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Members of a Victorian gay and lesbian youth group are taking a church-owned resort on Phillip Island to the anti-discrimination tribunal after the resort refused to rent them camping space.
WayOut, a regional gay and lesbian youth suicide prevention group, claim they contacted Phillip Island Adventure Resort, owned by the Christian Brethren, to enquire about renting its campgrounds in June 2007.
Upon learning that WayOut represented members of the gay and lesbian community, resort management indicated the board would be unwilling to allow a gay and lesbian group to use the grounds.
In March this year, a discrimination complaint was lodged with the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), formerly known as the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC). Conciliation attempts failed in August.
WayOut has now requested that the AHRC refer the case to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal on the grounds of discrimination.
“One of the aims of the camp was to take some of the kids most affected by homophobia and give them a bit of a break from the abuse,” WayOut coordinator Sue Hackney said in a media statement.
“It’s a bitter irony that the very first thing we experienced when we set out was a case of blatant discrimination.”
Although exemptions exist that allow religious organisations to discriminate on the basis of sexuality, WayOut maintains that the Christian Brethren operate the resort as a commercial concern and so the exemption does not apply.
“If McDonald’s put up a sign on their door that said ‘No divorced people’ we’d be shocked and appalled,” Hackney said.
WayOut represents approximately 16,500 young same-sex attracted people from regional Victoria, most of whom will experience homophobia at some point through their lives, including physical assault.
Lynne Hiller from the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society (ARCSHS), said studies have shown that same-sex attracted youth in rural areas can suffer from “horrific abuse”.
“Our national surveys have shown that over half of these young people have suffered verbal abuse, and smaller numbers with physical abuse; and then there is the unspoken things like a young gay man who may not feel safe going to the toilet, so he will hang on all day rather than face that situation.”
Phillip Island Adventure Resort Manager, Mark Rowe, issued a statement to MCV in which he claimed the campsite did not accept the WayOut group’s booking because the group itself is about the promotion of homosexuality.
Mr Rowe said the decision was not based on the individual choices of members of the group, but the overall purpose of the group.
“The practice and promotion of homosexuality is in conflict with our understanding of the Bible,” Mr Rowe explained.
“We certainly do not want to offend the young people who are members of the WayOut youth group. We recommended other camp sites which we thought would also suit their particular requirements.”
The Phillip Island Adventure Resort adheres to the mission statement of the umbrella group, Christian Youth Camps (CYC), Mr Rowe said.
“CYC desires all guests to ‘experience Christian life and values’, and it was the aims of the WayOut group in promoting a lifestyle to youth as young as 12 contrary to those values that was in question.”
A date is yet to be set for the VCAT hearing.
- Rachel Cook and Andrew Shaw
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