The City of Monash last week became the latest Victorian council to cancel an LGBTIQ+ event under the weight of a barrage of abuse, vilification and threats of violence.
The council will no longer be running a drag story-time event planned for the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersex discrimination and Transphobia on May 17.
This is the latest chapter in a worrying trend, imported from the United States and disrupting at least 15 Victorian councils in recent months, of far-right groups intimidating local LGBTIQ+ communities. While the safety of local communities should always be paramount, giving in to the demands of extremists has clearly only emboldened them further.
Councils have been put in a difficult position and need greater support to address these threats. There needs to be a co-ordinated effort across state government, councils and law enforcement, working with local communities to stop hate in its tracks.
But they are missing a major tool in their potential arsenal: vilification laws.
For more than 20 years in Victoria, it has been unlawful to vilify people on the basis of their race or religion. Quite rightly, this means action can be taken against white supremacist speech, or hate speech which targets, for example, the Jewish or Muslim communities.
Read the article by Liam Elphick, discrimination law expert at Monash University, in The Age.