Peter Bonsall-Boone's dream of becoming an Anglican priest was crushed in 1962 when he was thrown out of theological college for having a criminal record for gay sex.
At the time, homosexuality was not only taboo in Australia, it was illegal.
"It was absolutely terrifying," Mr Bonsall-Boone, who is now 76, said in Sydney.
"I just didn't know what to do."
Mr Bonsall-Boone is one of about 100 older gay men in NSW who still have convictions recorded against them for consensual gay sex.
He was in state parliament on Thursday with partner Peter de Waal to watch legislation pass to let men with historical gay sex convictions have their records cleared.
Mr Bonsall-Boone's conviction, handed to him in 1957, has haunted him ever since and forced him out of Anglican theology school.
"It was my very earnest vocation to become an Anglican priest," he said.
"I was robbed of that because of that conviction.
"I don't know whether I would've made a good Anglican priest or not but still I was willing to try."
Mr Bonsall-Boone said he'll be the "first in the queue" to apply for the removal of his conviction.
The private member's bill, which now goes to the upper house for debate, comes from the Liberal MP for Coogee, Bruce Notley-Smith.
"It's been 30 years now since homosexuality was decriminalised in NSW," Mr Notley-Smith said.
"So in many ways it's been 30 years too late."
Premier Mike Baird said the government respects the homosexual community and was "proud" to support the bill.
"This measure is long overdue and it recognises the hurt and anguish experienced by those who were convicted of consensual homosexual acts that are now no longer criminal offences," he said in a statement.
The move comes after the Victorian parliament earlier this week passed a similar bill to erase historical gay sex convictions.
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