Brisbane four-piece Cub Sport have responded to a string of “awful”, homophobic and insensitive comments which have been left on their Facebook page.
Yesterday afternoon, the band’s Tim Nelson, who is currently in a relationship with his bandmate Sam Netterfield, posted a status to the Cub Sport Facebook page which read, “It’s 2017, it’s not cool to call things ‘retarded’ or ‘gay’.”
Since then, the post has been flooded by both negative and positive comments, but the negative ones definitely stand out. Here’s just a selection, to get a taste of the hateful vibes:
In a statement, Nelson has now explained that he wrote the initial post “to bring attention to the common and damaging use of slurs”.
“A lot of decent people say these words without realising how much it can hurt others,” Nelson says. “I was guilty of it for years and I was so appreciative when it was pointed out to me that it isn’t okay – I wanted to do the same for others.”
Responding to the comments left on the post, Nelson says, “There has been an overwhelming amount of support and love being shared which is so encouraging to see. There have also been some really awful comments that have been hard to read (at times coming from grown adults and directed at young teens).
“We’re choosing not to let these redundant comments affect us, but rather to serve as a reminder of how important it is to speak up and support the people whose voices aren’t being heard. It’s more important now than ever. The standard you walk past quietly is the standard you accept.”
Nelson also apologises to anyone who was hurt by the comments they saw on the post.
“Remember that there are countless people who love you for who you are and you deserve nothing less than absolute respect,” he says. “There’s a long way to go, but we will not stop.”
Read Tim Nelson’s full statement, below.
For help or information regarding mental health, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636.
Watch: Cub Sport – ‘Come On Mess Me Up’
Tim Nelson (Cub Sport) Statement
I wrote yesterday’s post to bring attention to the common and damaging use of slurs. A lot of decent people say these words without realising how much it can hurt others. I was guilty of it for years and I was so appreciative when it was pointed out to me that it isn’t okay – I wanted to do the same for others. There has been an overwhelming amount of support and love being shared which is so encouraging to see. There have also been some really awful comments that have been hard to read (at times coming from grown adults and directed at young teens). We’re choosing not to let these redundant comments affect us, but rather to serve as a reminder of how important it is to speak up and support the people whose voices aren’t being heard. It’s more important now than ever. The standard you walk past quietly is the standard you accept. To anybody who has been hurt by commenters on our post – sorry you’ve encountered this on our page. Remember that there are countless people who love you for who you are and you deserve nothing less than absolute respect. There’s a long way to go, but we will not stop.
