Abuse hurled at Coopers before switch

Coopers Brewery was subjected to obscene abuse from gay activists before joining Marriage Equality Australia.

Coopers Beer is not being served at a Sydney hotel.

Family-run company Coopers Brewery was subjected to a stream of obscene abuse from gay activists, along with a boycott of its products, in the lead-up to its owners capitulating and joining Marriage Equality Australia.

An opponent of same-sex marriage said yesterday the vitriol ­directed at the Adelaide-based brewer after its beer featured in a Bible Society debate between Liberal MPs Tim Wilson, who is gay, and Andrew Hastie, who is a conservative Christian, had become a strategy to pressure companies.

“What we have seen with Coopers is the same we see with other corporations and everyday Australians — the strangling of free speech by those advocates for changing the definition of marriage,” Marriage Alliance spokeswoman Sophie York said yesterday. “It is simply not tolerable to disagree, to express a different view. Australian businesses are forced to ‘take the pledge’ and conform to the same-sex marriage agenda with a reputation gun held to their heads. Coopers is just the latest example of this.”

Some pubs celebrated Coopers severing ties with the Bible ­Society and joining a gay marriage advocacy group.

Melbourne activist Michael Barnett, who said he was a campaigner for human rights and equality, sent a trail of expletive-ridden tweets directed at the company: “Your statement is bullshit. My life is not up for a light-hearted debate. F..k you. F..K YOU.”

Gay parenting activist Rodney Chiang-Cruise joined a boycott of Coopers beer that also saw pubs in Sydney and Melbourne stop selling the company’s products. “Do you drink Coopers beer? Well don’t. They have exposed themselves as homo/transphobic f..ks,” he tweeted.

Writer Catherine Deveny posted what she described as “beer advice needed for people who used to drink Coopers before they found out they’re c...s”.

Mr Wilson and Mr Hastie ­expressed dismay. Mr Hastie said he felt let down by the brewer’s “craven capitulation”. “What do they have to gain by backing down like this?” he said. “They were subjected to online bullying and mass outrage and unfortunately they took counsel from it.

“This is the spirit of the age. You can’t even endorse a civil, respectful conversation between two disagreeing friends about an important issue.”

Mr Wilson, a former human rights commissioner, said he was disappointed Coopers had distanced itself from a conversation it should have been proud to be part of. “I still haven’t heard a single person tell me what’s wrong with the content of the video,” he said. “I don’t understand how the people who boycotted this think they’re going to change the minds of people if they only talk to people they agree with.”

Publican-turned-Liberal MP Craig Laundy said he found it ironic that the same-sex marriage lobby used the potential for vilification as an argument against holding a plebiscite, but used a ­respectful debate to boycott a product. “The Bible Society have given a platform for two federal politicians to have a sensible discussion about the debate. Coopers had nothing to do with it,” he said.

Rodney Croome, a veteran marriage equality advocate, condemned the social media-inspired boycott of the brand, saying “we should be encouraging that debate, not trying to shut it down”.

“I understand why some same-sex partners felt the video trivialised marriage equality, but open, respectful debate between Liberals who hold different views on the issue is critical if there is to be any hope of unlocking support within the Liberal Party.”

The Cooper family would like to release the following statement in support of diversity and equality: https://t.co/xODZxwfCMR pic.twitter.com/g3cPMZE3rw

— Coopers Brewery (@coopersbrewery) March 14, 2017

Jason Ball, an LGBTI and mental health advocate and Victoria’s Young Australian of the Year, was one of several high-profile figures calling for a boycott, alongside Greens politicians Adam Bandt and Christine Milne.

Mr Ball stood by his role in the saga yesterday. “I don’t believe that refusing to consume a product (amounts) to bullying; in fact it’s important to recognise that as consumers we do have power in our purchasing decisions to drive companies to behave ethically.”

Australian Marriage Equality, which says it promotes “positive, respectful and inclusive conversations”, refused to condemn the campaign against the company.

Watch the Bible Society video below

Additional reporting: Anthony Klan