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 A DJ from Brisbane’s Nova 106.9 FM has expressed remorse for several instances of trans ridicule on the station which have led to complaints being lodged with the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) and the Anti-Discrimination Commission Queensland (ADCQ).
Posting on the Queensland Pride website, Nova DJ Meshel Laurie said she was sorry for her involvement in the jokes, and her subsequent attack on trans activist Robyn Whittaker, who she labelled “humourless” and “reactionary”. In a significant back flip, Laurie admitted that she had been trying to get cheap laughs at the expense of the trans community. “I can’t really cope with anyone suggesting that I am in any way homophobic so I lashed out at my accuser (Whittaker) rather than considering that I may have lost my judgement while trying to get a cheap laugh,” she wrote. “I really am so sorry for hurting the feelings of members of the transgender community for whom I have great respect. I am genuinely sorry for the whole thing.” Queensland Pride subsequently confirmed with Laurie that the apology was indeed written by her. Robyn Whittaker said she was pleased to see Laurie apologise but said a more appropriate and meaningful apology would be made directly to her, rather than posted on a website. She added that the station should also apologise on air and publicly refute its ridicule of trans people. “It would be nice if Meshel actually apologised to me, rather than posting a comment elsewhere, but I am pleased to see that she’s apologised in some form,” Whittaker told Queensland Pride. “This case is not just about me, though – what about the thousands of other people who heard the [transphobic] broadcasts? Will they have read this apology on the Queensland Pride website or even know about it? Most of them wouldn’t. So I still really believe the station needs to apologise on air, just like the jokes were made on air on at least three separate occasions and heard by thousands of people. “When or if they do this, I will consider the matter closed, not before.” Laurie’s apology comes as ACMA confirmed it had accepted complaints made about the broadcasts on October 26, November 3 and November 9 last year, which included poking fun at female-to-male transsexual Chaz Bono (son of pop star Cher) for wearing polo shirts, and a skit involving Brisbane Broncos player Ben Te’o, who told of paying “trannies” six dollars to make them “go away” in a bar. ACMA will now determine whether the station broke any broadcasting codes of practice. Queensland Pride understands that the ADCQ has accepted a separate complaint about the broadcasts, and will now consider whether Nova has breached the Queensland Anti-Discrimination Act 1991.
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