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Group Told To Remove “Offensive” Banner Advertising Support Services For LGBT Young People

The offending signAn LGBT youth group attending a festival in Australia was asked to remove an “offensive” sign that advertised its mission to offer “support services for LGBT, same-sex attracted and gender diverse young people, their families and communities.”

The group Twenty10 had been invited to participate in the January 17 Rediscover the River festival in Parramatta, New South Wales, about ten miles outside Sydney.

But by late morning, the group was notified by a representative of Lord Mayor John Chedid to remove the sign “because it was ‘offensive’,” Twenty10’s said in a  statement.

Rather that kowtow to the demeaning demand, Twenty10 packed its bags and left.

In a statement, the Parramatta City Council claimed the request was only made “in response to numerous complaints made by members of the public.”

Oh that makes it better.

If the presence of an LGBT youth group is so contentious in the affluent, diverse suburbs of Parramatta, then it only makes the need for Twenty10 all the more apparent.

After the dust settled, Chedid sent a letter of apology to the group saying the request wasn’t based on his personal feelings, and that “it is regretful that these actions were taken and it is right to apologise for the angst it has caused.”

h.t.: Autostraddle

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