The Victorian Pride Lobby says West Wimmera Shire Mayor Bruce Meyer needs to apologise publicly for comments he made after his council voted against flying the rainbow flag for the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT).
Warning: This story contains content some people may find offensive.
The council voted down a proposal to fly the flag on May 17 for IDAHOBIT at its meeting on Wednesday, three to two.
Mr Meyer told the ABC on Thursday that the "particular issue is only one of a lot of moral judgements" that were not the role of local government to make.
"Council's role — we've got roads that need fixing, we've got other sorts of things that have to be done, which is the expectation of local government," he said.
"As far as making moral judgements, they are decided by law, by state and federal governments.
"And gay marriage has been legalised. There are lots of issues.
"You've got to equate this to — there are many people who want the Marriage Act changed so that 12-year-old girls can marry.
Mr Meyer said there were "all these issues and they are not the issues of local government".
"Local government has to keep its nose clean and not be asked to be the moral judge of all these sorts of things," he said.
'Shocking and deeply upsetting'
Victoria Pride Lobby policy advisor Sean Mulcahy said Mr Meyer needed to apologise.
"It's quite shocking, it's deeply upsetting and I think Mayor Meyer needs to come out and apologise publicly, and he needs to do that now," he told ABC Radio.
"LGBTIQA+ people, including those that live and work and recreate in West Wimmera, just want to go about and live our lives.
"We are not seeking to do the things that Mayor Meyer is suggesting there, and bringing a correlation between the two is just so shocking and deeply upsetting to all of us."
Wimmera Pride Project spokesperson Patrick Quaine said Mr Meyer's comments were deeply offensive and that flying the flag was the least councils could do to show they supported their LGBTQI+ constituents.
He told ABC Radio that West Wimmera Shire was the only council in the Wimmera that did not celebrate IDAHOBIT last year.
"It is just mind-boggling to hear, in this day and age, an elected leader like the Mayor conflate LGBTQI+ inclusion with paedophilia," Mr Quaine said.
"It is so deeply offensive.
"For a local mayor to say this, it just signals to young gay and trans kids that you're not welcome in this community — you need to go somewhere else to find somewhere that you are welcome.
Mr Quaine said his experience in the Wimmera was that "the vast majority of the community are welcoming and accepting".
"But I have still been verbally abused multiple times when walking past on the street holding my partner's hand," he said.
Son among councillors in favour
Mayor Meyer's son, councillor Tim Meyer, and councillor Trevor Domaschenz argued at Wednesday's meeting that flying the flag may prevent further death by suicide in the region.
"If I can prevent one or two suicides … in the West Wimmera Shire and on behalf of the ratepayers and community, I'm quite happy to support the motion," Mr Domaschenz said.
"It's just about everyone feeling welcome in the community.
"You'd be blind if you thought there was none in your community.
"You'd also be blind if you thought they felt welcome in this community.
Tim Meyer said there had been a suicide in the community last year and if flying the flag could help prevent a tragedy the council should do so at IDAHOBIT next month.
But Bruce Meyer argued flags and other symbols had inflamed violent conflict involving the Irish Republican Army and Palestinians and that the council should not get involved in "social issues that divide the community".
"The inner-city councils in Melbourne thrive on it," he said.
"It's not rural councils' domain to be proclaiming the morals of its people.
"I saw in Ireland, behind the IRA wall, people flying flags for Palestinians and IRA and everything else … and all it did was made the situation worse."
He said that once you put a flag on a council building, "you identify with that cause — that is, you are giving it an approval and we have tried not to be the moral judge of these issues".
"There is a pressure group – it is starting all of this – and that pressure group wants us to have a liaison officer and programs, and we're supposed to take the shire flag and march in the gay pride," Mr Meyer said.
The Mayor used his casting vote, along with councillors Tom Houlihan and Jodi Pretlove, to reject the motion to fly the flag.
The ABC contacted the office of Local Government Minister Shaun Leane and Equality Minister Martin Foley for comment.
