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Long time anti-LGBTQIA+ campaigner Lyle Shelton has announced he will run for the New South Wales Legislative Council at the next state election, positioning his ongoing legal battle with Brisbane drag performers as a central pillar of his campaign.

Shelton, a former managing director of the Australian Christian Lobby and prominent figure in the national 鈥淣o鈥� campaign against marriage equality, said he was entering politics again because Australia faced a 鈥渇ree speech crisis鈥�.

The announcement comes amid Shelton鈥檚 years long legal dispute with Brisbane drag performers Johnny Valkyrie and Dwayne Hill, who perform as Queeny and Diamond, over comments he made about a 2020 Drag Queen Story Time event.

Lyle Shelton links anti-vilification case to NSW political run

In a statement announcing his candidacy for the Family First Party, Shelton described the litigation as evidence that anti-vilification laws were being 鈥渨eaponised鈥� against conservatives and opponents of what he called 鈥済ender ideology鈥�.

鈥淎fter more than six years of legal proceedings over my criticism of 鈥楧rag Queen Story Time鈥� events for children, the case has become a stark lesson in how anti-vilification laws are being weaponised against Australians who express mainstream views on gender ideology and the protection of children,鈥� Shelton said.

鈥淭hat is one of the key reasons I am running for the New South Wales Legislative Council at the next state election.鈥�

Shelton also attacked recent expansions to anti-vilification protections in NSW, claiming they would 鈥渃lamp down on legitimate speech even more鈥�.

鈥淚f elected, I intend to fight for reforms that protect Australians from being dragged through years of costly legal warfare simply because someone claims to have been offended or hurt by political commentary,鈥� he said.

Shelton has long been one of Australia鈥檚 most high profile conservative lobbyists opposing LGBTQIA+ rights. During his leadership at the Australian Christian Lobby between 2013 and 2018, he campaigned heavily against marriage equality, transgender inclusion, Safe Schools programs and drag story events involving children.

He later became national director of Family First and has repeatedly targeted drag performers, transgender people and rainbow community initiatives in public commentary and media appearances.

In previous comments reported by the Star Observer, Shelton accused drag performers of using 鈥渁nti-free speech laws to shut down & punish discussion about the true agenda of putting sexualised and gender-fluid drag queen role models in front of little children.鈥�

The current legal case stems from blog posts and social media commentary Shelton published after a Rainbow Families Queensland Drag Queen Story Time event in Brisbane in 2020. Shelton described the performers as 鈥渄angerous role models for children鈥� and compared them to disgraced sex offenders including Harvey Weinstein and Jeffrey Epstein.

In late 2025, the Queensland Civil and Administrative Appeal Tribunal overturned an earlier ruling that had dismissed the vilification complaint against Shelton. The tribunal found key parts of the original decision were flawed and recognised drag as a 鈥減redominantly queer art form鈥� central to queer culture.

Shelton is now pursuing a judicial review in the Queensland Supreme Court and confirmed a further hearing is scheduled for next week.

鈥淢y judicial review application argues the Appeal Tribunal adopted the wrong legal test and expanded Queensland鈥檚 anti-vilification laws beyond what Parliament intended,鈥� Shelton said.

鈥淚f criticising drag queens as being unsafe to perform for children in public libraries can trigger six years of litigation, then nobody engaged in public debate is truly safe.鈥�

 

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