Australia: Gay rights activists to ‘GayCrash’ anti-equal marriage event at hotel
Gay rights activists are set to “gaycrash” a Christian conference against equal marriage, due to be hosted at Hotel Hyatt Canberra on Friday night.
The hotel, which has come under fire for inviting The Australia Christian Lobby (ACL), will host the event over a two-day period.
The ACL has previously likened equal marriage campaigns to Nazi propaganda as well as insisting that gays shouldn’t be allowed to marry because they are more likely to smoke.
Gay rights groups the Australia People’s Party and Canberra GayCrash are set to their counter-event by holding a rival party.
GayCrash hosts regular similar parties, where drinks are held at traditionally straight venues and promoted on social media.
In a statement, organisers said it will publicly show “the faces of people whose rights and dignity the Christian Lobby wish to deny”.
“The party will be an opportunity for the LGBT community to support and affirm one another, [and] provide an opportunity for the Hyatt to reaffirm its commitment to the LGBTI community.”
Australian Christian Lobby managing director Lyle Shelton he was disappointed by plans from the rival event.
“The outpouring of hate against us in the last couple of days has just been quite distressing and we just want to see a civil debate,” he said.
“If people are so convinced of the rightness of their cause they shouldn’t have to resort to hate and vitriol when they conduct their public debate.”
