 He grew up gay in Far North Queensland and experienced many of the negative attitudes of those in his community towards lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people, including once being beaten up in Charters Towers, the town where he grew up, because of his sexuality.This left an indelible mark on Carl's character, and contributed to him becoming an activist.In an interview, Carl once described his fear as a same-sex attracted young person in Northern Queensland