Trent Aitken, a Tasmanian councillor, posted a transphobic rant to social media a week after a two-week suspension for homophobic and racist posts had ended. What set him off? Surf Lifesaving Australia welcoming the LGBTQIA+ community and Pride flags at the beach.
Burnie Councillor Aitken’s rant wasn’t sparked by a record number of people who turned out to march and support Tasmania’s LGBTQIA+ community in this year’s Pride Parade.
It was instead inflamed by a rainbow flag on a beach, an initiative celebrated across Australia as part of Surf Lifesaving Australia’s Rainbow Day.
Patrol members were encouraged to celebrate the day by wearing something rainbow coloured on the beach as part of the inclusion initiative, Lifesavers with Pride.
The initiative creates a welcoming, progressive and inclusive culture that is safe and proud within the Surf Life Saving community for our LGBTQIA+ members and recruits.
From Rainbow flags waving to a pride paddle on Valentine’s Day and more, the community came together to share how diverse and inclusive surf lifesaving can be.
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‘The Ocean does not discriminate’
Lifesavers with Pride chair, Jake Little, launched Rainbow Beaches at Port Macquarie with a record-breaking pride paddle at Flynn’s Beach.
“Between the red and yellow flags, everyone is welcome.” Little told the ABC following a human love heart being formed in the ocean for a world record attempt.
“The ocean does not discriminate, and we have 165 people here today saying that.”
Speaking to News Of The Area, Little said, “It was only 1980 when women were allowed into surf clubs.”
“And so surf life saving has been on a journey, in the past 30 years, to inform everyone that no matter your background, what you look like and who you like, the beach is for you.”
“The event is very much linked to the core mission of Surf Life Saving, which is saving lives.”
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‘What are these surf clubs going to do when the transgenders roll in?’
However, Burnie Councillor Trent Aitken, the sole dissenting vote in support of LGBTQIA+ equality and inclusion in 2025, posted a social media rant saying pride flags at surf life saving clubs were a worry.
“These surf clubs and these rainbow flags start to worry me, everyone,” he said in the video at a vacant beach.
“They seem to have forgotten that surf clubs have nippers, 5 to 14-year-old members, and they’re here waving rainbow flags.”
He then flew into a transphobic rant, “What are these surf clubs going to do when some overweight male, transgender male in his bikini, rocks up and decides he wants to join a surf club?”
“What are they going to do then, to protect the kids, no different than what they’re doing with this Miss Tasmania, when ‘Andre the Giant’ now decided that Andre wants to identify as a woman and in Miss Tasmania?”
Aitken was (rudely) referring to Lucy Faulkner, a young transgender woman who has previously competed in pageants.
Lucy became the target of online hate after her inclusion in Miss Tasmania was posted online recently.
Organisers of the pageant condemned the online hatred directed at Faulkner and other young girls for supporting the inclusive event.
Aitken continued in his rant, saying, “What are these surf clubs going to do when the transgenders roll in, and they want to join the surf club with their 5 to 14-year-old nippers, that they’re not protecting?”
Aitkens wrote on his post, “Maybe just save lives and dont worry to much about who’s having sex with who and what gender you feel like today.”
Surf Life Saving clubs exist for one purpose: saving lives
Councillor for Burnie City Council, Amina Keygan, called out Aitken’s comments in a social media post on Monday.
“The comments made by Cr Aitken yesterday, linking pride flags to paedophilia and suggesting surf lifesaving clubs are unsafe for children or would refuse to rescue someone based on their identity or beliefs, are hateful, reckless and completely unacceptable.” the post said.
“Surf Life Saving clubs exist for one purpose: saving lives. Their volunteers put themselves in harm’s way to protect every person in our community, without fear or favour.”
“To suggest that members of surf lifesaving clubs are somehow a threat to children is not only false, it is dangerous.
“It feeds stigma and fear, and it targets people who are simply trying to live their lives and contribute to the community.
“Our surf lifesaving clubs should be places of safety, inclusion and community pride.
“They are not political playthings, and they should never be dragged into this kind of ugly culture war nonsense.
I stand firmly with Surf Life Saving Tasmania, Burnie Surf Life Saving Club and @BoatHarbourSurfLifeSavingClub. I thank every volunteer who gives their time to keep our beaches safe. There is no place for this kind of rhetoric in public life, and I will always call it out.”
Social rant follows council suspension for homophobia
Aitken has a history of publicly speaking out against the LGBTQIA+ communities.
In 2025, he lashed out at Queer Eye’s Jonathan Van Ness in a now-deleted Facebook post as “not right in the head” for wearing a dress to the Golden Globes.
The Burnie councillor was recently suspended for two weeks following homophobic and racist social media posts between January and May 2025.
A Local Government Code of Conduct Panel barred him from council duties for 14 days from Wednesday, January 27.
Aitken said, “The statements he made were the truth and as such he was entitled to make these statements”.
The panel found a “reasonable person” would view the comments as offensive and embarrassing.
“The posts, when taken as a group, are both disrespectful to the Aboriginal and LGBTQI+ communities, respectively,” the panel determined, “It also is possible they breach both federal and state legislation.”
Residents requested that Aitken be suspended and be required to apologise to the Indigenous and LGBTQIA+ communities. The panel declined to order an apology.
Less than a week following his suspension, he has targeted inclusive and welcoming events across Australian beaches.
Lifesavers with Pride’s Rainbow Beaches is a national initiative helping bridge the gap between our coastline and the LGBTQIA+ community.
Over 165 clubs nationwide participated in the initiative, and through active visibility, helped make our beaches safer and more welcoming for all.
It not only helps all members of the community feel supported and included, but it also makes our beaches safer.
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