Merle Thornton and Rosemary Bognor protesting at the Regatta Hotel in 1965. Photo: The Courier-Mail
A young University of Queensland postgraduate student catapulted herself to fame half a century ago - by asking for a beer at the nearby Regatta Hotel. That woman, Merle Thornton, and her friend Rosalie Bognor made headlines because they chained themselves to the pub's bar rail after being refused service. The hotel bar was legally designated as "men only", so police were called, and The Courier-Mail' s famous photo of the two women in ankle chains (right) has become an archetype of the era. The protest is now regarded as pivotal in the Australian women's liberation movement and in prompting a change in Queensland hotel laws. Ms Thornton was teaching philosophy at UQ at the time, and a month after the Regatta protest she founded the organisation Equal Opportunities for Women. Now, 51 years later, Ms Thornton AO will be a special guest at World Philosophy Day at UQ on Thursday 17 November, an annual event hosted by the School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry. Events will run from noon to 8pm and feature Ms Thornton giving a public lecture on Sex, Feminism and Philosophy of Life.
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