Gay youth refuse rainbow sticker to Liberal MP

Young gay activists in Warrnambool have started a local campaign around the use of rainbow flag stickers to promote LGBTI-friendly businesses after they refused to give a sticker to Federal Liberal MP Dan Tehan because of the Coalition’s stance on marriage equality.

Representatives from the group Youth United Making Change against Homophobic Attitudes (YUMCHA) met with Tehan last year to discuss a range of topics, and when the meeting ended the MP asked the activists for a rainbow sticker.

Their refusal prompted the group to develop guidelines around who should be able to display a rainbow sticker.

“There were no set guidelines on how you obtain [a rainbow sticker] or what it actually means,” OUTthere Rural Victorian Youth Council and YUMCHA representative Shane Hernan told local newspaper The Standard.

“So that’s being redeveloped. It’s about creating a commitment between the organisation and the community, to show they are safe and welcoming to all people, and to promote that.”

Hernan also expressed disapproval at a sticker displayed in the Warrnambool office of Liberal Victorian Premier Denis Napthine, an opponent of marriage equality.

Rainbow flag stickers are often displayed by businesses to indicate an LGBTI-friendly service.