"So much was written about our time in the Big Brother House, we couldn't add everything but here is a sample to give you an Idea of what went on or to reminisce if you were one of the millions that tuned in back in 2006" Dave

David - From Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Brother_(Australia_series_6)

David entered the house on Day 0 with the rest of the original housemates of the series. David came out to the housemates and on Day 4 revealed he was gay. David bonded immediately with Camilla (although she was upset when he and Tilli kissed as a joke soon after he revealed he was gay), and later Intruder Rob joined their group. David was happy to have another gay man in the house, and they remained close until Rob's eviction.

He bonded with Michael, and was visibly upset after learning Michael had lied to the housemates repeatedly as the Insider. Michael and David were still close enough that the blurred lines of their friendship led David to ask Michael if he was gay. Soon after, Michael led other housemates to believe David had stolen their toothbrushes. This led to some heated arguments until after Michael's eviction, when Big Brother told them Michael was the culprit. David and Camilla also grew somewhat apart as time went on. Due to his feeling that Camilla was playing nice with other housemates to avoid being nominated by them, David nominated her in Week 10, a decision that caused him some anguish.

David eventually became very good friends with Claire, in spite of some ideological differences (she was a vegetarian, he was a sheep farmer). David also had a strong attraction for Intruder Darren, but as Darren said he was heterosexual, they remained close friends only. David won Friday Night Live in Week 7, won a trip to Vietnam and took Camilla to the rewards room; he took the 3 points off Ashley, even though he himself was up for nomination. He said only a "jerk" would take points off himself.

David won again in Week 10, took Perry to the rewards room (she was runner-up in the game), and won a trip to Thailand. David was up for eviction in Weeks 4, 8, 10, 11, 12, and 13. He was originally nominated in Week 5, but Gaelan removed three points from him, clearing him from the eviction line-up.

In Week 11 David again used his Three Point Twist on someone else (Darren) in spite of being up for nomination himself. This act successfully removed Darren from the eviction line-up. David was evicted on Day 99 along with Max as part of a Double Eviction the day before the Finale.

David had more 'save' votes than eventual series winner Jamie, but was still evicted, as Jamie had less 'evict' votes than David, with the final tally coming out in Jamie's favour. As David was entering the auditorium, a male audience member ran towards David, but was tackled to the ground by Dreamworld security officers. It was later revealed that the man was a friend of David's, and he was wanting to inform him that the Melbourne Demons had clinched an AFL Finals spot.

During the eviction David was reunited with his boyfriend Sherif, whom he met four weeks before entering the house. The reunion was an emotional one, with David clearly overwhelmed by the audience's positive response and the fact that his boyfriend of only four weeks had waited for him after three months of separation.

Some of David's photos had been stolen from his home, and somebody tried to sell one on eBay. The auction was closed early by eBay, and police looked into the matter. David was the winner of Australia's Brainiest Housemate.

Big Brother`s David Graham

by Reginald Domingo in mogenic.com article

Boys are tough. Isn't that the stereotype? Or more to the point, country boys don't shed tears. Yet, with this year's Big Brother Australia's token bloke from the farm, David Graham, who was also, incidentally, the show's token gay boy, it seemed as if he cried enough tears to fill a river. He cried when he came out, he cried when he got a farewell message, he cried whenever he survived an eviction. The tears flowed as freely and as quickly as it dried, starting from day one.

'On the first day, I realised, 'I have nothing in common with these people,'' David tells Mogenic, in that familiar, ocker tone. 'And I thought, 'What the hell have I done with Sherif (his boyfriend)' I've walked away from the best thing that's ever happened to me.' So it just all hit me. I went back to my bed and got my carefully hidden photograph of Sherif out, and just wept straight away. It wasn't like on the third day and I thought, 'Oh, goodness,' it was the first day when it all hit me, 'What the f**k have I done'!??

And it's a just question, especially when you consider that David is a sheep farmer from Goondiwindi, a small rural town with a population of 5,000, in Queensland's south-east. It's no surprise that he would feel a stroke of apprehension upon entering the house. Having lived on his own, in an isolated property, then suddenly finding himself trapped with 16 young housemates, in a compound equipped with 37 cameras and 66 microphones, in a television show that was averaging 1.1 million viewers a night - who wouldn't find that daunting? I'd sure as hell be asking myself the same thing: What the f**k have I done?

But it's a question perhaps best answered retrospectively, because David's antics has certainly made an impact.

