The LGBTI legal service has lodged an anti-discrimination complaint in Queensland against 25 people for “engaging in public acts of hate speech” during the same-sex marriage postal survey last year.

The service, which was funded by the Queensland government to monitor potential vilification and hate speech during the debate, said it found more than 220 examples that could meet the legal definition.

It chose the 25 worst and lodged a complaint with the state’s anti-discrimination commission.

The president of the LGBTI legal service, Matilda Alexander, said the “reverse class action” had been launched partly to hold people to account for public comments.

Alexander said the service did not want to publicly name respondents until they were confident those people had made online posts under their real names.

Some people named in the complaint have public profiles.

“We are taking this action against people who think ‘it’s OK to say no’ means it’s OK to say ‘burn the faggots’,” Alexander said.

She mentioned other comments including “send poofters to their own island”, “you are all getting rooftopped” and “Hitler had the right idea about homosexuals, burn them.”

“These shocking comments are hate speech and today we are holding the perpetrators to account,” Alexander said.

“The postal survey opened the door to homophobia and vilification being expressed under the guise of legitimate debate. This case will close that door.”



Alexander said people named in the complaint would be required to attend a compulsory conference. They would be given the opportunity to make amends, including removing offensive posts and making an apology.

Those who refused could then be pursued under the anti-discrimination act.