Disgraced former Wallaby Israel Folau has been condemned for his decision to launch a GoFundMe seeking millions of dollars to fight his upcoming court battle with Rugby Australia.
Many have criticised the millionaire athlete for drawing attention away from other worthy causes. Now, a rival funding campaign is seeking to address this.
Yesterday, Ryan Carter set up his own GoFundMe as a direct response to Folau’s, seeking $100,000 in donations to support the community group Black Rainbow.
Black Rainbow describes itself as Australia’s first and only advocacy group and suicide prevention platform for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who identify as LGBTQI.
Carter said that Folau’s recent homophobic remarks risk inciting “even further hatred and discrimination against an already marginalised community.”
“What Folau fails to understand is the difference between holding a personal religious belief and publicly denouncing LGBTQI+ people,” he wrote.
“Such public homophobic remarks cause major distress to LGBTQI+ Australians, and increase the likelihood of discrimination and real-life prejudice.”
The campaign has so far raised close to $7000, and will hopefully raise more over the weekend. Carter has urged Aussies to share it with friends and families to help support marginalised people.
“I believe most Australians want the best for each other,” he wrote. “When our mates are down, we rally together and help them out.”
Instead of helping a millionaire raise several million dollars to get back his job worth millions, you could donate to support Black Rainbow, whose work supports LGBTIQ Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders at risk of mental distress and suicide 💖https://t.co/7qa3LEPabw
— Sally Rugg (@sallyrugg) June 22, 2019
