Outrage over proposed gay and lesbian guesthouse in 1993 in Albany a lesson for today’s politicians

In 1993, Albany City Council made national news when homophobia blew up in the town. A gay couple had lodged an application to turn their harbourside home into a B&B, and local conservative church groups lost their minds. The applicants had made it clear they wanted to advertise to LGBTI tourists, which was a niche emerging market. Religious conservatives launched a vicious campaign against the guesthouse, saying not only did it breach the anti-gay laws that existed at the time, it would also bring AIDS to Albany. Others said they didn’t want homosexuals in the town. Some said it was a threat to children. The Albany Advertiser erupted with letters for and against the proposal. I attended the council meeting to decide the issue. It was packed. People sat on the floor. TV cameras from every channel were there, including A Current Affair, which broadcast the story around the whole of Australia, much to locals’ embarrassment. The motion passed, and the B&B went ahead, but the damage was done. This event was deeply harmful to Albany’s LGBTI community and exposed the depth of fear, ignorance and downright hatred of gay people. Now, decades later, it seems we are going through all this again. As attitudes change and more people move to the regions, visible LGBTQIA+ communities are now part of everyday life in country communities. Not everyone seems comfortable with this. On February 27, City of Albany councillor and doctor Thomas Brough claimed LGBTQIA+ communities embraced support for “minor-attracted persons”. This is a euphemism for paedophiles. The implication that homosexuals are prone to be child sex offenders is as old as it is wrong. Gay people have been smeared with this abuse for decades. It’s propaganda. Doctors and local councillors should know better. There is no correlation between LGBTQIA+ people and child sexual abuse. There has been a mountain of research into this and all concludes with the finding that most child abuse occurs in the home, and that the father or a close male relative is the offender. Girls are overwhelmingly the victims. Cr Brough seems not to understand this. Underlying all this is the failure of the State Government to fulfil its commitment to pass a raft of LGBTQIA+ law reforms before the 2025 election. It has betrayed our community. In Western Australia, LGBTQIA+ teachers and students can be sacked and expelled from publicly funded faith schools. There are no anti-vilification laws to prevent or conciliate harmful speech. There are no proper processes for people who are transgender to access appropriate identity documents. Worst of all, LGBTQIA+ people are still being subjected to so-called “conversion therapy”, usually by religious groups. The Australian Medical Association has denounced these practices as harmful and dangerous. Western Australia has fallen far behind other States with its equality laws and legal protections for LGBTQIA+ people. Albany MP Rebecca Stephens must accept her responsibility here and step up. The McGowan/Cook Government has been promising law reform in this area for almost seven years. The Equal Opportunity Commission inquiry and report was released three years ago. Attorney-General John Quigley promised to act on the recommendations. Nothing has been done. By contrast, Tasmania passed LGBTQIA+ equality laws 26 years ago, including against harmful speech, and protecting LGBTQIA+ teachers and kids in schools. In WA, we are still waiting for Parliament to address these issues and ban conversion practices. Tasmania and Victoria also fund an LGBTQIA+ education and anti-bullying program. In WA, the Labor Government scrapped funding four years ago. It’s not enough for MPs to say nice things about Pride festivals and have their photos taken with a rainbow flag. Our community desperately needs law reform and mainstream education initiatives. That was as obvious 30 years ago as it is now. Brian Greig OAM is an LGBTQIA+ advocate and spokesperson for Just.Equal Australia.