“Black pudding.” Those two unfortunate words — used in reference to a popular Tongan and Samoan drag queen — sparked a years-long firestorm that saw prominent members of the Australian arts and LGBT community whipped up into a frenzy of condemnation.
Howard Duggan, who found himself at the centre of the controversy, apologised but insisted no offence was intended.
But for his overly “defensive” response, he was branded a “racist” who should pay “reparations to ensure the safety of our IBPOC communities” and heal the “trauma” he had caused, according to court documents in a defamation case brought by Mr Duggan in 2021.
“It is not the role of white people to determine what is, and what is not, racist,” read a fiery petition, cited the statement of claim, circulated by The People of Cabaret (POC) and signed by hundreds of members of the performing arts community.
Now, after a three-and-a-half-year legal battle, the 59-year-old has had a major win in the bid to clear his name.
Mr Duggan, the founder and publisher of Queensland-based street press magazine Scenestr, has settled the six-figure defamation lawsuit against Adelaide Fringe, well known cabaret performer Victoria Falconer-Pritchard and Sydney LGBT magazine Star Observer.
The long-running saga began in March 2021, when Scenestr published a glowing five-star review, written by contributor James Murphy, of Falconer-Pritchard’s cabaret drag brunch show Smashed at Adelaide Fringe.
