Moana Hope Demands Accountability Over Homophobic AFLW Incident
Former AFLW star Moana Hope has issued a public ultimatum to a recently retired women's footballer, demanding she report herself to her club by Friday or face public identification. Hope, who is openly gay, alleges the player sent her a direct message on Instagram featuring one of Hope's images captioned with a homophobic slur and laughing emojis.
Accidental Message Sparks Outrage
According to Hope, the former AFLW player intended to send the offensive content to another recipient but mistakenly returned it to Hope herself. Hope immediately recognised the gravity of the situation, stating she managed to screenshot the message before it was unsent by the sender. "I screenshotted it. And the crazy thing is, she quickly then unsent it, but I had already screenshotted it," Hope explained.
In response, Hope blocked the account after sending a direct reply condemning the behaviour. "I said, 'Whatever you're dealing with and whatever hurt has caused you to be so mean and a bully, is not welcome here. You don't even follow me. And I hope you find your peace'," she recounted.
Friday Deadline for Self-Reporting
Hope has now given the player until Friday to voluntarily report the incident to her former club. Failure to do so will result in Hope publicly revealing her identity, moving away from her initial stance of not outing her publicly. "She has 'til Friday to do that, and if she doesn't, then we'll revisit the whole not publicly outing her, because she needs to take responsibility," Hope declared.
The 38-year-old former forward plans to unblock the player and send her the story without further comment, providing this final opportunity for accountability. "I'm going to give her the opportunity to go into the club that she's affiliated with, and she can tell them herself," she told her followers.
Public Condemnation and Broader Context
Hope later posted the same photo publicly on Instagram with a message condemning homophobia in AFLW. "I didn't think homophobia had a place in AFLW, but apparently I was wrong," she wrote, noting the player's connection to a Victorian AFLW club. She added with irony that if her photos were going to circulate privately, she might as well benefit from the views.
This incident is not isolated in Hope's experience. During her career, which included 20 games for Collingwood and North Melbourne before retiring in 2019 due to injury, she has frequently faced homophobic abuse online. In August last year, she spoke out about "vile and disgusting" abuse during a local women's football match in Melbourne's Essendon District Football League, where opposition players and spectators directed personal attacks, including threats of physical violence.
Hope emphasised her commitment to reporting the player and standing against homophobia. "On a serious note, I am reporting her. There is no place for homophobia in this world," she stated, concluding her post with a message of support: "Gay love is love and there is nothing wrong with being gay and being exactly who you are."
