Newcastle city Councillor called on to resign after calling gay deputy mayor a “poof”

The openly gay Deputy Lord Mayor of the city of Newcastle, on the NSW coast, has called for his colleague, Councillor Allan Robinson, to resign after he repeatedly called him a “poof.”

Deputy Lord Mayor Declan Clausen said that if Councillor Robinson was not prepared to change his behaviour then he should quit public office.

“I’m proud to be the openly gay Deputy Lord Mayor of a community that had the highest ‘yes’ vote of any non-capital city in Australia,” Clausen said in a statement provided to the Star Observer today.

“The Newcastle I know is a welcoming and increasingly diverse community.

“The fact Councillor Robinson’s fellow independent group councillors don’t call him out on his relentless sexism and homophobic bullying is appalling. Such behaviour would simply not be tolerated in any other workplace. If he cannot change his behaviour, Robinson should resign. “

“Robinson does not represent Newcastle. Novocastrians expect much better.”

Robinson has denied that his language is homophobic, telling the Newcastle Herald that it was ok for him to use the word because he has gay friends and a gay employee.

“I have no problems with poofs,” he wrote an email to a Newcastle Herald journalist.

“I have one work for me and I’m very good friends with three poofs who I’m proud to say they are my friends.”