Kyle Sandilands Called Out For Blatant Homophobia Over Rainbow House
Image: mykey_o/Instagram; Kyle and Jackie O Show/Facebook
A gay man from Victoria’s Phillip Island has called out Kyle Sandilands for making homophobic comments on air about his rainbow house.
Hairdresser Mykey O鈥橦alloran called out the notorious shock jock for comments he made on Wednesday morning, when a neighbour called in to The Kyle & Jackie O Show to talk about his colourful house.
“This is the ugliest looking joint you’ve ever seen,” Sandilands commented. “What’s the occupant like? Is he a how-you-going type of bloke or is he-?
“He does bat for the other team,” the neighbour said.
Sandilands also made insinuating comments about the “sticky” floor, and sweeping generalisations about gay men’s aesthetic choices.
“In all honesty, I thought you gays were pretty good with the overall design settings… who knows where a throw rug goes. I don’t know where it goes, you guys know.”
O鈥橦alloran told Star Observer on Thursday that the comments made his jaw drop.
“Hearing the words like ugly and disgusting about something that I’ve put so much love into that it is a pure expression of who I am as well, and also the trauma associated with that,” he said.
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In 2021, O鈥橦alloran received death threats from his neighbours for painting his house rainbow.
鈥淚t was really shocking and traumatising and a total invasion of my personal space,鈥� O鈥橦alloran told Star Observer at the time.
鈥淔ive men came onto my property around twenty to ten at night and were yelling homophobic slurs and telling me not to paint my house rainbow. One even threatened to come back and kill me if I did paint my house.”
After the story went viral, the Phillip Island community came together to help O鈥橦alloran douse his house in rainbow paint.
Shortly afterwards, 24-year-old plumber Jai Ryan was found guilty of one count of unlawful assault and ordered to pay a $2,500 fine to Thorne Harbour Health.
O鈥橦alloran and his parter were also subject to a in November.
“That’s still very raw and recent. For that to come out on the radio in May- what next?” O鈥橦alloran said. “I’d hope that if Kyle no knew the backstory of my house, that he would shut his mouth a bit more.”
Nicknamed the Rainbow Retreat, the house is now popular on AirBnB, with families coming to stay regularly.
We can’t “normalise” homophobic bullying
O鈥橦alloran said that while he’s able to be himself vocally, it’s something that’s been hard fought for.
“Not everyone is as utterly confident to be themselves as I am. I obviously wear rainbow hair, the beard, like, there’s no second guessing. But there are people that are hiding or scared, or younger people as well.
“That kind of banter discourages people from being themselves,” he said. “We can’t normalise that.”
Although he’s had his odd moments of allyship, Sandilands has faced decades of , and been called out for blatant misogyny and homophobia in the past.
Despite this, he’s also currently part of a , #StandUpToHate.
鈥淲ith the current climate of the world, I don鈥檛 think we should be stereotyping anyone that鈥檚 gay, or calling them out for being gay on the radio, especially when we鈥檙e showing our true colours in pride,” O鈥橦alloran said. “Have you not seen what鈥檚 happening in America?”
Complaints can be made to KIIS
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