Tue 28 May 2013 In: New Zealand Daily News View at Wayback View at NDHA
Fletcher Mills Just as the Government launches fresh moves against cyber-bullying, homophobic abuse being levelled at an X Factor contestant and the show’s male judges shows just how rife it is in New Zealand. Wild Card Fletcher Mills, 17, whose girlfriend accompanied him to his successful audition, is being called a ‘faggot’ and a ‘homo’ by people unhappy with his progress in the competition. One person, Luke Parker, has even written on Mills’ Facebook page: “Ha gay kill yourself”. The show’s male judges Stan Walker and Daniel Bedingfield, who also both have girlfriends, are also the subject of homophobic abuse all over Twitter and Facebook. One of the key objectives in the Government’s new suicide action plan is to use social media to prevent suicide. It includes a trial initiative to “monitor and respond to suicide contagion on social media sites during a suicide cluster,” and “Ensure information, tools and resources on good cyber citizenship and reducing cyber-bullying continue to be available to schools, parents and young people.”
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Tuesday, 28th May 2013 - 2:53pm