NDIS provider Emeka Edwin-Nweze director of Neta Care, forced to apologise for gay comments on LinkedIn
A disability provider who likened being gay with mental illness is at the centre of a row on LinkedIn. See his video and how the online furore unfolded.
A boss of a disability service has apologised after his comments, where he likened being gay to having a mental illness, blew up on social media.
Emeka Edwin-Nweze director of Neta Care, which provides NDIS and aged care services for 1200 people, sparked fury after posting a deepfake video of Donald Trump making distasteful comments about gays and trans people on LinkedIn.
He later claimed he did not know the video contained comments about gay people, saying he posted it because there was a funny line about conspiracy theories.
But when questioned by a LinkedIn follower whether he thought being “gay” and “retarded” - words mentioned in the video - were one and the same, Mr Edwin-Nweze said he was not a medical professional but to him being gay was like a mental illness because it was “unnatural”.
Mr Edwin-Nweze, who is a married Christian with three children, was born in Sierra Leone, but grew up in Nigeria and Ghana, before moving to Australia when he was 15.
He served in the Royal Australian Air Force for seven years.
He said it was his right to hold personal beliefs that align with his faith, and defended his right to free speech.
After a number of LinkedIn users argued that being gay was not a choice or a mental illness, and others called for a boycott of his company, Mr Edwin-Nweze wrote, “The internet mob is coming for me. They want me cancelled, silenced, discredited. I say let them come.
“I hold personal beliefs that align with my faith and convictions, and I will be loud and proud about those every single day. I am entitled to my opinions like anyone else, and I have the right to free speech.”
On Friday, 48 hours after the row began, he released a four minute long video apology, with a statement which said, “I’ve recorded this message to address the comment I made that has hurt some people. I recognise that leadership is not about proving you’re right, it’s about ensuring those you serve don’t feel cast down.
“My apology does not erase my faith or my beliefs, it shows that I will not allow unnecessary hurt to stand in the way of the care, dignity, and respect I expect for everyone.
“I sincerely hope for those who have been hurt that you will accept my apology, and welcome all those who would like to engage and respectful conversation to reach out to me personally, even if you do disagree with me.”
He told this masthead in an interview that “actions were louder than words” and he had always treated and cared for people the same regardless of their sexual preference and he always would.
He also said that he believed that calls to boycott his company, which operates in Queensland and Tasmania, had already had an impact and he felt responsible for his 1200 clients and 500 staff.
He said he had also contacted his clients to reassure them they had not “become unsafe because I said something that was not acceptable”.
He said other members of the Board, of which he is chairman, had not asked him to resign his position due to the fallout.
Mr Edwin-Nweze’s apology was labelled as just “damage control” by several LinkedIn followers.
Ward Sheehan, who runs Ethical Tick, responded to his video saying, “Even in this apology, you’ve said you “stand by your beliefs.” That makes these words feel more like damage control than true accountability. An apology that continues to defend the same harmful views is not an apology — it’s a token gesture.”
