L-R: Australian sports stars Casey Conway and Anthony Mundine (Photo: Instagram / Channel 10)
Australian, gay sporting legend Casey Conway has critisized boxer Anthony Mundine for his controversial comments about LGBTI people.
Champion boxer Mundine has been taking part in the Australian version of TV show I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here. However, comments he has made around gay people have caused controversy. Yesterday, he quit the TV show and left the jungle. On leaving, he again talked to reporters about his views.
He described homosexuality as ‘wrong’ and implied it deserved ‘capital punishment’. Conway, a former rugby league player turned model, hit back saying ‘his comments should be condemned.’
Part of Mundine’s argument related to his indigenous Australian heritage and culture, in which he says homosexuality deserves ‘capital punishment or death.’
The boxer said, ‘if you are going to be gay, do it behind closed doors, that is how it used to be.’
Conway has taken to Twitter to fire back at Mundine directly, saying ‘using our culture as a basis for his harmful opinions is disgraceful.’
He blasted the 42-year old telling him he needed to ‘educate himself.’
This isn’t the first time Mundine has used his indigenous culture as an argument for homophobia. In 2013 he accused the ABC series Redfern Now of, ‘promoting homosexuality.’
Replying to Mundine’s latest comments, Conway said ‘women and LGBTI people are your equal Anthony, you’re not better than anyone.’
‘Enough is enough’
In an interview with news.com.au Conway expanded on Mundine’s ‘frustrating’ comments: ‘For some reason, he seems to be hung up on attacking the LGBTI and enough is enough. His opinions on the LGBTI community, as well as women, have no place in society.’
Currently an ambassador for the organisation Black Rainbow, Conway is passionate about challenging stereotypes and prejudice toward the indigenous and LGBTI communities. He believes that comments such as Mundine’s can be dangerous.
He says, ‘we know that the opinions of prominent figures within the indigenous community greatly impact young people. Opinions such as Mundine’s can have a devastating impact on a person and their community.’
After spending less than two weeks on the Channel 10 show I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! Mundine quit yesterday. Explaining his decision, he said his children needed him and he was missing his family.
Black Rainbow are an organisation that works with young indigenous LGBTI people to reduce the rate of self-harm and suicide.
