Greens candidate cries victim over criticism of appearance
Avery Howard blames 'online trolls' after backlash to campaign launch announcement on social media.
Avery Howard has cried victim after receiving online criticism over their appearance in the wake of announcing their candidacy for the Greens in the federal seat of Fowler.
Howard, a "non-binary activist" with distinctive purple hair and facial piercings, launched their campaign on Monday but quickly drew a wave of public commentary — much of it unflattering — on social media platforms.
“Hi, I’m Avery, and I’m the Greens candidate for Fowler,” they wrote in a post alongside an official campaign photo.
“I’m running because I believe that Parliament can and should do more for us. Everyone deserves to have a home, food and world class health and education – I’ve seen those goals get harder than ever over the last few years.”
However, less than half a day later, Howard posted again to say they had restricted replies on Twitter, citing a surge in negative feedback.
The Australian Hamas party is beyond help pic.twitter.com/eAPWtsBKAU
— Avi Yemini (@OzraeliAvi) April 7, 2025
“I’ve turned off comments from people I don’t follow on my tweets for now, as I’ve experienced a staggering uptick in homophobic, transphobic and just hateful responses to my announcement as the Greens candidate for Fowler this morning,” they wrote.
While Howard framed the comments as a coordinated attack by trolls, many observers online simply mocked their presentation, suggesting it was at odds with the expectations of mainstream voters in the multicultural Western Sydney seat.
The backlash soon spread from X to Facebook, as social media users reacted to the Greens' decision to once again endorse a candidate whose appearance and messaging seem far removed from the day-to-day concerns of local constituents.
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