Geoff Shaw labelled “poofter bastard” at Liberal Party fundraiser
A fundraising event for the Liberal Party hosted by Victorian Premier Denis Napthine has seen independent Frankston MP Geoff Shaw ridiculed as a “poofter bastard” by a comedian in front of more than 300 guests.
Guests in attendance responded well to the comedy sketch denigrating Shaw, despite the Victorian Government relying on the former Liberal MP’s support in parliament.
Premier Napthine has not condemned the sketch, but said the Liberal Party had nothing to do with writing it. Outspoken LGBTI rights advocate and Liberal MP Clem Newton-Brown spoke at the dinner, but has also failed to condemn the comments.
Comedian Nick Giannopoulos made the comments, and has denied they were homophobic in the context of the sketch, delivered by an alter ego based on his mother. He argued his mother would use the term “poofter bastard” without knowing what it meant.
Shaw outraged the LGBTI community in 2011 when he compared homosexuality to paedophilia in a letter to a 19-year-old gay constituent.
It is a shame the LNP want to laugh at the language haters use before the punches start. What next, nigga and abo thrown in for the next gag?
Interesting. Shaw compared homosexuality to paedophilia a couple of years ago – an idiotic and uninformed comparison; now a comedian does a skit in which an alter ego (the comedian’s mother) refers to that same Shaw as a “poofter bastard” – a label that would make Shaw cringe and is idiotic. Are we supposed to condemn the joke even though its underlying message was that bigoted comments arise out of ignorance and should be ridiculed? I think we can let this one slide.