Wendy Francis

Wendy Francis
Born Wendy Francis
Occupation Lobbyist

Wendy Francis is a lobbyist on social issues and is the Queensland state director of the Australian Christian Lobby.

Biography

Wendy Francis has been the organiser of the Brisbane Lord Mayor's Christmas Carols for several years and is married to Peter Francis, senior pastor at the City Tabernacle Baptist Church in Brisbane.[1]

Francis' political interests before joining ACL in January 2011 included her running as the lead Senate candidate in Queensland for the Family First Party in the 2010 Federal election.[2] She created controversy when she compared allowing same-sex marriage to the stolen generations and to "legalising child abuse".[3]

During April 2013, Francis lobbied against government subsidies for the abortion drug RU486 saying, "Women facing unsupported pregnancies should be offered real support - not a chemical which is harmful to both them and their unborn child."[4]

Francis has advanced the case for outdoor advertising to be ‘G-rated’[1] Francis received abuse[5][6] after it was revealed she organised ACL members to protest against bus shelter billboards - where as Francis said, "children are waiting for the school bus" - promoting safe sex, which featured a fully clothed, hugging, gay couple holding an unopened condom packet. Francis was criticised due to her campaign not mentioning any affiliation with the ACL, and for describing the image as an act of foreplay.[7] A Queensland Parliament committee conducted a public hearing where Francis argued that all billboards should be ‘G-rated’. The committee subsequently recommended a tougher approach to sexually explicit outdoor advertising.[8]

In May 2013 after a billboard was erected in Kings Cross NSW, Francis lobbied to have it removed. The billboard displayed a fictionalised UK prime minister having sex with a pig. Francis said children should not have to see an adult image like this. The billboard was subsequently taken down.[9]

Francis received abuse over her support of changes in surrogacy laws to exclude same sex couples and single people.[10]

The Brisbane editor of SameSame, Chad St James said of Wendy Francis:

"Over a couple of hours sitting in a cafe, the two of us chatted and for the very first time I saw very human side to a woman who has been one of our most stringent opponents to marriage equality. I also gained a better understanding of her motivations, and I won’t deny that it was one of the most surprising coffee dates I have had a long time".[11]

Francis shared a personal story on Brisbane radio on the impact of her sister's death.[12]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Moore, Tony (3 June 2011). "Who is Wendy Francis?". The Brisbane Times. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
  2. ↑ "Our Staff". ACL. Retrieved 6 April 2013.
  3. ↑ Grubb, Ben (9 August 2010). "Family First candidate Wendy Francis stands by gay slur on Twitter". The Age. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
  4. ↑ Bennet, Adam (26 April 2013). "RU486 drug 'won't lead to more abortions'". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
  5. ↑ "ACL QLD director receives abusive language and cyberbullying for campaigning against sexualized billboard". Christian Today. 3 June 2011. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
  6. ↑ Shelton, Lyle (6 June 2011). "Abusive labels and slurs no substitute for real debate". The Drum, ABC. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
  7. ↑ "Adshel reinstates safe sex ad after removal sparked online backlash". Herald Sun. 1 June 2011. Retrieved 1 June 2011.
  8. ↑ Robyn Ironside (1 February 2014). "New laws may crack down on sexually explicit billboards". The Courier Mail. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
  9. ↑ "'Christian lobby urges fines for bestiality billboard". ABC. 2 May 2013. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
  10. ↑ Bridie, Jabour (24 June 2012). "Christian lobbyist weathers barrage of abuse". The Brisbane Times. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
  11. ↑ St James, Chad (27 August 2012). "Coffee with Wendy Francis". SameSame. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
  12. ↑ Levingston, Rebecca (25 March 2013). "The View From Brisbane - Wendy Francis". ABC. Retrieved 2 April 2013.