Tasmanian politicians have roundly condemned a gay hate letter targeting two developers based in the town of Penguin. The anonymous public notice appeared in letterboxes in the northwest town at the weekend, with developers Stephen Roche and Keith Westerby referring it to police. It suggested a planned apartment development by the pair would see an "influx" of "cashed up" Sydney gays. Speaking to Luke Sayer in the Mercury newspaper, Deputy Premier Steve Kons said there was no place for anti-gay propaganda being distributed. "I am appalled that some people appear to believe attacking another person's sexuality is a legitimate way to lobby public opinion," Mr Kons said. "It is cowardly and undermines the tolerant values that Tasmanian society holds dear." Tasmanian Greens deputy leader Nick McKim condemned the hate mail campaign, saying it was a cowardly and harmful attack which had no place in the 21st Century. "This cowardly attack has the potential to cause significant social harm, particularly for young gay and lesbian people on the northwest coast, and I condemn it in the strongest terms," Mr McKim. Liberals deputy leader Jeremy Rockliff said he was disgusted by the homophobic letter. "This form of material has far wider implications than just the individuals that the letter sets out to target," Mr Rockliff said. "Public statements of such prejudice can drive young gay people to substance abuse or suicidal behaviour leaving devastated families to pick up the pieces." Northwest counsellor and educator Jenny Archer, from support group Working It Out, said the organisation was disgusted someone's sexuality would be brought into a development debate. "Our wider concern is this type of homophobic propaganda has a major impact on gay and lesbian community as a whole," Ms Archer said. "Their family and friends are also impacted by this type of ignorance and they themselves are further alienated. "It shows we still need more community education and development in the North West." Ref: Mercury (m)