Controversial former Labor leader Mark Latham is facing fierce backlash after labelling a Sydney schoolboy as being gay for publicly supporting feminism.
During his Sky News show on Sunday, Latham said he thought Hugh Bartley, Sydney Boys High School captain, was gay after he fronted a social media video involving the school.
"I thought he was gay. Well, yes, who wouldn't think that? Only later in the video did it become clear the students were reciting the words of women as part of some strange social media presentation," he said.
The video, which the school posted to Facebook earlier this month, featured Mr Bartley and a number of his fellow students putting a male voice to the answers to why feminism is important to the women in their lives.
"Feminism is important to me because a few months ago a guy decided for me that I wanted to have sex with him. I didn't want to," Mr Bartley said.
Mr Latham has today been savaged by members of his party-faithful, namely Labor leader Bill Shorten and deputy Tania Plibersek.
Ms Plibersek echoed Mr Shorten's comments, adding the school students were "better men than Mark Latham has ever been".
"Mark Latham should be ashamed of attacking teenagers trying to make the world a better place," she said.
"I've known Hugh for years and he is a particularly impressive person."
Education Minister Simon Birmingham and NSW state minister Rob Stokes have also taken issue with Latham's comments.
A spokesman for the school told nine.com.au they had no further comment to make on the matter.
