Youth focus for Senate hopeful

It’s often said Generation Y is apathetic about politics, but when it comes to this federal election, it seems not all young people are burying their heads in their iPhone4’s apps.

Standing for the Senate in Tasmania, 21-year-old openly gay Democrats candidate Tim Neal is thought to be the youngest person to stand for an Upper House seat.

Neal is still one year older than 20-year-old Liberal Nationals candidate for the Queensland seat of Longman, Wyatt Roy.

Neal is not shying away from GLBTI issues, with a strong pro-gay marriage stance and a platform for more action on youth suicide.

“There’s not enough support for people who are dealing with their sexuality,” Neal told Southern Star Observer.

“It’s incredibly important to me because I don’t want to see people struggle with it when I had it relatively easy.”
Although Neal said he didn’t have huge problems coming out, growing up in the regional Victorian town of Camperdown until age 16, he experienced some homophobia and said he understands the need for more support for teenagers dealing with their sexuality.

“There are still times now when I go back and you get the odd looks or the points and whispers,” he said.

“But I can certainly deal with that, and I know people who’ve had it a hell of a lot worse than I. It’s one of my motivations — to [improve] mental health.”

Neal was involved with Warrnambool gay and lesbian support youth group YUMCHA in his teens and said he’d like to see more Government focus given to support groups in rural areas.

On gay marriage, Neal said his position is a question of human rights.

“If a government says it’s okay to discriminate in this area… how can we stand for that? It’s incredibly unconscionable to think that it’s okay to say some people are equal but others not.”

On the question of whether the Democrats would support a national civil union scheme, Neal said any legislation would be considered but marriage is the first choice.

“For us it’s not even a question of whether we’ll support anything less, because we won’t.”