A gun lobbyist and former councillor has been ordered to fork out thousands of dollars to three lesbians after being found guilty of inciting hatred against homosexuals.
A Queensland judge said while Gympie resident Ron Owen was "entitled to be a homophobe", he went too far with a bumper sticker that read: "Gay rights? The only rights gays have is the right to die."
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The state's Anti-Discrimination tribunal found Mr Owen guilty after he parked his car with the bumper sticker outside Cooloola Shire Council offices, north of Brisbane, The Australian newspaper reports.
The publisher of the right-wing-pro-militia magazine Lock Stock and Barrel was taken to the tribunal by a group of local lesbians, who claimed they were offended by the sticker despite only one of them seeing it.
Two of the women were awarded $5000, while a third was awarded $2500 in damages.
Mr Owen, the former president of the National Firearms Association of Australia, was also reprimanded for comments he made during a television interview about the case.
The tribunal ordered Mr Owen write an apology for inciting hatred against homosexuals and causing offence to homosexuals in Gympie.
"Ron Owen is entitled to be a homophobe and he is entitled to publicly express his homophobic views," tribunal member Darryl Rangiah said.
"That much is required in a society that values freedom of thought and expression. However there are limits."
The tribunal ruled that while Mr Owen wasn't the registered owner of the car, he had use of it and the sticker went "beyond a mere joke".
Mr Owen, who has spent six months defending the charges, has vowed to appeal to decision.
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