Gay Olympian Amini Fonua Has Words for the Grindr-in-Rio Journalist
Francois Xavier Marit/AFP/Getty Images
The queer internet was dominated on Thursday by backlash to Nico Hines’ exploitative Daily Beast story on athletes’ use of sex apps in Rio de Janeiro, with condemnation from LGBTQ press-watchers (including us here at Outward) being universal. But, likely for reasons relating to safety and focus, we’ve heard relatively little from the athletes themselves. That changed Thursday afternoon when Amini Fonua, an Olympic swimmer and gay man representing Tonga at the Rio Games, let fly a tweetstorm that powerfully captures the damage this story will cause.
As an out gay athlete from a country that is still very homophobic, @thedailybeast ought to be ashamed #deplorable https://t.co/qzS9rDFJwx
— Amini Fonua (@AminiFonua) August 11, 2016
@NicoHines You fucking disgust me. Do you realize how many people's lives you just ruined without any good reason but clickbait journalism?
— Amini Fonua (@AminiFonua) August 11, 2016
@NicoHines Some of these people you just outed are my FRIENDS. With family and lives that are forever going to be affected by this
— Amini Fonua (@AminiFonua) August 11, 2016
@NicoHines Seriously fuck off with your str8 white male privilege preying on closeted people who can't live in their truth yet. U ruin us
— Amini Fonua (@AminiFonua) August 11, 2016
@NicoHines must think it's really fucking funny that he can do this shit without any consequences and go home to his family & kids unscathed
— Amini Fonua (@AminiFonua) August 11, 2016
@thedailybeast & @NicoHines don't realize this drags us gays in sports back 10 steps. You invaded both privacy & people's truth. Fuck you!!!
— Amini Fonua (@AminiFonua) August 11, 2016
Imagine the one space you can feel safe, the one space you're able to be yourself, ruined by a straight person who thinks it's all a joke?
— Amini Fonua (@AminiFonua) August 11, 2016
@NicoHines & @thedailybeast 1 of the guys you just outed is only 18 years old... I was 18 once & nowhere near ready to come out, fuck you.
— Amini Fonua (@AminiFonua) August 11, 2016
No straight person will ever know the pain of revealing your truth, to take that away is just... I can't. It literally brings me to tears 😭😭
— Amini Fonua (@AminiFonua) August 11, 2016
It is still illegal to be gay in Tonga, and while I'm strong enough to be me in front of the world, not everybody else is. Respect that.
— Amini Fonua (@AminiFonua) August 11, 2016
As of 5:30 p.m., the article was still posted on the Daily Beast site.
Update, 9:18 p.m.: Later on Thursday, the Daily Beast took down the piece entirely.
Update, 11:25 p.m.: The Daily Beast has also published an apology.