Supporters of the ‘no’ vote in the same-sex marriage survey are bracing for an influx of abuse from ‘yes’ trolls, whichever way the historic result vote goes.
On Wednesday morning just hours before the announcement, Coalition for Marriage boss Lyle Shelton took to Twitter to share a photo highlighting such shocking abuse.
Showing a car belonging to a Coalition for Marriage volunteer with its windows fully smashed in, Mr Shelton described the act as ‘unacceptable and unAustralian’.
With the ‘yes’ campaign expected to win the vote on Wednesday, with a forecast 60 per cent support, those against legalising same-sex marriage are bracing for abuse.
It comes just months after mums who fronted a TV ad for the ‘no’ vote prepare for an influx of racial and sexist abuse – whatever way the historic vote goes on Wednesday.
Hours before the announcement, Coalition for Marriage boss Lyle Shelton took to Twitter to share a photo of a car belonging to a volunteer which had its windows smashed in (pictured)
Mr Shelton, who has been a controversial figure in the vote, said the ‘behaviour by either side is unacceptable and unAustralian’
It comes as the Coalition for Marriage revealed three women who featured in a TV ad against same-sex marriage are preparing for more death threats and vitriolic abuse after the result
The women have been sent gay porn and threats of sexual assault on their children (above)
Labelled everything from ‘dumb c***s’ to ‘bigots’, one woman even received a threat from a ‘yes voter’ who vowed to ‘f**k her children’ if they grew up to be gay.
A spokesperson for the Coalition for Marriage said while the abuse had died down in the months since the campaign began, it was expected to heat up after the result.
Among shocking messages sent to the women were abuse and threats of violence to both them and their families.
‘F**k you and f**k your spastic kids,’ one wrote, while another said: ‘Dumb c**t’.
‘You’re a disgusting f**king disgrace of not only a mother, but a human being,’ said one man.
‘You are a horrid mother and should be ashamed to call yourself Australian,’ another wrote.
‘Your children will have all sorts of misery throughout their lives growing up with an ignorant, homophobic parents such as you,’ claimed another.
Lyle Shelton, the head of the Coalition for Marriage, said he had warned the mothers they would come under fire for the ad but never expected such vile backlash.
‘We tried to prepare them for it, we warned them and we did everything we could to protect them, they were demonised by the ‘yes’ campaign,’
Mrs McIvor (pictured with her husband Julian) received threats including that her church in the country Victorian town of Sale would be burnt to the ground
Among the shocking messages (pictured) sent to the women by trolls were images of gay porn
The three women fronted the controversial TV ad which was funded by the Coalition for Marriage
Heidi McIvor (pictured) was one of the women featured in the Coalition for Marriage’s TV ad
While acknowledging that there was widespread trolling from both sides, Mr Shelton claimed most of the vitriolic abuse came from the ‘yes’ side.
But he did say the alleged assault of Kevin Rudd’s godson Sean by an anti-gay voter was unacceptable.
‘I think it’s terrible that there’s violence on any side,’ Mr Shelton said.
‘That’s a shocking thing to have happened to anyone, my sympathies are with the young man and there must not be violence on any side.’
Cella White, a mother-of-four from Melbourne, told Daily Mail Australia that while she expected to come under fire, she wasn’t prepared for her family to also be targets.
Ms White, who appeared in the ad with Heidi McIvor and Dr Pansy Lai, said the abuse was ‘relentless’ and had even targeted her own mother.
‘I knew it was a touchy subject so I was well aware of the backlash to likely come my way by taking part in the ad, but it’s hostile out there,’ she said.
‘If their social media accounts are genuine, some of the bullies appear to be in the corporate arena.
‘Some are counsellors, some work in disability services and probably most alarming of all, some work in suicide crisis centres.’
Lyle Shelton said the assault of Kevin Rudd’s god son (pictured) by an anti-gay marriage voter was ‘unacceptable’