Peter was born in 1938 and grew up in
Gladesville. When he turned 18 he changed his surname to include both his parents, Winifred Bonsall and Michael Boone. At the age of 19, in 1957, Bonsall-Boone was convicted twice of homosexual activity after being arrested on separate occasions at a public toilet and at a Sydney train station where he went to meet other gay men. He later said that these convictions prevented him from his goal of becoming an
Anglican priest; he was expelled from his theological college in 1962 when his criminal record was discovered. Bonsall-Boon established the religious sub-committee of CAMP known as Cross+Section Their kiss has been reported as the first kiss between a same-sex couple on Australian television. In 1973, Bonsall-Boone and De Waal set up an LGBT help line called Phone-A-Friend from their home. In 1978, Bonsall-Boone participated in a protest that would later be recognised as the inaugural
Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. When Bonsall-Boone was diagnosed with cancer in 2015, he said that his dying wish was to be able to marry De Waal. They campaigned parliament and wrote to the Prime Minister
Malcolm Turnbull in 2017 in an attempt to have same-sex marriage legalised, noting: "please do it quickly as Bon's time is fast running out!" Bonsall-Boone died on 19 May 2017, several months after celebrating his 50th anniversary with de Waal. ==Legacy==