Dictators on the left and the right have a poor track record in tolerating opposition. Now a queer fascism that rules through fear rather than reasoned persuasion is gaining momentum. First they came for Germaine Greer for speaking her mind on transgender ideology. Then they took jobs away from musicians who refused to comply with a queer boycott of the Michigan Women's Music Festival. Loading More recently, tennis legend Martina Navratilova was sacked from a board and Barry Humphries has been stripped of an honour by the Melbourne International Comedy Festival for similar crimes. Leunig lost his graphics gig with the comedy festival, for reasons undisclosed. Some think his lack of enthusiasm for marriage equality may have contributed. It is a left-wing version of the McCarthy era when American actors and singers who were suspected of communism were denied work. If you attack a person’s livelihood you don’t change their view; you just make them afraid to speak it, or feel persecuted if they do. Folau’s halting Easter Sunday sermon proved this to be true. The tearful Wallaby saw himself as fighting for his soul in a battle with an unethical employer. He does not know how to be true to himself and comply with Rugby Australia’s inclusion policy which aims to create a safe space for everyone.

Instead Folau makes pronouncements from Instagram, telling me I am going to Hell because the Christian gospel says so, and that Jesus is the only way out. If I was a young sports hopeful, might I be be forced to choose between giving up myself to be like him – Christian, straight and fundamentalist – or being excluded and condemned? Loading How painful that would be. Ironically, it is the same pain that Folau cried about when he thought Rugby Australia was making him choose between having his beliefs and belonging to the rugby family. Today, as Izzy faces his code-of-conduct hearing, I am sure he is praying for the courage and faith to stay true to himself. I wonder if he realises that any gay person reading his posts would have to do the same. Rugby Australia will argue that it warned Folau last year to comply with its policy and that this is his second infringement. Clearly the warning was useless because it did not help Folau resolve the conflict he feels between his love of rugby and his beliefs. I suspect Rugby Australia has not backed up its inclusion policy with sufficient training in advanced skills to meet its demands.

We all need to skill up to create a new world where everyone gets a fair go. When we are not demanding compliance with our own view, many Australians habitually attack a person with an alternative view, rather than countering with a reasoned argument. Loading We mock rather than debate. We use slut-shaming or racist, ageist and sexist slurs. We don’t listen for the grain of truth in the opposition’s perspective because we cannot bear the discomfort of there being no easy answer. We cannot wait for the resolution to emerge. We do not trust that it will. If we want a robust democracy, we need to learn how to distinguish between hate speech and an alternative, if unpleasant, view. We should sack people who promote physical or verbal abuse or who try to undermine or isolate colleagues. Did Folau threaten to kill, maim or abuse anyone? Did he insult gay people at work? Did he use contemptuous or abusive language ? Did he tell deliberate lies? No? Then let him keep his job, with considerable support laid on to help him explore what inclusion means. Reinstate the Barry Award, let Leunig draw and, meanwhile, let Penny Wong be Australia’s first Asian Australian foreign minister who also happens to be brilliant and a lesbian.