POLITICAL activist and prominent social conservative, Lyle Shelton launched his book 'I Kid You Not' - Notes from 20 years in the Trenches of the Culture Wars to a small COVID-19 friendly audience at Cleveland.
Mr Shelton who works part-time in Oodgeroo MP Mark Robinson's office is known for his stance on same-sex marriages and serving the Australian Christian Lobby for 10 years, including five years as its leader.
For more than 20 years he has taken part in Australia's culture wars first as an elected member of the Toowoomba City Council through to his time as a Queensland Senate candidate with Cory Bernardi's Australian Conservatives.
During the 2017 same-sex marriage plebiscite he was a director and spokesperson for the No campaign.
It was these 20 years that motivated Mr Shelton to pen his autobiography, in the hope of inspiring a new generation of political activists.
"I've seen over years, good people who know better but don't stand up for what they believe in as it is easier to swim with the crowd," he said.
LNP Senator Amanda Stoker described Mr Shelton as the brave voice of all that was unfashionable.
He has the courage to speak up, he confronts taboo. He offers a reality check for people and provides a voice of common sense.
- Senator Amanda Stoker
The book begins with a chapter on the bombing of the ACL headquarters in Canberra in 2016.
'I Kid You Not' - Notes from 20 years in the Trenches of the Culture Wars outlines social issues in Australia including the regulation of prostitution in 1999.
Mr Shelton reflects on his time serving on the Toowoomba City Council and having to vote locally on the issue.
"Councillors didn't stand up and vote against it," he said.
Mr Shelton said during research for his book, he had spoken to a woman about her experience as a sex worker.
He said her life was nothing like she had been promised by the government.
The book touches on contentious issues like pornography, abortion, euthanasia, climate change and has three chapters dedicated to the same-sex marriage campaign.
"I wrote the book to give insight to how we think and I hope to inspire a new generation of political activists," he said.