The federal opposition leader was forced to defend his support of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, The Canberra Times reported on this 30 years ago.
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Then Liberal leader John Hewson accused socially conservative elements in the Coalition of immaturity and un-Christian attitudes in the wake of attacks levelled in response to of his support for the Mardi Gras.
Dr Hewson said that no "true Liberal" would discriminate against homosexuals.
Dr Hewson's comments came after Chris Miles, the chairman of the Lyons Forum, which was a group of conservative Christian MPs, got about 90 signatures from Labor and Liberal members to protest the ABC showing edited highlights of the Sydney Mardi Gras at 8.30pm on Sunday.
Mr Miles and the Lyons Forum secretary John Bradford then protested at Dr Hewson sending, along with prime minister Paul Keating and Liberal premier John Fahey, a message of support to Mardi Gras organisers.
The then-opposition leader suggested the petition was tactic deployed by members of his party who were angling for John Howard to become the leader.
"You can't become politically astute by going around discriminating against particular groups," he said in 1994.
"If you look at the reality of Australia today you've got to recognise diversity.
"There is also a Christian streak to this debate ... God didn't say 'God so loved the world excluding homosexuals, or God so loved the world excluding two-income families', or whatever."