Aussie Singer Subject To Homophobic Slur During Performance

A prominent Australian opera singer was allegedly heckled and called a “faggot” after performing the national anthem in front of 15,000 people during a basketball match on Saturday night.

As Fairfax reports, Opera Australia principal artist Kanen Breen was chosen to open the FIBA Oceania Championships at Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena when he was heckled by an audience member for donning a rainbow tie.

Breen is openly gay and is a co-parent with fellow Opera Australian principal singer Jacqui Dark. He’s risen to prominence for several high-profile performances, including as lead tenor for Baz Luhrman’s production of La Boheme on Broadway.

Taking to Facebook, Dark slammed the homophobic heckler, whose taunt was reportedly “clear as a gunshot”, opening by commending Breen on his performance and for wearing the tie in support of marriage equality.

“He nailed the anthem. He looked fantastic. He also wore a snazzy rainbow tie to show his support for marriage equality, an issue on which the government of this country is embarrassingly backward,” Dark writes.

“He finished and stepped back to rousing applause. The applause died down and a solitary, angry male voice in the crowd yelled ‘Faggot!'” The match was reportedly televised via Channel Nine on Saturday night, but the slur could not be heard over commentary.

Breen has since taken to Facebook to say that he was moved by the words of his friends. “I love my tie, and I wore it quite deliberately whilst singing about a nation that purports to be free and fair (but which clearly, for so many, is not) in a flamboyant little protest,” he writes.

“Clearly one individual amongst the 15,000 basketball fans felt I was a little too fabulous – his problem, not mine. I learned a very long time ago not to value the opinions of people for whom I have no respect.”

The singer’s friends have begun changing their Facebook profile pictures to a photo of Breen’s tie as a sign of solidarity. Several Opera Australia colleagues were in attendance during the event.

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“Performing in front of thousands of people is not easy. To be subjected to what Kanen received takes it to another level,” one colleague wrote on Facebook. Meanwhile, Basketball Australia said they were “extremely disappointed” by the allegations.

“Basketball Australia takes the issue of homophobia seriously and as a wholly inclusive sport that stands firm as ‘everyone’s game’, does not tolerate comments of this nature,” the association said.

Dark has since condemned spectators for not doing anything and the heckler for only seeing Breen for his rainbow tie. “My friend is one of the finest singers in this country and absolutely blew that anthem out of the water. All you saw was a rainbow tie,” he wrote.

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