Barely week into his new role as Perth’s Lord Mayor, media personality Basil Zempilas is facing controversy over throwaway remarks on trans-gender people that he made in the early morning radio talk show that he co- presents on 6PR.
His Wednesday morning comments which have drawn heavy fire from the LGBTQ community, were made in response to a story that a pregnant actress said that she would not reveal the sex of her child until it reached the age of 18.
Mr Zempilas said on air: “If you’ve got penis, mate, you’re a bloke. … If you’ve got a vagina, you’re a woman. Game over.”
He went on to offer a $100 voucher to any women with a penis to call the radio station.
In press conference held on Thursday Mr Zempilas apologised to trans-gender people and described the comments as “bad broadcasting.”
“For a brief moment at 5.25am I forgot I was Lord Mayor of Perth … It won’t happen again.”
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“I regret the comments I made, I know they are not helpful and not encouraging for people who wish to live their lives they wish to. I think everybody in Australia should be allowed to lives their lives the way they wish to.
“My comments I know are not helpful, they are hurtful and I regret them,” Mr Zemplias said in the press conference.
The city’s LGBTQ community reacted strongly to the Lord Mayor’s comments with a well know drag queen Scarlet Adams sharing a video dancing to a Lilly Allen song while tearing up a picture of Mr Zempilas.
Meanwhile, Retravision, the sponsor whose voucher was controversially offered by Mr Zempilas on Wednesday’s controversial show, distanced itself from the comments.