qnews.com.au

ROD GARDINER

Hateful flyers which compare homosexuality to the Nazis have been delivered to households in several Melbourne suburbs, including St Kilda.

The leaflets, titled “The Death of Reason … and the rainbow walk to insanity!” feature rainbow flags alongside the Nazis’ swastika flags.

The flyers also espouse extremely homophobic views, stating that homosexuality, same-sex marriage and same-sex parents are unnatural.

“God has by natural genetic affection made the only way for the care of children to be in the loving, protectionist privacy of a healthy heterosexual family,” the diatribe says.

It adds that “state propaganda has morphed from Nazi political perversion into perverted gay activism for abnormal ‘marriage’ equality.”

“The flags of the perverted rainbow are now emblazoned not just on city council offices, public walkways and in public parades but on churches as well; for the same reasons the perverted cross (the swastika) was paraded en-mass in pre-war Germany,” it says.

The flyers also make the false claim that 45% of gay men will contract and die from HIV/AIDS.

The man behind the flyers is Adelaide-based preacher Kevin Bickle, who told Buzzfeed he knew the pamphlets would be unpopular but he was not trying to be controversial.

Bickle commissioned the postal service to hand out 60,000 of the flyers, but was told by Australia Post that the delivery had been halted.

“We’re talking against homosexuality, but not against the homosexuals,” he claimed.

“The tract is not a simile between LGBT people and Naziism. I would never do that.”

The flyers contain a link to a website which contains a series of anti-gay posts including a downloadable series of posters which list the steps, in what the group describe as, “the rainbow walk towards depravity”.

Dr Dvir Abramovich, chairman of the Anti Defamation Commission, told Buzzfeed it was shocking that such anti-gay rhetoric was being used to demonise the LGBTQI community.

“It shocks the conscience that such virulently anti-gay rhetoric has invaded the homes of residents in Melbourne and regional Victoria, promoting its message of hate and exploiting the Holocaust to demonise the LGBTQI community and those supporting marriage equality.

“Imagine the fear and intimidation a young person will feel after being confronted with such repulsive slurs,” he said.

“It is also deplorable that this extremist group is twisting the teaching of Christianity in service of their warped agenda and reprehensible incitement.

“This incident once again demonstrates that the virus of bigotry remains a powerful force in Australia, and that we must all band together to defeat this growing threat and promote tolerance and inclusivity over the ideology of prejudice that these materials contain.”

It is understood that Australia Post was not aware of the flyers’ message because they were hidden in envelopes.

A spokesperson said: “As soon as we became aware of the contents of this flyer, we immediately withdrew it from distribution from our delivery network because it is against our terms and conditions.”

Read more: http://www.qnews.com.au/hateful-flyers-link-lgbt-community-to-nazis-with-swastikas-and-rainbows/