Pauline Hanson has said she’s “quite happy” with inflammatory comments made by One Nation Glasshouse candidate Tracey Bell-Henselin about LGBTI families.
One Nation’s Glasshouse candidate Tracey Bell-Henselin recently posted on Facebook that the LGBTI community are trying to “destroy families” and are “the real manipulating bigot,” The Courier-Mail reported.
“LGBTI is out to destroy families as we know (them) and have lived for generations producing babies/growing a family produced by a mother & father – creation!!!” she wrote in one of the posts seen by the newspaper.
“But now when we stand up on the side of the law to protect our family and children we gave birth to – we are told to shut up that we (are) bigots & homophobic – labelled, cursed sworn at!!!”
But Senator Hanson later defended the candidate, saying she didn’t consider the comments anti-gay and Ms Bell-Henselin would not be disendorsed.
“Those were not homophobic comments at all,” Ms Hanson said.
“That was totally taken out of context and I’m quite happy with her comments. She won’t be disendorsed at all.”
Ms Bell-Henselin previously ran as a candidate for the Rise Up Australia party in last year’s federal election, opposing the Safe Schools program and marriage equality during the campaign.
Last weekend, the One Nation party’s candidate for the seat of Bundamba Shan Ju Lin was disendorsed after posting on her personal Facebook that “gays need treatment,” also referring to “abnormal sexual behaviour”.
Pauline Hanson said at the time Ms Lin’s views “are not shared by One Nation, nor the views of fellow candidates and the general public.”
“I will not stand by and allow people to trash the party or my name, so I make no apologies for being tough on candidates,” she said in a statement.
In the furore, Ipswich Mayor Paul Pisasale pulled funding for an event organised by the World Harmony Society, of which Ms Lin is president, as a result of her comments.
In December, the party’s candidate for the seat of Currumbin, Andy Semple, was disendorsed over an offensive tweet joking about the LGBTI community.
(Top photo via Facebook)
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