The editor of Gay Times has been sacked for tweeting a series of antisemitic and misogynistic comments as well as using Twitter to attack gay people, homeless people and disabled children.
Josh Rivers, the first BME editor of a gay men’s magazine, took the position only last month, but his future was placed in jeopardy after a string of incendiary posts on his Twitter account between 2010 and 2015 came to light. He was suspended by the magazine on Wednesday and on Thursday morning, it announced that it had dismissed him.
In a statement, it said: “After an investigation of the facts surrounding historical tweets by Josh Rivers, the newly appointed Editor of Gay Times magazine; we announce that his employment has been terminated with immediate effect.
“We sincerely apologise for the offence that has been caused, particularly to those members of our wider community to whom such inappropriate and unacceptable commentary was the focus.
“Gay Times does not tolerate such views and will continue to strive to honour and promote inclusivity.”
The magazine added that it would relaunch on 30 November, in what it described as “quite possibly the most significant overhaul in its 33-year history”.
Rivers had taken on the role with a mandate to promote inclusivity. But the offending tweets, since deleted, showed him directing hate towards Jews, lesbians, overweight people, as well as Asian and Chinese people.
“I wonder if they cast that guy as ‘The Jew’ because of that fucking ridiculously large honker of a nose,” he tweeted in 2011. “It must be prosthetic. Must be.”
In another tweet he asked for film recommendations but excluded films about the Holocaust. Rivers also described Jews as “gross”.
His tweets directed at women included: “I’ve just seen a girl in the tightest white tank & lord help me if she’s not pregnant, she should be killed. #gross.”
Another abusive message said that “whiny” women should “change your tampon” and stay out of his way.
He described one woman he encountered on a train as a “chav” and called her children “incested” as well as using other abusive language suggesting they had disabilities.
On another occasion he tweeted: “I’m thankful for TFL & rising bus fares. Let’s keep homeless people on the streets & off our buses!”
Rivers tweeted an apology on Tuesday and said in an accompanying statement that at the time he faced “issues that prevented me from treating people with the respect and kindness I value so dearly now”.
To every single person who is hurt, offended and disappointed: I’m sorry. pic.twitter.com/XAwz7llKxc
— Josh Rivers (@_joshrivers) November 15, 2017
Speaking to Buzzfeed, which uncovered the tweets during research for an interview with Rivers, he said they revealed an “immaturity and self-loathing” he had at that time, but was adamant he had changed in the last two years.
“I think it shows that before recently I hadn’t been aware of the effects that social media and using platforms in such a nasty and pernicious way had,” he said. “It shows I have grown.”
Rivers also attributed his prejudices to his environment. “I am a product of my environment – like many of us are,” he said, adding: “I have said things that are not kind or not nice and nor do they reflect the type of person that I have become.”
Stonewall and Peter Tatchell, the LGBT+ rights campaigner, were among those who condemned his posts and suggested it would be difficult for him to regain the trust of those he had targeted.
