He spoke of the heartbreaking and devastating stories of many, mostly men, whose lives were ruined by prejudice.

A prejudice that did not allow innocent people, to be. 

For too long, that prejudice shamed too many into lives which did not allow them to flourish, or reach their full potential.

It robbed them of relationships, a sense of community and belonging, and love.

It did not keep them safe – from others, or themselves. We lost too many lives because of the wrongs of our state and the prejudice it inflicted on the innocent.

Sadly, for many, that prejudice is still the driver of fear for same-sex attracted men and women – and more so, same-sex attracted younger boys and girls.

That to simply be, they continue to face prejudice and the life that comes with that.

But yesterday was a strong and loud message to all Victorians, and particularly our LGBTI community, that we no longer tolerate those attitudes.

We no longer tolerate the hatred directed at gay, lesbian, bi or transgender men, women or young people.

We no longer tolerate attitudes that force others to live in shame.

It’s okay to be gay. 

In the premier’s words: “Here in Victoria, equality is not negotiable. Here, you can be different from everybody else, but still be treated the same as everybody else. Because we believe in fairness.’’

The premier’s final words during his apology resonated with many across social media platforms yesterday.

“If you are a member of the LGBTI community, and there’s someone in your life that you love – a partner or a friend – then do me a favour … hold their hand. Do it with pride and defiance. Because you have that freedom,’’ he said.

Today, we join the premier in saying #holdtheirhand.

We acknowledge this will not always be easy, but we hope this week’s apology will give strength and support to the many people, particularly young people, who deserve to be treated equally.

Being treated equally and with respect is a human right.

Nicole Ferrie, editor