Mark Latham responds to homophobic tweet against Alex Greenwich as fallout continues

Mark Latham doubled down on his stance and refused to apologize for a since-deleted homophobic tweet about a fellow New South Wales politician.

One Nation NSW leader broke his silence on Saturday over a despicable post he made about openly gay Independent MP Alex Greenwich.

“Sometimes in public life when you get rid of insults, they come back to you stronger and truer… So, Alex Greenwich,” he told The Saturday Telegraph.

His comment comes two days after he posted the offensive tweet in which he crudely referred to same-sex intercourse.

Mr Latham launched the tweet after Greenwich called him a ‘disgusting human being’ for attending a rally where Christians clashed with LGBTQ activists outside St Michaels Church in Belfield, southwest Sydney, on March 21.

‘gross? How does it compare to sticking a d*** up a bloke’s a*** and covering it up with an s***? wrote Mr. Latham.

Latham removed the tweet after the backlash, but made another cryptic post on Friday that read, “Never apologise, never explain.”

The post was subsequently deleted with Mr Latham remaining silent on the matter before finally issuing a statement two days after posting the homophobic tweet.

Latham chose to continue his attack on Greenwich.

He said, “When he calls someone a repulsive human being for attending a church-hall meeting, the attention may be turned to some of his habits.”

Mr Latham explained why he deleted the tweet although he did not apologize for posting it.

“The Greenwich goes to schools and talks to kids about being gay,” he said.

“I didn’t want to be accused of anything similar, leaving this kind of content on my social media.”

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Mr Latham and Mr Greenwich for comment.

NSW Environment Minister Penny Sharp was the latest to join the group, saying the tweet was ‘totally unacceptable’ and renewing calls for Mr Latham to apologize.

“Mark Latham and his behavior over the past two days are totally unacceptable,” Sharp said.

It has no place in New South Wales. It has no place in New South Wales politics. It has no place in our society.

Late on Friday, Mr Latham tweeted “never apologise, never explain” in response to a homophobic tweet that sparked widespread condemnation and prompted New South Wales Premier Chris Minns to call him a “bigot”.

“I think these are despicable and disgraceful comments and I think (Mr Latham) has revealed himself to be a bigot,” the prime minister said on Friday.

Means said Greenwich was an “extraordinarily effective” politician who “managed to elevate the conversation and make significant changes in the state.”

One thing that can’t be forgotten is that comments like this, while horrible in themselves, unleash ghouls on people like Alex.

This is not what we need in public life.

“There should be unequivocal global condemnation of these comments,” he said.

Parliament is currently unable to discipline Mr Latham, Sharp said, as he used a loophole in the Senate system that would allow him to resign as an MP before the state election and re-contest his seat.

Mr Latham is due to return to Parliament during the next session with an eight-year term.

“The best thing Mr Latham could do is apologize to Mr Greenwich,” Sharp said.

That’s what we want him to do today.

Let’s see as to what happens after the button is pressed on the Senate ballot on April 20.

One Nation’s federal leader Pauline Hanson, and Conservative commentators Ray Hadley and Andrew Bolt also criticized Mr Latham on Twitter.

Transport Minister Jo Hylen also called the tweet disgusting, and said she did not think the NSW One Nation leader was up to his job.

“Of course he should apologize but it’s Mark Latham. I don’t think anyone should hold their breath.

Personally, I do not think he is fit to hold public office.

The famous Sydney MP told reporters the homophobic attack caused Greenwich to cry briefly on Thursday.

Obviously, this was painful for me. I cried a little late yesterday evening by the end of the day.

“After being at this party for a decade and being re-elected, I didn’t think I would still be subjected to homophobic abuse.”

However, Greenwich declined Mr Latham’s call to apologize or resign.

“I don’t want to give him another box of soap to pretend to be a victim when he seeks to hurt people.”