July 28 (Openly) - A video of a female lawmaker wearing a garbage bag to protest what she called "rubbish" comments on her clothes has gone viral in Australia and drawn support from across the political spectrum.
In it Nicolle Flint of the ruling Liberal Party asks whether people are "sick of sexist garbage" before calling out a columnist who commented on her appearance and opens her coat to reveal the plastic sack.
Radio host Peter Goers wrote about Flint's "vast wardrobe of blazers, coats and tight, black, ankle-freezing trousers and stiletto heels" in his Sunday newspaper column.
"I've put up with a lot as a woman in politics," said Flint, the member of parliament for Boothby in South Australia, in the video, which been viewed more than 220,000 times since it was posted to Twitter and Facebook on Monday.
Sick of sexist garbage?
— Nicolle Flint MP (@NicolleFlint) July 27, 2020
I am, which is why I’m calling out @abcadelaide’s Peter Goers rubbish views about my appearance, published in yesterday's @theTiser Sunday Mail.
It’s time women in public life are judged on what they stand for, not what they look like. #GarbagelikeGoers pic.twitter.com/tk9DRyM0nN
She said she had dealt with a male stalker and seen her office vandalised with the word "prostitute" since becoming a politician.
"So, Mr. Goers, what I want to know is, what should a woman in politics wear? How about a garbage bag to match your rubbish views," said Flint, as she removed her coat to reveal the bag with a matching belt.
The post drew applause from others including former premier of Australia's Queensland state Campbell Newman, who wrote, "Well done! #GarbagelikeGoers".
"The standards expected of women politicians are garbage," lawmaker Anika Wells from the rival Labor party said in support of Flint.
Goers did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.
In 2012, a fiery parliamentary speech in which Australia's first female prime minister Julia Gillard called out sexism in politics and described then opposition leader Tony Abbott as a misogynist became an internet hit.
Her speech prompted the Australia's Macquarie Dictionary, the authority on the English language in Australia, to broaden the definition of misogyny.
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(Reporting by Beh Lih Yi @behlihyi; Editing by Claire Cozens. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers the lives of people around the world who struggle to live freely or fairly. Visit http://news.trust.org)
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