The world has come a long way since Harvey Milk became the first openly gay person to be elected into office in California in 1972.

Despite being assassinated only 11 months into office, Milk managed to pass a stringent gay rights ordinance for the city of San Francisco – a profound win for the local LGBTQI+ community and historic turning point for gay rights across the United States.

Almost 45 years later, and openly gay politicians continue to pave the way for equality both in Australian and around the world.

As the first member of Congress to publicly announce his homosexuality in 1987, Barney Frank has been a consistent advocate for U.S. civil rights and won hoards of supporters from marginal communities in the process. And what about Annise Parker, the fabulous openly lesbian mayor of Houston, Texas? Since her election in 2010, Parker has fought tirelessly for social tolerance in an historically conservative city and immeasurably improved quality of life for the local queer community. Further still, New York congressman Sean Patrick Maloney, an openly gay man with two adopted children, has dedicated his political career to promoting gay rights – specifically marriage equality and legal adoption – in America.

And then we have our very own Penny Wong. Thank God for Penny Wong. In a political landscape long dominated by rich and conservative heterosexual white men, Wong’s presence provides an invaluable and trusted voice for a community that too often feels silenced.

At a time when our brothers and sisters are being massacred in Orlando, blindfolded and thrown off rooftops in Syria, imprisoned in Papua New Guinea, and denied the right to marry their long-term partners in Australia, there’s little doubt that our world needs more LGBT leaders willing to step up to the plate and fight with conviction – something one gay Liberal candidate in Queensland seems completely unfit to do.

“People are quite comfortable with the LNP’s position,” he added. “It’s the only position that puts faith in voters to make the choice.”

“It could go either way. Considering we’re holding a national plebiscite, I think my personal view is irrelevant.”

Um, except that your personal view happens to be entirely relevant, Jonathan – and that should be why you entered politics in the first place. I mean, if it weren’t for politicians fighting tirelessly for your rights as a gay man, your bumming another dude would still be considered illegal and punishable by imprisonment.

Think about that for a sec, yeah?

Pavetto’s unwillingness to show any assertive leadership on the subject of marriage equality is a spit-in-the-face not only to those like brave Tasmanian resident Nicholas Toonen, who lost his job in the fight to repeal the criminalisation of homosexuality in the early 1990’s by appealing to the United Nations Human Rights Committee, but to the very notion of leadership itself.

If members of parliament were only ever required to agree with the popular vote, we’d all be lining up for the fat $200k annual paycheck.

Nah, leadership is about more than that. It’s about leading (duh) the way. It’s about taking ownership over issues and making moves to improve the lives of others – even if it means making decisions deemed unpopular in the short-term. I understand that Pavetto’s local community of sugarcane farmers mightn’t give a bloody toss whether or not marriage equality is passed.

But that’s precisely why he’s wasting such an invaluable opportunity to shift ideals and perspectives in an area that perhaps needs it more than most. That’s why it would be so commendable for him to take a stand. If those like Toonen hadn’t made unpopular choices when Pavetto was in diapers, his life as a gay man growing up in rural Australia would’ve been notably less pleasant. In fact, I doubt he’d even be in position to run for parliament.

I mean, fucking hell.

At least Bob Katter has conviction.