Gay row erupts: activist accused of stereotyping Tasmania

This media release was issued by the TGLRG on 10.4.08.

Tasmanian gay community representatives have rejected claims that homophobia "reigns unopposed" in small-town Tasmania.

Coming Out Proud program co-ordinator, Julian Punch, has attracted national attention with claims that openly-gay developer Stephen Roche has quit the sea-side town of Penguin because of "an old, dominant homophobic culture" in rural and regional Tasmania, a claim denied by Mr Roche who said he found most Penguin residents "open and accepting".

Tasmanian Gay and Lesbian Rights Group spokesperson, Rodney Croome, and Peter Power, spokesperson for same-sex partner lobby group, InDeed, have also dismissed Mr Punch's claim, accusing him of unfairly stereotyping rural Tasmania.

"Like many other gay immigrants to Tasmania my partner and I moved to a small town and find it more accepting than the big city we left behind", Mr Power said.

"Of course there is still anti-gay discrimination and abuse in rural areas, but this is not unique to Tasmania, and many people here are working hard to reduce it."

"Every community has some prejudiced people, but at the same time things aren't nearly as bad as Julian Punch has made out, and credit should be given to small-town Tasmania for changing as much as it has."

Mr Croome dismissed Mr Punch's claims that homophobia goes "unopposed" in rural communities and that little has changed since homosexuality was decriminalised eleven years ago.

"In a way which was inconceivable in Tasmania up until a few years ago, prejudice against Stephen Roche has been publicly denounced by local mayors, ministers of religion, businesspeople, Liberal politicians, sporting icons and the press, showing how much rural Tasmania has changed, not how little."

"On top of this, there is now stronger official support in Tasmania for school anti-homophobia programs and gay counselling services, as well as better discrimination and relationship laws, than in any other Australian state."

"Most importantly of all, opinion polls which show a dramatic improvement in attitudes across Tasmania in recent years, including in rural and regional communities."

For more information contact Rodney Croome on 0409 010 668 or Peter Power on 0417 017 105.