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A former marriage equality activist who once helped lead South Australia鈥檚 LGBTQIA+ equality movement has been elected to parliament for One Nation, prompting questions about where he now stands on LGBTQIA+ rights.

Jason Virgo has won the rural South Australian seat of MacKillop at the 2026 state election, marking a significant political shift for the former Australian Sex Party candidate and Labor Party member who previously campaigned for marriage equality.

However since his win Virgo has remained tight lipped on where he stands on LGBTQIA+ rights.

A huge political shift for Jason Virgo

Jason Virgo, who served on the Mount Gambier City Council from 2023 to 2026, was once a prominent advocate for LGBTQIA+ rights in South Australia.

He ran as an openly LGBTQIA+ candidate for the Australian Sex Party in 2010 and 2013, and helped organise rallies supporting marriage equality and broader LGBTQIA+ equality.

In a 2011 Star Observer report covering an International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersex Discrimination, and Transphobia rally in Adelaide, Virgo described violent scenes after Christian protesters disrupted the event.

鈥淲e were basically ambushed 鈥� they were fairly offensive and shouting homophobic things,鈥� Virgo told Star Observer at the time.

鈥淭hese street preachers are notorious in Adelaide, but we鈥檝e never seen them do anything like this before. This is the first time they鈥檝e targeted a rally.鈥�

Virgo also described witnessing a protester in a wheelchair being pulled to the ground during the confrontation.

鈥淎 woman in a wheelchair and one of the preachers were struggling over a banner. He had pulled her from the chair onto the ground and kept pulling her,鈥� he said.

鈥淚鈥檓 not sure who started the incident, but dragging a woman along the ground who鈥檇 fallen out of her wheelchair certainly didn鈥檛 seem like the behaviour of someone who claims to represent mainstream Christian values.鈥�

At the time, Virgo pledged continued advocacy for equality.

鈥淚 think it鈥檚 a sign Equal Love and the movement itself is getting larger that we鈥檙e attracting these types of groups and we plan to continue,鈥� he said.

Virgo鈥檚 political background spans multiple parties. He joined the Labor Party as a teenager before later running for the Australian Sex Party in the 2010 and 2013 federal elections.

He also served as secretary of the Mount Gambier branch of the Labor Party and later entered local government, joining the Mount Gambier City Council in 2023 following a countback.

His election victory in MacKillop last week was considered one of the more surprising results of the South Australian election. The seat had long been regarded as safe Liberal territory, but a saw Virgo defeat Liberal candidate Rebekah Rosser after a tight count.

Virgo has since described his earlier political involvement as part of growing up.

鈥淚 was a teenager. Every person when they were 16 and 19 were doing crazier things than joining a political party,鈥� he said.

鈥淚 was a kid, basically. We grow up, we learn new things, we change our views as we age and that鈥檚 just a reality.

鈥淚鈥檓 focused on the things that matter. I鈥檓 worried about MacKillop 鈥� it鈥檚 been taken for granted for too long.鈥�

His win comes alongside a broader One Nation surge in South Australia, with party leader Cory Bernardi securing a seat in the Legislative Council. Bernardi has previously attracted controversy for comments linking marriage equality to bestiality, remarks he reiterated during the election campaign.

鈥淚 stand by [them] 100 per cent,鈥� Bernardi said.

鈥淚鈥檓 not apologising or retracting anything that I鈥檝e said.鈥�

Former Australian Sex Party leader Fiona Patten also expressed surprise at Virgo鈥檚 shift.

鈥淭he Australian Sex Party was all for equality,鈥� she said.

鈥淲e were at that time still fighting for marriage equality, we were fighting for drug law reform, we were fighting for medicinal cannabis.鈥�

Virgo has not publicly clarified his current stance on LGBTQIA+ rights since his election, refusing interviews with multiple news outlets, leaving many within the community questioning where the former equality advocate now stands as One Nation expands its presence in South Australian parliament.