Behind the scenes of Brisbane's 2032 Olympics, a 19th-century story of politics and gay love

"Today the story would be unremarkable: two gay men, migrants from England, give their Queensland home a portmanteau of their last names. But in 1859, these two men, Robert Herbert and John Bramston, were the new state's first premier (then called colonial secretary) and one of his attorneys general. The name, Herston, was later used to name the modern suburb that covers the area, and in less than seven years, the suburb in Brisbane's north will host the main stadium for the 2032 Olympic Games."

"Herbert and Bramston met at Balliol College, Oxford, in the 1850s, and shared rooms there and in London. Moore describes their lives as a gay love story, though it would have been impossible to admit such a thing publicly. Herbert never married and had no children. In an 1864 letter to his sister, Herbert explained that marriage would risk being wretched, for a chance of a little possible additional happiness."

Herston takes its name from a portmanteau of Robert Herbert and John Bramston. Both men were English migrants who became Queensland's first premier (colonial secretary) and an attorney-general in 1859. Herbert and Bramston met at Balliol College, Oxford, shared rooms in Oxford and London, and lived in a relationship that contemporaries could not acknowledge publicly. Herbert never married and explained in an 1864 letter that marriage risked wretchedness for tenuous additional happiness. The original Herston house has been demolished and the site is now part of the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital. The Herston suburb will host the main 2032 Olympic stadium, prompting calls for recognition of its LGBT history.

Read at www.theguardian.com