I can't get work any more. It's very sad. I was born in Swan Hill and thought I would be here a long time. Mr Wheatland's parents have received hate mail while a Presbyterian minister who campaigned against the festival has received threats that his church will be burned. The Guardian has been inundated with angry letters.
Supporters say homosexuals have a right to stage the festival.
Homosexual behaviour is inherently perverse and unhealthy. It destroys both the individual and society. Editor Chris McLennan said the 10,000-strong town was extremely conservative. Mr Wheatland said he had expected more than 2000 people to attend Swan Hill's first break-out festival, which was scheduled for the last weekend of February. Organisers planned to hand out survival guides for gays and lesbians living in the country.