Peter Dutton Apologises For Using Historically Homophobic Term

Opposition leader Peter Dutton has faced backlash after using a historically homophobic term attacking Anthony Albanese’s response to China at an event in Sydney.

Speaking at the Lowy Institute on Thursday, Dutton was asked about the Chinese naval skips conducting live-fire drills in Australian waters last month, and took the chance to criticise the Prime Minister’s response to the matter.

“It was the weakest, most limp-wrist response you could see from a leader, and frankly, none of his leaders, Liberal or Labor, would have provided the response that the prime minister did,” Dutton said.

Cambridge Dictionary defines the phrase “limp-wristed” as “an extremely offensive word used to describe a man whose behaviour is thought to be typical of a gay person.”

Although the term is often used within the queer community in the spirit of reclamation, most would agree that Peter Dutton would not be considered among the lucky few permitted to use the phrase.

A spokesperson for Dutton issued a statement following the backlash, saying: “It was a phrase that shouldn’t have been used, and no offence was intended from Mr Dutton”, although Dutton himself has not yet apologised.

“Unsurprising use of language” Wong says

Speaking to the ABC yesterday afternoon, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Dutton was “a bloke who opposed marriage equality, it’s an unsurprising use of language from him”.

“People can draw their own conclusions about the term he used.”

Independent MP Allegra Spender also criticised Dutton’s phrasing, posting on X that the term was “completely inappropriate” and “offensive to many in the LGBTQ+ community”.

Peter Dutton’s use of the term “limp wrist response” to describe the PM’s conduct is completely inappropriate & offensive to many in the LGBTQ+ community.

By all means criticise the govt response, but don’t do so in a way that plays into offensive stereotypes about gay men.

— Allegra Spender (@spenderallegra) March 20, 2025

“By all means criticise the govt response, but don’t do so in a way that plays into offensive stereotypes about gay men,” Spender wrote.

Opposition treasury spokesperson Angus Taylor defended Dutton and echoed his sentiment, saying it was an “absolutely acceptable choice of words when it comes to the approach he [Albanese] is taking”, but refrained from repeating the actual words.

“I mean he’s weak, he’s a wet lettuce,” Taylor said.

Spokesperson for Just.Equal Australia, Rodney Croome, criticised Dutton’s comment, saying his use of the word “limp-wrist” is “widely known as a derogatory term for gay men”, and that some could interpret it was a “Trump-style dog whistle to homophobic prejudice”.

“I call on Mr Dutton to apologise for using the term and commit to an election campaign free of prejudice against LGBTIQA+ Australians,” Croome said.