Alex Greenwich MP speaks publicly for the first time about impact of homophobic tweet saga

This Sydney MP has stripped off for a racy magazine shoot, revealing a super-fit new physique - and he looks like a totally different person.

Alex Greenwich has spoken publicly for the first time about the impact on his mental health that was triggered by an explicit and homophobic tweet posted by Mark Latham back in 2023.

The independent Sydney MP, 44, opened up to Australian gay magazine DNA about the devastating ordeal, which saw him question his ability to continue his parliamentary career.

The primary tweet, which the Federal Court found had defamed Mr Greenwich, was posted on March 30, 2023. It marked the beginning of a lengthy period of online abuse and hate mail, including death threats.

Greenwich spoke publicly for the first time about the challenges of the last couple of years, sparked by Mark Latham’s tweet. Picture: Christian Scott/DNA Magazine.

“When I see the binders and binders of evidence of all the hate I’ve received, whether it’s social media posts, emails to my office, voice messages that my office received, or physical mail that was sent to me, it feels like being buried in an avalanche of hate. I found that to be suffocating,” Greenwich told DNA.

Alex circa 2017... Picture: AAP Image/Lukas Coch

The new-look Alex strips off for DNA. Picture: Christian Scott/DNA Magazine.

As his mental health spiralled, Mr Greenwich was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and eventually turned to medical cannabis to help treat his condition.

“When I got that diagnosis, I found that both confronting and comforting, because that told me that what I’d been feeling is real, that there is a name for it, and that it’s also something that I can seek to manage and seek treatment for,” he explained.

“ … The thing with PTSD is that it’s not always present; there are things that trigger it, and it manifests in a variety of ways. Some days I’m great and I’m effective and I get sh** done, and I can be really motivated.

Alex Greenwich MP : “I have a great personal trainer.” Picture: Christian Scott/DNA Magazine.

“But then there are other days where I break into tears and won’t be able to sleep, and where my emotions will be completely deregulated, or I have full-on panic attacks where I can’t breathe and start sweating, or have nightmares and a really heightened sense of anxiety.”

Along with the medicinal cannabis, Mr Greenwich gave his physical health a major overhaul.

“Another part of managing my PTSD has been doing a lot of exercise, and that has really helped,” he told DNA.

“I have a great personal trainer. I’ve been doing Barry’s [Bootcamp] classes with friends, and being active and doing physical activities has really helped.

“Knowing that I’m going to do a photo shoot to go with this interview has also been a great motivator to go to the gym, which in turn helps me with my brain and my PTSD, which has been really good for me.”

The full interview and shoot with Greenwich is in this month’s DNA magazine. Picture: Christian Scott/DNA Magazine.

Greenwich has undergone an intense fitness regime in recent years. Picture: John Appleyard

Greenwich added that his fitness journey had helped flip the narrative from the negativity of his ordeal.

Greenwich was a key figure during Australia’s marriage equality campaign. Picture: Troy Snook/News Corp

“Because of the tweet and the torrent of abuse I received, I felt disgusted by myself at

times,” he told DNA.
“So I want to focus on health and well-being and feeling good about ourselves. In the lead-up to doing this interview and the photo shoot with Christian, it’s been nice to have people come up to me and say, ‘Oh Alex, you’re looking really healthy,’ rather than saying, ‘How’s it going with Latham?’ I wanted to go to DNA because its own history resonated with me, given what I had been through in the past two and a half years.”

Originally published as Alex Greenwich MP speaks publicly for the first time about impact of homophobic tweet saga