71-year-old Australian Peter Roberts had to “hack” his wife’s Facebook account to respond to a bigoted politician’s outrageous statements, but respond he did. And the internet wildly approves.
After conservative MP George Christensen spewed homophobia all over his Facebook page after Queensland lowered the age of consent for anal sex, Roberts was so incensed he had to say something. After all, Roberts’ son is gay.
“So the State Labor government just made it legal for 50 year old men to have sex with 16 year old boys,” Christensen wrote in the soundly condemned posting. “I don’t ever recall having a constituent advocate for the anal sex age of consent to be lowered nor have I ever seen a petition or protest on this issue. Where are the State Government’s priorities at? And do we really want 16 year old boys being preyed upon by much older men for what is now legal sex?”
Roberts, a constituent of Christensen’s, took to the comments section of the post to let the politician have it – and warned his wife would have been harsher if she was the one responding.
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“A few Anzac years ago you bought me a beer, as a 20 plus veteran with two tours of Vietnam. if you did it now I would tip the bloody thing over your head,” Roberts wrote. “The typical homophobic, they must be pedophiles. So it is alright for old men like me to try and find a younger women but not a Gay man. I have a GAY SON who I am so proud of what he has achieved in his life. His condition, or what you want to call it, came from my Father’s ancestry, so I have passed it on to him. he should have the same rights as I have to Marry, to adopt if he and his partner wants to and not have clowns like you who live in the past helping to run this country and make decision for us and him. If you decide to come to the Reef Gateway Hotel at Cannonvale for an Anzac Day please ask for me. 18201 Warrant Officer Second Class Peter Roberts. I have hacked my wife’s facebook for this as she probably would be harsher.”
Robert’s son, Dale Roberts, posted a screenshot of the comment to Twitter and things took off for the elderly Australian.
“Dad is by no means public with his politics. And definitely not on social media. He’s 71 and doesn’t have his own account,” Dale told BuzzFeed News. “He’s very quietly supportive of me (he met my partner for first time recently at mum and dad’s 40th wedding anniversary), I think he’s just frustrated that we don’t have the same rights and opportunities he does.”
“I think dad’s post and the reason it’s gone off is because people can relate to the frustration with it all, marriage equality can happen immediately,” he said. “Let’s get it done and treat all Australian people and families the same.”
My dad is a Nats supporter in Dawson – last night he wrote this on George Christensen's page 👍👍👍 #marriageequality pic.twitter.com/IVsYNnG9Ni
— Dale Roberts (@ozdale) September 17, 2016
