Never miss a thing. Sign up to HuffPost Australia’s weekly newsletter for the latest news, exclusives and guides to achieving the good life.
‘The Bachelor Australia’ star Locklan ‘Locky’ Gilbert has apologised for posting a bigoted social media post on an old Myspace account.
The current Bachelor, 31, shared an Aussie Pride meme in 2004 when he was a high school student in Perth.
The post shows a map of Australia with the slogan “F**k off, we’re full”, an anti-immigration and anti-refugee expression, and features the Southern Cross constellation.
While the star imagery may appear on one of three of the Australian flags, it has recently been radicalised and associated with right-wing nationalism.
Locky apologised for the post in a statement Friday to HuffPost.
“I am deeply sorry for the image I posted on MySpace over 14 years ago,” he said.
“I do not hold these views and I apologise for the offence I have caused.”
Channel 10 did not wish to make an official statement.
Among the 20 women on this season of ‘The Bachelor Australia’, there are several culturally diverse contestants, including Areeba Emmanuel, who previously said she is very proud to be representing her South Asian culture on the reality show and hopes she can set an example for others in her community.
“It was an honour to be the first Pakistani girl on The Bachelor and national TV,” the 25-year-old told The Liverpool City Champion.
The home loan officer from Sydney said many Pakistani women don’t audition for reality dating shows for various reasons.
“Girls from my country don’t really get to do something like this, or they don’t think they are good enough to do something like this,” she said.
“I want everyone to be inspired and motivated by me, and do whatever they want and not be scared about what ‘other people’ have to say.”
Last month, ‘Bachelor In Paradise’ contestant Niranga Amarasinghe encouraged people of colour to audition for dating shows.
“If you’re sitting on the fence and you’re a person of colour and not knowing whether you should do it or not, I highly recommend you do it because you’re going to have a lot of support behind you.”