Wilson Gavin, leader of yesterday’s UQ Liberal National Club protest at a Brisbane drag storytime event, in 2017 characterised drowning out voices by chanting as an ‘attack on free speech’.
Wilson Gavin summary
Gay — anti-same-sex marriage — anti safe schools — pro-monarchy — anti drag storytime
In 2017, Wilson Gavin acted as spokesperson for an organisation called ‘Our Voice. Our Vote’. He claimed to represent ‘tens of thousands’ of LGBTIQ people he believed would vote no.
Heckled during a speech he gave on behalf of the No campaign during the same-sex marriage postal vote, he later gave a radio interview. During that interview, Wilson Gavin told Patricia Karvelas on RN Drive what he thought of people chanting.
Attack on free speech
“Look, I love a good debate. I love being able to discuss a complicated issue like same-sex marriage even if it does devolve into heated words. What’s not okay is the Yes campaigners, who were mostly members of Socialist Alternative on campus, chanting and trying to drown out what I was saying. That is an attack on free speech.”
During yesterday’s Brisbane drag storytime protest, Wilson Gavin led loud chants and drowned out any attempt at free speech.
Wilson Gavin’s participation in the 2017 campaign also included appearing in a video in support of the No campaign.
By the following year, with the marriage argument lost, he appeared on Sky News lauding the monarchy.
UQ Liberal National Club
Late yesterday, Brisbane LNP figures explained their frustration with club’s attempts to appear affiliated with the LNP.
Both gay MP Trevor Evans and longtime LGBTIQ ally Councillor Vicki Howard stated the organisation in no way represented LNP policy.
Social media posts later described the club as stacked with ‘extreme trolls’. In 2017, former president Kurt Tucker stated that if he lived in 1930s Germany he would have joined the Nazis. The LNP consequently dismissed him from leadership positions in the Young LNP.
The LNP also later expelled Wilson Gavin, allegedly for sending out “fake press releases from fake grassroots political organisations.”
Last October, the LNP began sending cease and desist letters to the UQ Liberal National Club over its use of branding similar to official party insignia. The letters apparently went unacknowledged.
Last night the club received support on Facebook from Barclay McGain. The LNP suspended McGain as Gold Coast Young LNP president in December. The suspension resulted from a racist video in which McGain interviewed a Young LNP stooge pretending to be a ‘leftie’.
God’s vengeance
An image posted on Twitter last night claims to show Wilson Gavin posting about the cause of the bushfire crisis.
“It is God’s vengeance on an unfaithful nation.”
As Wilson Gavin’s social media accounts appear to have gone dark, QNews can not verify the image.
Brisbane Region LGBTI Police Liaison Officers last night asked that anyone who witnessed the incident or possesses video footage to email Senior Constable Ben Bjarnesen at LGBTIProgram.NorthBrisbane@police.qld.gov.au
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