A new series of flyers attacking the LGBTIQ community have appeared in Melbourne. The flyers include a doctored image that juxtaposes a rainbow crosswalk and flags with images of the Nazi swastika flag.

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The rambling text of the flyers rallies against consumerism, the media, and society’s growing “heterophobia”. The flyers make comparisons between the propaganda techniques of Adolf Hitler’s Nazi party and the current push for marriage equality.

The flyers accuse the LGBTIQ community of creating a ‘cult like’ coming out culture where young people are encouraged to stop valuing their own privacy, and instead make declarations of “unnatural and abnormal behaviour”.

The pamphlets also makes the false claim that 45% of gay men will contract and die from HIV/AIDS.

The flyers have been found in letterboxes through out the Melbourne suburb of Victoria, which will be home to Australia’s first LGBTI Centre.

Dr Dvir Abramovich, Chairman of the Anti Defamation Commission, said it was shocking that such anti-gay rhetoric was being used to demonise the LGBTQI community.

“It shocks the conscience that such virulently anti-gay rhetoric has invaded the homes of residents in Melbourne and regional Victoria, promoting its message of hate and exploiting the Holocaust to demonise the LGBTQI community and those supporting marriage equality.

“Imagine the fear and intimidation a young person will feel after being confronted with such repulsive slurs. It is also deplorable that this extremist group is twisting the teaching of Christianity in service of their warped agenda and reprehensible incitement.

“This incident  once again demonstrates that the virus of bigotry remains a powerful force in Australia, and that we must all band together to defeat this growing threat and promote tolerance and inclusivity over the ideology of prejudice that these materials contain.” Dr Abramovich said.

The flyers contain a link to a website which contains a series of anti-gay posts including a downloadable series of posters. The posters list the steps, in what the group describe as, “the rainbow walk towards depravity”.

The steps in society’s apparent downfall include the growth of 1950’s mass consumerism advertising, the 1960’s sexual revolution, the legalisation of abortion, the opening of Australia’s first sex shop, the introduction of no-fault divorce, sex education in schools, advertising campaigns that highlighted HIV, the creation of the internet, smart phones and allowing same-sex couples the right to adopt.

Preacher behind flyers revealed

Buzzfeed News has uncovered that the person behind the flyers is Adelaide based preacher Kevin Bickle. Bickle told Buzzfeed News that he had personally commissioned the flyers and they were not the work of any organisation.

Bickle told Lane Sainty at Buzzfeed that he knew the pamphlets would be unpopular but he was not trying to be controversial.

We weren’t trying to be controversial, but we knew it wouldn’t be popular,”Bickle said.

It’s also been revealed that the flyers were delivered to households in the Melbourne suburbs of St Kilda and Shepparton by Australia Post. The flyers were delivered in plain envelopes and Australia Post stopped their distribution as soon as they became aware of their contents.

OIP Staff