People called him deceitful when he was less than forthcoming about his sexuality, while others branded him a hypocrite for his support of the National Party (a conservative political group). But there were disagreements as well. On the one hand people said he was breaking stereotypes, but on the other, he was viewed as reinforcing them. For many, it was all just part of his strategy.

Of course, most of these claims were just media hype going into overdrive. David says he didn't divulge his sexuality straight away because he wanted to allow the housemates to get to know him as David, not as David, the gay guy. It's not an uncommon tactic, many of us do this at some point, to gauge the attitudes of others towards gays. 'Some people could say that I deceived my housemates but I don't think that I did,' he says. In regards to his support for the National Party, which normally holds an anti-gay stance, David says that it has helped paved the way for dialogue. 'I've just read that the National Party in Western Australia have voted to pass a motion supporting civil unions for same-sex couples'I think that's very much a response to my time in the house'. As for breaking or reinforcing stereotypes, well, this only holds true for people who cling onto to the outdated notions that all gay men talk with a lisp, in which case David was breaking them, and that all gay men are softies who cry, in which case David was reinforcing them.

So, it all begs the question: Was it part of a strategy? And the answer is yes. But not the kind that was designed to win cars, cash and SMS votes. According to David, it was much more important than that.

'My mind was about, 'I need to help young people,'' he says, 'because no one ever really got out there and did what I wanted to do. So I said, 'Well, someone's got to do it - I may as well do it.' It was more about me going in there to show Australia that anyone can be gay and any gay man can do whatever he wants in life, without worrying about prejudice.'

And it worked. Since his appearance on Big Brother, David has raised the profile of gays and lesbian living in rural communities. He has brought the issue of gay marriage to more Australian TV sets and water cooler conversations than any other personality, and he's increased public awareness regarding gay rights, anti-gay violence, and interracial gay relationships. And instead of being shunned, the public opened their arms, and their hearts.

'And that's the extraordinary thing, that the people who I wanted to hear my message have heard it and they've come 360, to the point that they look so far beyond my homosexuality that they actually appreciate that part of myself,' he says.

'I never thought that that would be the case. I thought I'd go on there, I'd come out, I'd do my thing, I'd hope that I could stay for at least two weeks to have enough of an impact. I would never have thought that I would stay there that long. I mean, I was up for eviction nine or ten times, which is second only to Camilla, and each time I wasn't evicted, it had blown me away. I'd go into the Diary Room and do what I obviously learned to best in the house and that was sob to Big Brother, at just how amazing it was for Australia to know who I am, to not want me out, to want to know more. And that's where it definitely hit me most was each time I'd survived eviction, it was, 'Holy shit, Australia doesn't hate me because I'm gay.' It blew me away.'

It's important to note, however, that before a spotlight is turned on, there is only darkness. And for David, this was certainly the case. Beneath the knock-out smile and thick, blonde locks, lies an adolescence mired by loneliness and confusion. Despite his overwhelming sense of self, for David it wasn't always smooth sailing. His journey was as rough as rough could be.

When David first became aware of his attraction to other guys, he didn't think too much of it. 'We had nuns who came to my bush school when I was a little kid and they told us, amongst many things, that when we grow up and our bodies start to change, that we will start to think about strange things about our friends. And they said that we'll be thinking things about boys and we will be thinking things about girls. So I thought it was absolutely normal that I had sexual thoughts about both sexes. I always kept that with me.'

During his sixteenth year, David became involved with a girl, in a relationship that would last three years. 'I was pretty open with my girlfriend about my same-sex attractions. She had the same same-sex attractions, so we thought we were fine. But mine didn't go away. If anything, my attraction to females started to go away. So when that started happening, that's when things started to get really, really, really confused.

'I did what every country guy does, and get the gun out and hold it to my head. That was right through my late teens. Because I was at boarding school, and I got a hell of a lot of rot.' A couple of years later, things turned even worse. 'That's when I started going through the real hell of my early twenties.'

The situation for David began to plummet during his time in college in Geelong, in Victoria's south-coast. Confused, alone, and with no one to talk to, he found himself in a place with no way out. 'So I organised my suicide,' he says. 'But then someone at my college committed suicide the night before I planned mine, so that kind of gave me a wake up call.'

But despite the initial shock of the death, it wasn't enough to shake him out of his own resolve, and David soon set about on devising a new plan.

