Gay farmer named Young Farmer of the Year
Image: Photo: Facebook / Jason Smith.
DAIRY farmer and marriage equality advocate Jason Smith has won Young Farmer of the Year at the Australian Farmer of the Year Awards.
鈥淗as been a huge day at Parliament House but I gotta get home to calving cows now!鈥� Smith posted on Facebook.
The fifth-generation Victorian farmer has been a strong advocate for LGBTI rights since coming out as gay, travelling to Canberra to address politicians and even appearing in television ads.
Smith has been quick to point out, however, that his award win was for farming and not for his advocacy work.
鈥淏eing gay has only ever hurt my chances/possibilities in agriculture in the past, not helped it,鈥� he wrote on Facebook.
In an interview聽with last month, Smith said legalising marriage equality would be a big step towards breaking down anti-LGBTI prejudice in Australia.
鈥淚t鈥檚 another barrier to young gay people feeling OK,鈥� he said.
Smith said he was the first gay person he knew of in his small town, and experienced homophobic discrimination when he came out 11 years ago.
鈥淲hen I first got a partner鈥攚e were together for eight years鈥攚hen he first came to town there were people who wouldn鈥檛 shake his hand,鈥� said Smith.
鈥淚t was just a matter of proving that there鈥檚 no difference and we were just farmers like everyone else.鈥�
He said many gay friends in the farming industry couldn鈥檛 be open about their sexuality.
Smith is confident that Australia will legalise marriage equality but disappointed at the length of the process.
鈥淚t will happen, but I just can鈥檛 get over how long it鈥檚 taking, and how many people need to be hurt and partners die without that ability to marry the person they鈥檝e been with for 50 years,鈥� he said.
