Gay members of south-west communities should be more openly supported, a Corangamite Shire councillor says.
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Speaking at Corangamite Shire’s meeting on Tuesday, Cr Simon Illingworth said the region had to “take responsibility of our culture”.
“I think the Western District seriously needs to get in and get behind our gay community,” he said.
“It’s up to all of us to take hold and take responsibility of our culture here and I would really like to think that the vast majority of us will actually show everyone else, of all persuasions, the respect that they deserve.”
Cr Illingworth said he was urged to make the comments after a Portland resident feared he was the victim of a homophobic attack after a slur was burnt into the grass near his home.
Cr Illingworth said he was “disturbed” at the incident, but said it did not reflect the wider community.
“I would like to say to this fellow, who I don’t know, that the absolute bulk of the people in the Western District actually have his back and please don’t think that there is this homophobic thing running around in our region because there simply isn’t,” he said.
“I really do think that there isn’t a division, but I feel really sorry... it’s obviously very distressing for him.”
It comes after gay Simpson dairy farmer Jason Smith was inundated with supportive messages after sharing his story with The Standard.
Mr Smith spoke out after Warrnambool City Council passed a motion of support for marriage equality.
“The whole idea of doing the story was to say I was a dairy farmer who paid his taxes and did everything else but because I happen to be gay I am not allowed to marry the person I want to marry,” Mr Smith said.