Australian Idol singer apologises for ‘homophobic’ gay football joke
Australian singer Rob Mills has apologised, after posting a “homophobic” gay sex joke after a football match.
Following the Australian Football League final between the Hawthorn Hawks and Sydney Swans, Mills posted a picture on Instagram of a Swans toy figurine bent over in front of a Hawks figure.
The joke was thought to be a reference to the homophobic chant ‘Sydney take it up the a**e’ sometimes levelled at the team.
However, Mills issued an apology after Twitter users complained that the joke was “homophobic”.
He said in a statement: “I apologise unreservedly for the photo I tweeted yesterday – it was immature and inappropriate.
“In the excitement of celebrating the Hawks Grand Final win, I didn’t think about the homophobic implications of the image.
“This incident probably shows how entrenched inadvertent homophobia is in our culture.
“As a long-time supporter of the rights of Australia’s gay community, it’s not good enough and I’m ashamed if I have contributed to it, even in a small way.”
The singer, who was a finalist in the first series of Australian Idol, recently performed in the Australian tour of Grease.
