TV

Hey, Channel 10, It’s Not OK To Give Homophobes A Platform Just To Boost Ratings

Why are we giving a platform to someone who believes gay people are "confusing to society"?

by Patrick Lenton  29 January 2018
I'm A Celebrity Get me Out Of Here

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Semi-famous punching man Anthony Mundine has been announced as an intruder on Channel Ten’s I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here!, and it looks like people really do want him out of there.

The problem is not so much Mundine’s questionable celebrity status, but rather the fact that he’s been cast because of his tendency to express homophobic and misogynist views. It’s a transparently sneaky play for controversy ratings by the show’s producers.

It’s not only cheap, but it’s damn insulting to the communities of people he preaches intolerance towards.

Who Is Anthony Mundine?

Mundine is an Australian professional boxer and former rugby league player, who was named Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Person of the Year in 2000. He’s also well known for his controversial opinions and outright intolerance.

In 2013, after his conversion to Islam, he made waves for his comments that Indigenous culture and homosexuality don’t mix:

“Watching [TV show] redfern now & they promoting homosexuality! (Like it’s ok in our culture) that ain’t in our culture & our ancestors would have there head for it! Like my dad told me GOD made ADAM & EVE not Adam & Steve [sic]”, he said on Facebook.

Gays “Confusing To Society”

After being announced as the 10th contestant on I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here! (joining Shannon Noll, Bernard Tomic and 80s pop-star Tiffany) Mundine was interviewed by The Sydney Morning Herald, and he took the chance to double down on his particular brand of homophobia:

“I was always taught that two genders together is natural; it’s what’s meant to be. Male and male, or female and female, is just confusing to society.”

Importantly, the SMH article concludes with a disclaimer that Channel 10 paid for the journalist to fly to South Africa, and that’s how he was able to interview Mundine.

He was also quick to point out that he has “no problems” with gay individuals, and that he in fact has a gay friend.

“That’s their prerogative, all I can do is warn them,” he said. “I always tell my gay friend, ‘You’ve got to find a lady … god will judge you, not me.”

What a fun friendship.

Don’t Give Hate A Platform

As objectionable as his views are, it’s the fact that he’s being cast on a huge reality TV show by a major Australia television network that’s truly repellant and insulting.

Giving a podium to Mundine to spout hate speech is an irresponsible move for the show, especially when considering the recent scrutiny the LGBTIQ+ community suffered throughout the hugely harmful marriage equality postal survey.

We’ve already seen that giving a platform to these sorts of comments aren’t just objectionable, but can have a real life impact on mental health and suicide rates amongst LGBTIQ+ communities, especially young and regional queers.

We can’t stop Mundine from having his private views, where they will presumably only affect his one gay friend, but Channel 10 can stop him from reaching millions of people via its platform.

What’s also shitty is that besides their responsibility to a marginalised portion of society, we know exactly why Channel 10 has decided to cast the outspoken sportsman — outrage and controversy views. It’s entirely because he holds polarising views on subjects that divide and upset people that he’s been included in the show.

“The media have made me out to be a villain,” says the champion boxer in the interview, seemingly unaware that he’s being cast again into the villain role on I’m A Celebrity. Mundine neatly fits into the controversy slot designed to generate discussion and publicity. He’s being played for the format, and he probably doesn’t realise it, because he thinks it’s ok to dislike homosexual people.

It’s similar to the controversy generated when Channel Nine cast an outspoken misogynist named Dean on its reality show, Married at First Sight.

In a promo for the show, he is quoted saying: “I like a girl that is a girl,” says Dean. “She’s girly, and knows that I’m the man and I’m in charge. Also I want someone that listens to me. I wanna be the alpha male. She needs to respect me as the man. I think that’s a traditional role that still exists in a lot of other countries in the world, and Australia’s kind of lost that.”

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There is only one reason to put a person like that on a marriage show, and that’s to cause ultimate drama on the screen. But in a society where Destroy the Joint counted 49 Australian women killed by their partner in 2017, it’s more than unethical to put that sort of sentiment on screen, it’s irresponsible.

The networks are essentially weaponising hate speech to provoke a reaction — they know that most people won’t agree with Mundine. In fact, they’re relying on it to generate publicity and ratings, and to help create a villain narrative.

It would almost be more acceptable if we thought these shows DID actually believe that gay people and women (literally the target audience of every reality TV show) were inferior — instead they’re making a cynical and irresponsible grab for views that throws great swathes of their audience under the bus to get them.

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Patrick Lenton is a staff writer at Junkee, writer and author. He Tweets @patricklenton