Married At First Sight’s Booka Nile apologises for ‘transphobic’ Facebook post found in her memories and says she is now ‘a different person’
Married At First Sight star Booka Nile has apologised for sharing a ‘transphobic post’ on her private Facebook account eight years ago.
The heavy metal musician, 31, admitted to using the word ‘ladyboy’ – an offensive term for a transgender woman or transvestite – when she was in her early twenties.
Booka explained on Instagram Stories on Wednesday that she was reminded of her use of the slur when it came up on her Facebook Memories, and swiftly deleted it.
‘I was a different person’: Married At First Sight star Booka Nile, 32, (pictured) has apologised after she shared a ‘transphobic’ post to her private Facebook account eight years ago
The Memories feature reminds Facebook users of posts they shared years ago.
‘So this is really hard, but I need to do this. I saw today on Facebook that I made a post eight years ago on Facebook that was transphobic,’ Booka began.
‘I was using the term “ladyboys” as an insult, which is culturally not okay. As much as I’d like to just pretend it never happened, that’s just being complicit in a system that perpetuates violence, oppression and discrimination against transgender people.’
Booka said she felt a responsibility to address the post when she became aware of it.
Deleted in disgust: Booka explained that she swiftly deleted the post after she was reminded of it via the Facebook memories feature
Taking accountability: The Make Them Suffer singer continued: ‘I need to take accountability and I need to apologize sincerely to the transgender community for what I said back then’
The Make Them Suffer keyboardist said: ‘I need to take accountability and I need to apologise sincerely to the transgender community for what I said back then.
‘I would like to sincerely apologise to the transgender community for the post that I made eight years ago whilst being I feel a very different person and holding very different attitudes to those that I held back when I was in my early twenties.’
‘I’m responsible for how I behaved back then, and I take full accountability.’
She continued: ‘I was very ignorant, but ignorance is not an excuse because it is not up to the transgender community to educate the likes of me on how to not be a transphobe.
‘That was actually up to me to learn how to do that as it is up to all of us and I didn’t go and educate myself.’
Booka was partnered with electrician and psychology student Brett on this year’s season of Married At First Sight, but they split before their final vows.
Brett later said the pair had ‘tunnel vision’ on the show, and realised their relationship wouldn’t last in the outside world.
Ex appeal! Booka was partnered with electrician and psychology student Brett (pictured) on Nine’s Married At First Sight, but they split before the final vows