Rob Mills’ apology for allegedly homophobic photo met with praise
A PUBLIC apology by singer Rob Mills for a photo posted on social media that was deemed as homophobic by many has been met with praise on Twitter.
The singer, who rose to prominence in the first season of Australian Idol in 2003, posted a photo on Instagram after Saturday’s AFL Grand Final showing a Sydney Swans figurine in a bent-over position with a Hawthorn Hawks figurine behind it, in what appeared to be a gay sex act.
The image was captioned with “#hilarious” and “#criticssaidwhaaaaaat”.
The photo was almost immediately met with intense criticism on social media, with many accusing Mills of being homophobic.
There were also social media users who attacked the social media controversy over Mills’ photo, highlighting his long term advocacy for the LGBTI community and his vocal support for marriage equality.
In response, Mills — who has starred in stage musicals Grease and Wicked — posted a statement on his website on Sunday where he apologised “unreservedly” for the image:
The response to Mills’ apology was then mostly met with praise by many Twitter users, while others continued to defend him for not being homophobic to begin with:
How it’s done. Great, short, heartfelt words from @RobMillsyMills. Every little victory is a step closer to equality. http://t.co/PCSyIuLJGT
— Paul Kidd (@paulkidd) September 28, 2014
Good on him: TV host Rob Mills apologises after posting homophobic grand final picture http://t.co/r7x1VI0YSi via @DailyLifeAU
— Nareen Young (@nareenyoung) September 28, 2014
Everyone needs to calm down, @RobMillsyMills is NOT homophobic. He simply posted a tasteless and immature picture… AND he has apologised.
— Whatsername (@StephJohn16) September 29, 2014
@erinrileyau one of the better mea culpas I’ve seen. @RobMillsyMills gets the severity of his actions: http://t.co/QYtXpPrewU
— Mikey Nicholson (@Mikey_Nicholson) September 29, 2014
Rob Mills isn’t homophobic. He was in Wicked! Aka the gayest show on earth. That’d be like an atheist giving a sermon at church each Sunday.
— Joel Creasey (@joelcreasey) September 28, 2014
Are you f@#king kidding! @RobMillsyMills is the most un-homophobic straight man I know. And I’m a professional homosexual. #RIDICULOUS
— Steven Murphy (@StMurphy) September 28, 2014
@RobMillsyMills don’t sweat it mate, apology accepted :-)
— Les Mallett (@justabloke69) September 28, 2014
I think @RobMillsyMills‘s apology for the GF day picture he posted was terrific. Accepted responsibility, showed increased understanding.
— Jess McGuire (@jessmcguire) September 28, 2014
Seriously @RobMillsyMills is not homophobic, nor was the pic. He’s the loveliest guy and great friend of the gays. Ping @EmRusciano
— Michael James (@MichaelJames_TV) September 28, 2014
wow, have much more respect for @RobMillsyMills after that apology. Complete ownership of what he posted and the problem with it. #NotDouchy
— FansOfMichaelFalzon (@MFfans) September 28, 2014
Guys, Rob Mills is not homophobic. And if he is, he is very bad at spotting a man in drag. pic.twitter.com/H1UiPYmmdl
— Thomas Jaspers (@thomasjohn86) September 28, 2014
Thanks for finally writing about > Rob Mills
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Lego has come a long way since I was a kid.
Once again the prozac brigade rushes in… “everything’s fine in neverland…everyone needs to calm down…this guy is soooo gay friendly…” and the usual yippity yap when a celebrity throws an anti gay wobbly
like the boys in blue marching in gay parades…. so that must make them our friends now? even though this mob almost killed a young 18 year old guy last year at mardi gra
The image he tweeted was two leggo figures engaged in anal sex
How anyone could be so naive as to believe that homogenital sex as a symbol for 1 footy club taken it up the arse by another is not insulting couldnt be more insulting,
considering it is homogenital sex which most bigots including christians focus on to deny gay ppl. full rights. It is the gay sex act which is at the heart of every piece of criminal legislation both in the past and which is now on the books and being enacted in Brunei, Ghana, Uganda and nearly every muslim state in Africa…Look out of Australia and realise there is a huge homophobic world that is getting worse for some gay ppl. Antics like this are no joke…..they make light of homophobia..AND if I was a young questioning gay male teenager in a country town and “the only gay in the village” Id be depressed and suicidal if ppl.thought that me having sex for the first time was just a footy joke…NOT taking it like the big joke that it is most certainly not….
Great to see Rob Mills recognise entrenched homophobia with this admission of an error in tweeting that image. When I saw the image, I wondered what it was suppose to mean. Was it conflating anal sex with violence? Was it a statement about dominance in sport being like dominance in sex between men? Or was it simply a replication of imagery thoughtlessly taken from the homophobia of sporting discourse? Or was it something else?
It is honourable of Mills to apologise and it is also reasonable that the image and tweeting of it was questioned. This is a bigger issue than the erroneous allegation that one person is a ‘homophobe’. It is about how masculinity and sexuality are constructed and perceived and the right of everyone to participate in sport without fear because of their sexuality or gender.