Disturbing homophobic posters have surfaced in Melbourne in advance of the plebiscite on same-sex marriage that is scheduled to happen in Australia next month.

A new poster depicts two men holding rainbow belts with a sad child curled up in a closed off, foetal position.

The implications of the poster’s imagery are that children are unsafe with parents that are same-sex and that same-sex parents will seek to abuse their children.

Even more disturbing, the figures that the poster presents add another sinister element to this No Campaign message.

“92% of children raised by Gay Parents are abused,” the poster declares. “51% have depression, 72% are obese.”

The icing on this anti-equality cake is the largely emblazoned gay slur in the centre of the poster which reads: “Stop The Fags”.

Spotted in Melbourne – Heffernan Lane. How is this for a unity moment? @TurnbullMalcolm @cityofmelbourne @AdamBandt @VicGovAu @abcnews pic.twitter.com/syL7vqRJLK

— Dan Leach-McGill (@DrDanLMcG) August 19, 2017

Ireland’s No Campaign

In the run up to Ireland’s 2015 referendum on same-sex marriage, the No Campaign’s messaging was decidedly less abrasive.

In Ireland, the anti-marriage equality cohort elected to use messaging and imagery with more positive connotations, like children and parents smiling or a mother holding a newborn baby.

The person who made this poster had a mother &father & look how much of an ignorant dick they turned into!#voteyes pic.twitter.com/QCsWUtuFi5

— Jason Manford (@JasonManford) May 3, 2015

Despite the comparatively positive messaging of Ireland’s No Campaign, the referendum and the discussion around same-sex marriage proved to be detrimental to the mental wellbeing of Irish LGBT+ people.

If Ireland’s No Campaign had a negative impact on LGBT+ people, then Australia’s looks even more likely to.

White Supremacists

The ‘Stop The Fags’ poster is not the only extreme Australian No Campaign poster. Other No Campaign posters that have surfaced recently have been less than savoury.

Another group called The Australian Traditional Nationalist – a group which advocates “the protection of White Identity and the fundamental Australian values rooted in Christian European Traditions” – has created reductive posters urging people to “Protect Traditional Marriage”.

https://twitter.com/geraldmellor/status/899438375127572480

With the postal plebiscite still several weeks away, the No Campaign may become even more unpleasant in its approach as it attempts to instil fear in the Australian public.

For Australian citizens who have not yet registered vote but want to make their voice heard, make sure to do so before August 24 by following the instructions here.

How do you think this caustic No Campaign messaging will affect LGBT+ people in Australia? Let us know in the comments.