Life Savers Club Cancels Pride Event After Threats From Australian Conspiracy Theorist
Image: Image: Life Savers With Pride.
Threats from a well-known Australian conspiracy theorist to Pride Week events have resulted in a local life-saving club in NSW cancelling its upcoming nippers program scheduled for Sunday, March 12, 2023.
Thirroul Surf Life Saving Club (TSLSC) said that it was cancelling this Sunday’s event following threats from Wollongong-based conspiracy theorist and NSW political candidate David Graham, who calls himself ‘Guru’.
“Surf Life Saving Illawarra have received threats which may affect clubs across the Illawarra related to this weekend’s support of Pride Week and inclusivity and diversity,” TSLSC said in a statement posted on Facebook.
“Whilst we in no way condone this type of behaviour, the safety of our volunteers and members is paramount. Therefore we have made the unfortunate decision to cancel nippers this Sunday,” the Club said.
Conspiracy Theorist Rails Against Rainbow Flags
In further comments, the club added that the NSW police had been made aware of the threats. “From what we understand, the threat has been made against/towards all clubs in the Illawarra. NSWSLS has informed NSW police as well as local area police. It’s a very unfortunate turn of events sadly.”
In a TikTok video posted on Monday, Graham had called on fellow “freedom fighters” to “hit our surf clubs this weekend”, reported Illawarra Mercury.
He asked people to approach the volunteers, and “we see these people in the surf life-saving facilities and ask them why they’re pushing this woke sh-t … why they’ve got their rainbow flags everywhere.”
In another video, he called the rainbow flags “evil” and claimed that “these flogs are just trying to f***ing turn them into gay little kids”.
Rainbow Beaches
The Rainbow Beaches Initiative started with one club in 2020 celebrating Pride and inclusion and according to Life Savers With Pride has now grown to 100 clubs taking part in the Pride events.
In 2023, events were organised by the local lifesavers club in February and March to coincide with Pride events in Victoria, Tasmania, NSW, South Australia and Western Australia.
“The first weekend of February, our friends in Victoria aligned their Pride Patrols with the Melbourne Midsumma festival, in the second week, our Tasmanian friends aligned with the TasPride festival, the third week, clubs in NSW, SA and WA joined in for the opening of World Pride, the following week more clubs celebrated to align with the Mardi Gras parade, and the first weekend of March, clubs in Queensland joined in after their State Titles concluded, to acknowledge the final weekend of World Pride,” Life Savers With Pride said on its website.
