sydney, Porter was mourned by the literary community when she lost a four year battle with breast cancer in 2008.

"She had enormous energy and she was a really feisty person," fellow writer and 25 member David Malouf told the Sydney Morning Herald at Dorothy's passing. Teaching Porter during her days at university, Malouf said there "will be a lot of people out there who admire her, and are fond of her and will miss her very much."

Since her death, Porter has also been honoured with the Dorothy Porter Prize for Poetry, with one of the judges being Porter's partner of 14 years and fellow writer, Andrea Goldsmith. The two women were shortlisted for the Miles Franklin Award in the same year and lived in Melbourne together from the early 90s.

Porter’s work included acclaimed poetry and verse novels such as her 1994 work, The Monkey’s Mask, which followed a lesbian detective. The story won the National Book Council's Poetry Prize and was made into a film in 2001. Porter also collaborated with song writers and wrote for opera, including the 2005 record Before Time Could Change, performed by Katie Noonan.

“She was a very real person, with no bullshit, and this raw honesty,” performer Tim Finn told the Sydney Morning Herald of Porter’s writing.