Netball bosses quiz NSW Swifts star Samantha Wallace-Joseph over online transgender comment

NSW Swifts Super Netball shooter Samantha Wallace-Joseph has apologised for a social media post about transgender people and said any upset it has caused the LGBTQ+ community was unintentional.

Wallace-Joseph shared an Instagram headline which insinuated US President Joe Biden had declared Easter Sunday as Transgender Day of Visibility, adding the comment: “The disrespect is crazy. Don’t play with GOD.”

The White House caused controversy when it proclaimed March 31 would be the Transgender Day of Visibility. Coincidentally, that date fell on Easter Sunday this year, angering many who accused the president of co-opting a Christian holiday to promote trans rights.

Wallace-Joseph, a Trinidad and Tobago international, met with Swifts officials about the issue on Tuesday and released a joint statement with the club late on Tuesday night.

“It was not my intention to upset and disrespect anybody and whilst I feel my post was taken out of context, I didn’t say what I meant clearly,” she said.

“I did not wish to cause any offence to members of the transgender community, and it is clear that I have and for that, I am sorry.”

Swifts executive general manager Kath Tetley said the club was committed to “being a safe and inclusive space for all”.

“We are also committed to the ongoing education required to ensure there is a common understanding among all of the cultures and communities that make up the Swifts,” she said.

Netball Australia is still investigating whether the post breached the sport’s code of conduct, which specifically states, “participants must not mix the professional and personal use of social media in ways that could bring NA, the game of netball, an SSN club or MO into disrepute.”