'When I planned my next suicide, my sister called me. I was in my ute ready to do it, and she just said she had a feeling that something was wrong and please call someone. So I called the Gay and Lesbian Helpline. And I said, 'All I need to do is speak to someone from a farm, just someone from the country,' because my concept was that no one else understood where I was coming from, no one else knows what's it's like to be in the country.'

Fortunately, David was dispatched to the Gay and Lesbian Counselling Service (GLCS) in New South Wales, where he would speak to someone who understood exactly how he felt. 'I spoke to a guy there who had spent a long time as a teacher in rural New South Wales and we spoke for several hours and my life changed from then. Then I did a workshop at the Victorian Aids Council called 'Young and Gay', a six-week coming out course, and that completely changed my life. Two weeks after that, I came out to my Mum and everything's been fine ever since.'

For David, it must seem like coming full circle. To come from living a period of his life with the belief that he was the only one, and that there was no other solution, to being accepted for who he is and for what he believes, and not just by his family or close friends, but also by the entire nation. And he hopes that many others will learn from his experience.

'Feel the fear of being yourself but be yourself. No one is going to hate you for who you are. And if they do, they'd hate you anyway. The fact that you're gay is no longer a reason. If I can walk down Redfern station (an inner-Sydney suburb), and have every person on there just start screaming that they love what I did on the show, well then, anyone in any suburb can feel as though they can walk down the street and hold their head high and be who they are. Because it's just a little hurdle. And we've got hundreds and hundreds of hurdles in front of us. And coming out to your family and to those people around you is just one of those many hurdles that we have to cross. And the relief that you get afterwards is worth it. And the fact that you can be honest to the people you love most is the most rewarding thing that you'll ever do in your life.

As for his life, David's happy. He has the farm, a gorgeous boyfriend, and all of Australia behind him. And like many, he hopes to one day 'live the rest of my life with a husband'. Truly, he couldn't ask for anything more. Well, maybe, just one more thing.

'Hopefully, Australia eats a lot more lamb,' he says, 'and I become a very successful farmer'

Mother and Son

On Wednesday night David revealed to his housemates, and to the nation, that he is gay. His revelation has been welcomed and accepted by the other HMs, but how has his family taken the news'
David's family have known about his sexuality for several years, so his recent 'coming out' was no surprise to them. Nevertheless, David was worried about how his loved ones would react to him baring his soul on national TV, and feared there could be negative repercussions for his family.

We caught up with David's Mum, Lucille, to find out how she feels about David's tearful discussion with BB in the diary room last night. Lucille hasn't actually seen the footage yet - the TV reception is a bit unreliable on her property, so she'll have to wait until the weekend to watch the episode on tape with her daughter - but she was happy to fill us in on how she thinks David is going in the house.

How do you feel about David being in the BB house?
I'm very proud. I'm very proud of what he's doing. He has surprised me that he's doing so well.

Did you support David's decision not to tell his HMs he was gay?
I think he did the right thing. Simply because it is better that people get to know a person for who they are and not their sexual preferences.

Do you think he chose the right time to 'come out'?
Yes. It could have been longer but no, I think he did it at the right time.

David was upset about how this could impact on you, and on his community...
I think I was concerned that the community would not react very well but going by the phone calls I have had there's been a very positive reaction. Friends and family have been calling and saying that they're 100% supporting him.

Would some people have been surprised to hear that David is gay?
Yes. A lot of them wouldn't have known, but they're all saying it doesn't make any difference. They say that David is still David in their eyes. I believe that they will be behind him all of the way.

Do you think it was unfair on Camilla that David didn't tell her about his sexuality?
I really feel for Camilla because she was very attracted to him from day one, but I hope they become very good friends.

Does David get a lot of attention from girls?
He does, a lot of people don't realise he's gay until he actually tells them.

Despite keeping some things to himself, do you think David is being genuine in the house?
He is definitely being himself. He is not having any pretence whatsoever. I'm very proud of him.

David has said that his sexuality is only a very small part of the 'real him'. How would you describe the David you know?
The real David - he enjoys life. He's always dedicated to what he wants to do. For whatever his chosen thoughts or activities are, he always gives 100%. He's upfront and honest with everything he does.

Have you seen David display those traits in the house?
Yes. I have seen that in the house.

How do you think he'll go in the coming weeks?
I think he's really going to do well. When I first knew he was going into the house I said: "You will do well". Now that I have seen him I am positive he will do well.

Do you think David has a chance of winning?
I think he has a good chance of winning. Very much so