Like your typical young gay inner-city Melbourne hipster I am underpaid, live with too many housemates, spend too much money on brunch and use eco-friendly shopping bags at the farmers market. I do everything the stereotype says I should do – I even wear plaid. Except I vote Liberal, which in Australia is the conservative party *. It’s been a long, strange journey to get to where my political views are today, and the reaction from the gay community has been initial confusion and increasing rage as the gay marriage debate gets ugly in Australia. Many people think I must hate myself for being a gay who votes conservative. I don’t. I’m awesome!
I don’t understand why being gay should be incompatible with believing in:
- A free, robust capitalist economy
- Secure borders
- Limited unionisation
- Personal responsibility
- Family values
- Free Speech
- Reintroduction of the death penalty
- An end to identity politics
- Complete shutdown of the hate-driven, terrorist-supporting United Nations so that the West can reclaim its rightful place as the world’s moral leader without being held hostage by the demands of those who seek to destroy us.
Just the basics of a free society – where you are free to be whatever you want to be, no matter what people say you should be or think based on your gender or sexuality.
I am always up for a friendly chat that veers dangerously close to alt-right sympathy and conspiracy theories about Harold Holt secretly running the country from a base inside Uluru.
*NB: In my writing I will mostly use the term conservative instead of using the party name Liberal to avoid confusion for international readers and because my support for the Liberal party is not unconditional.
auscongay@gmail.com