Woke me up before you Go-Go

Israel Folau is entitled to put out the begging bowl. Picture: AAP.

GoFundMe has taken a stand on inclusivity and anti-discrimination by booting out Israel Folau. Run that past us again.

The crowd-funding platform has pulled down the ditched footballer’s page after it sucked in around $700,000 in donations.

“We will be closing Israel Folau’s campaign and issuing full refunds to all donors,” the company said.

After a routine evaluation it concluded the campaign “violated its terms of service”. A GoFundMe spokeswoman said the company was “absolutely committed to the fight for equality for LGBTIQ+ people and fostering an environment of inclusivity. While we welcome GoFundMes engaging in diverse civil debate, we do not tolerate the promotion of discrimination or exclusion.”

Certainly there are moral questions about whether the wealthy Folau should draw on the less well-off for financial support of litigation he has chosen to pursue against Rugby Australia. His views about gay people are niche, repellent and divisive. They may be honestly held, in line with the teachings of his church, but they are out of step with mainstream Australia.

Yet Folau is entitled to put out the begging bowl. It’s a free country. People should be able to vote with their feet, open their wallets and show their solidarity with him. GoFundMe is a conduit, a means to an end, a digital utility if you like.

That’s how it appears to us, given it facilitates all kinds of campaigns, from the benign to malign. For some, this will be an instance of Folau’s martyrdom; they will double down in funding a cause that could be bankrolled out of a substantial three-code nest egg. Folau should offer thanks for GoFundMe’s snap decision. Straight to the woke hall of fame, folks.