Pioneering TV drag queen Lucy Lockjaw, aka Michael Gill, has wed his partner, Mark Grant, in a ceremony in Brisbane on Saturday.

Thaiing the knot: Michael Gill (left) and Mark Grant at their wedding ceremony in Brisbane on Saturday, August 16. Photos: Iain Clacher

Over 120 friends, family members and colleagues witnessed Michael, 57, and Mark, 47, exchange vows and wedding bands during the dusk ceremony at Norman Park Sport and Community Club.

The couple arrived at the ceremony adorned in traditional Thai silk kimonos and perched on the back of a black Saab convertible.

Michael pioneered drag TV on public access station Briz 31 with The Lucy Lockjaw Show, which aired in the mid 1990s.  

Michael’s co-presenter on the show was Tamara Tonite, who would later run her own successful show on the channel.     

The couple told Queensland Pride they had met in December 2005, shortly after Mark’s partner of two and a half years, Adrian, died on Boxing Day.

Having nursed Adrian through a seven month battle with cancer, Mark admits he was at a “low ebb” when Michael came into his life via an internet dating site.

A year after they met, Mark moved in with Michael after he was forced to sell the home he shared with Adrian after Adrian’s sons challenged their father’s will.

Another year later, Mark popped the question.

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“I frightened hell out of him by saying ‘I do, and I want a wham bam wedding’,” Michael jokingly said.

Both say they would marry legally if the option was available to them because they believed in equality.

“However, what we’ve already done is all that we need personally. We have proved our relationship in front of friends and family, and it has already made a change in our relationship that is hard to define, but we both feel more secure,” says Michael.

“It’s like a spiritual bond that has settled,” Mark adds.

Both men say they were overwhelmed by the support of family, friends and strangers alike when they announced their wedding plans. 

“There were all ages there from 80 down to just a few months old, gay and straight alike, and everyone got along,” Michael said.

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