A petition has been launched at the website Change.org calling on Paul Whittaker, the editor of The Daily Telegraph to issue an apology for a column written by Miranda Devine.

In her column Devine argued that Rugby played Michael Moses was being victimised by the NRL who suspended the rugby player for calling as opposing player a “fu**ing gay c**t”. Devine argued that Moses outburst was not homophobic because the word gay no longer refers to same sex attraction.

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The petition was launched by Chris Aronsten and has to date attracted over 700 signatures. The petition describes Devine’s column as derogatory homophobic abuse.

Olympic winning diver Matthew Mitcham hasn’t held back on what he thinks of Devine’s column.

Mitcham took to Twitter to share his thoughts saying “Miranda Devine is a “f…ing gay c…” & I can say that b/c it’s neither homophobic nor sexist, according to her. …”

Criticism of the column has also come from overseas. Writing in the Huffington Post, Eleil Cruz, President, of the Intercollegiate Adventist Gay-Straight Alliance Coalition argues that using the word ‘gay’ as Devine describes is not a different meaning but a “micro-aggression” towards the LGBT community.

Graeme Watson