Merle Thornton

Merle Estelle Thornton AM (1930 – 16 August 2024) was an Australian feminist activist, author and academic. She is best known for her 1965 action at the Regatta Hotel where she and Rosalie Bogner chained themselves to a bar rail to protest the ban on serving women drinks in public bars in Queensland, Australia.

Women's rights and social justice are threads linking Thornton's diverse range of pursuits and projects, including the 1965 founding of the Equal Opportunities Association for Women, helping establish the first Women's Studies course at the University of Queensland in 1973, and contributing to feminist and social theory literature.

In 2015, Thornton was awarded the Member of the Order of Australia for "her significant service to the community as an advocate for women, and Indigenous rights, and to the arts as a writer and director", as part of the 2015 Queen's Birthday Honours.