Swifts star apologises for online transgender comment
By Billie Eder
NSW Swifts Super Netball shooter Samantha Wallace-Joseph has apologised for a social media post about transgender people and said any upset it has caused the LGBTQ+ community was unintentional.
Wallace-Joseph shared an Instagram headline which insinuated US President Joe Biden had declared Easter Sunday as Transgender Day of Visibility, adding the comment: “The disrespect is crazy. Don’t play with GOD.”
Swifts shooter Sam Wallace-Joseph.Credit: Getty
March 31 has been celebrated as Transgender Day of Visibility since 2009, with Biden issuing a proclamation around the day each year since becoming president. That date fell on Easter Sunday this year, angering many who accused the president of co-opting a Christian holiday to promote trans rights.
Wallace-Joseph, a Trinidad and Tobago international, met with Swifts officials about the issue on Tuesday and released a joint statement with the club late on Tuesday night.
“It was not my intention to upset and disrespect anybody and whilst I feel my post was taken out of context, I didn’t say what I meant clearly,” she said.
“I did not wish to cause any offence to members of the transgender community, and it is clear that I have and for that, I am sorry.”
Swifts executive general manager Kath Tetley said the club was committed to “being a safe and inclusive space for all”.
“We are also committed to the ongoing education required to ensure there is a common understanding among all of the cultures and communities that make up the Swifts,” she said.
Netball Australia is still investigating whether the post breached the sport’s code of conduct, which specifically states, “participants must not mix the professional and personal use of social media in ways that could bring NA, the game of netball, an SSN club or MO into disrepute”.
The sport’s governing body and the league issued a joint statement on Tuesday afternoon which read: “Late yesterday the Suncorp Super Netball League became aware of a social media post by NSW Swifts player Samantha Wallace-Joseph which caused hurt to members of the transgender community.
“Netball Australia and the Suncorp Super Netball League are committed to embracing diversity and ensuring the sport is welcoming and safe for everyone who wants to participate, including members of the LGBTIQA+ community.
“The Suncorp Super Netball League is closely working with the NSW Swifts in relation to the sport’s code of conduct.”
An initial statement from the Swifts on Monday said the “views expressed in the post are not shared by the club” and that they remained “committed to ongoing education of issues of social importance and commentary”.
Wallace-Joseph was the Swifts’ leading goalscorer in 2021, with 585 goals for the season and a 93 per cent accuracy.
However, the 30-year-old has been sidelined for more than 700 days after she injured her ACL, MCL and meniscus in the opening round of the 2022 season.
She is due to return to elite competition when the Swifts play their first game of the season on April 14 on the Sunshine Coast.
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