Uniting NSW.ACT will name its new retirement village in Leichhardt, Sydney, after pioneering LGBTQI+ activist Reverend Dorothy McRae-McMahon.
The six-storey complex on Marion Street in Sydney’s inner west, which will comprise 65 units across two buildings, will be dubbed McRae-McMahon Place after Dorothy (above), who publicly came out as a lesbian at the age of 50 at the 1997 Uniting National Church National Assembly.
Dorothy, now 88, says she is “proud and grateful” for the honour.
“Gay and lesbian people were a tiny minority in the Uniting Church and these people started joining in a way where they could tell people who they were, and were taken in and given responsibilities to prove they were truly received and loved and respected.
“The lasting legacy that I would like to have left is hope for change. When I was at Pitt St we stood for all sorts of change in society in terms of racism and anti-gay and lesbian sentiment. I encouraged people to take a stand for change even if other people punished us. But it was well worth it,” she said.
Uniting Director of Property and Housing Simon Furness (pictured) said Dorothy had given distinguished service to the church, and it was “fantastic” to honour her achievements in this way.
“Rev. McRae-McMahon was a courageous minister for the Uniting Church and congregation and the naming of McRae-McMahon Place will cement her inspiring and courageous legacy.
“High-quality independent living apartments in Sydney’s inner west are in high demand and Uniting has created a village community to cater to the needs of Sydney’s ageing population,” he said.
McRae-McMahon Place is scheduled to open next year.
