Coalition for Marriage spokesman Lyle Shelton (Brook Mitchell/Getty Images)

Right-wing Australian politician Lyle Shelton has claimed that Christians have suffered as a result of equal marriage in the country.

Shelton, a strategist for the Australian Conservatives, led the fight against equal marriage during the country’s 2017 postal vote on the issue.

More than a year after the country’s first same-sex weddings, many former opponents of equality have embraced the new reality.

Lyle Shelton claims Christians have seen ‘all sorts of consequences’

But speaking to Sky News this week, Shelton claimed: “We warned during the whole marriage campaign, and in the ten years leading up to the change to the definition of marriage, that this was going to trigger all sorts of consequences for people who have a different view on marriage, that their ability to have their view of marriage tolerated would be under legal threat.”

He added: “We ploughed ahead with the change the definition of the marriage based on the Yes campaign saying there were no consequences, which I’m going to say was a lie and not true.

“There’s big complications and implications for people’s freedom of speech and freedom of religion and parents’ rights about gender indoctrination in schools.”

He added that actions by the Liberal government to appease evangelicals was “too late.”

Anti-gay marriage groups claimed kids will be forced to celebrate gay sex

During the equal marriage vote, Shelton’s campaign was lambasted by LGBT+ campaigners for its reliance on “dirty” tactics, attempting to scare people into voting No to same-sex marriage.

The Australian Christian Lobby, headed by Shelton, put out an email warning supporters may have to “put your son in a dress” if equal marriage passed.

Shelton’s Coalition for Marriage also launched TV ads claiming children would be forced to “celebrate” gay sex if the measure passed.

The activist claimed that kids will be “exposed to gay sex and gender theory.”

He insisted: “This is a direct consequence of the change in marriage law. Once you take gender out of marriage, you take it out of the classroom.

“This will only get worse if the law on marriage is changed; parents will lose their right to object.

“Australian parents can stand up against these radical programs being forced upon their kids by voting ‘no’.”