Burnie City Council supports Action Plan for LGBTIQA+ inclusion

Bubbling tension over LGBT issues came to a head at a Tasmanian council after 100 complaints against a councillor

Trent Aitken LGBTIQA motion display

A councillor on the Burnie City Council has had over 100 complaints against him since December, with his latest anti-trans comments receiving widespread backlash.

Councillor Trent Aitkin has been outspoken on his anti-transgender views on his public Facebook page.

At the latest Burnie City Council meeting on Tuesday, the public gallery was full while council discussed a motion put forth by Deputy Mayor Giovanna Simpson that sought to establish an advisory group as part of council’s LGBTIQA+ inclusion plan.

Ms Simpson said she put for the motion earlier in March, prior to the social media comments made by Mr Aitken.

Mr Aitken has posted to his public Facebook page that the “whole trans thing” was “rubbish”.

“Stop pretending you are something you are not and stop expecting me to be okay with it.” the post read.

Trent Aitken has received backlash for his public anti-trans comments. Picture: Facebook

General manager Shane Crawford said council received four public questions about Mr Aitken’s social media comments, which were labelled as “derogatory and defamatory” by members of the public.

He said he didn’t have the exact number of total complaints received about Mr Aitken, but that it would be “in excess of 100” since December.

While discussing her motion Ms Simpson said the council had an important role in ensuring everyone in the community is supported and included, regardless of their sexuality or gender identity.

“If this motion is carried, it will show that our commitment aligns with our values of equality, diversity and inclusion,” she said.

She said the aim of the motion was to ensure members of LGBTIQA+ community could “hold their head high and walk down the main street of Burnie”.

Mr Aitken said he could not support putting “one group of people above another” and that his biggest concern was that the Australian flag would be replaced by the pride flag on council buildings.

The motion to establish the group was carried with all councillors in support except Mr Aitkin.

The council will now form a small LGBTIQA+ advisory group made up of people from that community who live in the Burnie municipality as well as representatives from Equality Tasmania, Burnie City Council, and other community services.

City of Burnie council chambers. Picture: Elise Kaine

The group will then develop a draft action inclusion plan for council discussion and approval.

Mr Aitken foreshadowed an alternative motion in which he asked for an elector poll “that council develop a policy that disallows female bathrooms from being used by trans men”.

As the first motion was carried, the alternative motion was not moved.

Council took questions on notice from Mr Aitkin asking if council had received any complaints about transgender women in council owned toilets or change rooms.

Councillor Amina Keygan said Mr Aitken’s “latest obsession” was “actively contributing to exclusion”.

She said the comments were damaging to the community and sought “to pit the rights of cisgender women against transgender women”.

Mr Aitkin asked for clarification on the terms transgender and cisgender, and said he didn’t know what the latter meant.

Mayor Teeny Brumby told Mr Aitken to research the terms himself.

In closing, Ms Simpson thanked the members of the community for their courage in attending the meeting and supporting the motion.

She said she worked with hundreds of young trans people during her time at the Department of Education.

She encouraged Mr Aitken to “perhaps talk to a transgender person, ask them how they feel being trapped in a body they didn’t want when they were born”

“Or how going into a men’s change room makes them feel when they don’t identify as such.”

Following the meeting Equality Tasmania spokesperson Rodney Croome said now the hard work would begin to consult with the city’s LGBTIQA+ community to come up with a plan that “will make a real difference to people’s lives”.

“As someone who protested outside anti-gay rallies in Burnie 30 years ago, I was overjoyed to be in the Burnie Council Chamber when the Council voted to support an LGBTIQA+ advisory group and action plan,” Mr Croome said.

“Thanks to Deputy Mayor Giovanna Simpson for putting the motion, to all those councillors who spoke in favour of it and to those local LGBTIQA+ people, family members and allies who came to support.”

Originally published as Burnie City Council supports Action Plan for LGBTIQA+ inclusion