Former Victorian Premier And Chairman Of Beyond Blue Jeff Kennett Doesn’t Want Dudes Touching Him At Airports
"I would prefer a woman."
Today’s instalment of Middle-Aged White Man Says Ill-Advised Thing Causing Mass Repulsion comes from Jeff Kennett: a former Victorian Premier and current chairman of depression and anxiety charity Beyond Blue.
Though he’s recently been spending his Twitter times fending off attacks from Mark Latham and discussing his involvement with the organisation at Mardi Gras, today, out of nowhere, he decided to share a nugget of wisdom about airport security.
Is it not discrimination that when u pass through security at airports in Australia men can only get checked by men? I would prefer a woman
— Jeff Kennett (@jeff_kennett) March 21, 2015
Now, just like that lady who casually dropped a Twitter bomb about AIDS then got on a plane to Africa, it seems as though he may be mid-air missing the predictable fall-out from his comment.
Is this — a light pat on the outside of a suit — some kind of intense thrill for him? Does he consider anything more than a firm handshake with a man far too confronting? Is this, his preference to brush bodies with a person of the opposite sex, really worth sacrificing the small peace of mind of Australian women — 42 percent of whom have recently experienced a random dude grabbing, groping, or touching them in a sexual manner without their consent?
In his absence, we have little to do but speculate.
This is an actual tweet by @jeff_kennett, the actual chairman of depression charity @beyondblue, in 2015. Depressing. pic.twitter.com/9ooAlVT3C6
— Lindsay McDougall (@doctormcdougall) March 21, 2015
It seems to me that @jeff_kennett is either being gross & pervy or gross & homophobic or both. pic.twitter.com/3N5Bv5o8AE
— Lauren Ingram (@laureningram) March 21, 2015
.@laureningram @jeff_kennett more importantly, conflating "discrimination" with "personal preference", quite a dizzy height of privilege
— All The Watermelon (@allthepie) March 21, 2015
But this is far from being Kennett’s first controversy. In his time as President of Hawthorn Football Club, he caused an enormous furore by supporting a smaller club’s decision to fire a trainer because he was gay. “It’s the same if you have a pedophile there,” he said.
He’s also faced criticism from LGBTIQ communities after speaking out against same-sex marriage and having a marked lack of Beyond Blue campaigns catering towards gay young people. After significant community backlash, including a Change.org petition from comedian Tom Ballard, the charity set a renewed focus on the issue.
More recently, Kennett’s spoken his mind about the hostages from the Sydney siege, condemning them for accepting paid TV interviews. And just this week he’s supported the controversial statement made by a Victoria Police homicide detective following the death of Masa Vukotic; Kennett expressed his distaste for the situation but maintained that women should not walk alone in parks.
Perhaps because of all this, people aren’t going easy on him with this latest gaffe.
Maybe Jeff Kennett just wants a woman to pat him down because they have smaller hands and he has a lot of crevasses.
— Anna Spargo-Ryan (@annaspargoryan) March 21, 2015
@jeff_kennett @ellehardytweets And why is it that only one airport security drone can cup my balls at a time? Seems unfair to the rest.
— Leslie Nassar (@leslienassar) March 21, 2015
@jeff_kennett women wouldn't prefer you jeff :(
— Tom Murphy (@Tom_Murphy_) March 21, 2015
@jeff_kennett @mrgrumpystephen I would prefer you. Is it not discrimination that I can't be publicly frisked by Jeff Kennett?
— Ben Pobjie (@benpobjie) March 21, 2015
"Maybe we would prefer someone else?" – @beyondblue board members. #jeffkennett
— Mikey Nicholson (@Mikey_Nicholson) March 21, 2015
Either this plane trip is longer than average, or Kennett’s sitting at the Melbourne Airport bar tentatively palming his iPhone, furiously muttering this under his breath:
