By: Jack MacNamara, Staff Writer

Newly crowned editor Josh Rivers, of major UK gay magazine, Gay Times UK, has been terminated after the discovery of tweets that were posted between 2010 – 2015 that featured a series of antisemitic and misogynistic comments came to light.   Not only that, tweets were discovered made by Rivers that featured attacks on fellow gay men, Lesbians, disabled children and homeless people.

Josh Rivers, who became the first BME editor of a gay men’s publication, came on board the magazine in October 2017. However his short lived career at the publication came to an end when his past comments came to light in the mainstream media.

Gay Times suspended Rivers the minute the story went viral on Wednesday and on Thursday morning, the publication released a statement indicating that Josh Rivers had been dismissed from his post as editor of Gay Times.

Gay Times Statement:
“After an investigation of the facts surrounding historical tweets by Josh Rivers, the newly appointed Editor of Gay Times magazine; we announce that his employment has been terminated with immediate effect. We sincerely apologize for the offense that has been caused, particularly to those members of our wider community to whom such inappropriate and unacceptable commentary was the focus. Gay Times does not tolerate such views and will continue to strive to honor and promote inclusivity.”

Gay Times also took the opportunity to promote the relaunch of their publication on November 30, in what they are describing as “quite possibly the most significant overhaul in its 33-year history”.

The ironic thing about Rivers is that he was brought on to promote inclusivity. But thanks to the offensive tweets discovered, which by the way, Rivers has deleted from his Tweet history, showed another side of him that conflicts with the standards and practices of Gay Times. Comments such as overweight people, hateful comments towards Jews, lesbians, as well as Korean and Chinese people.

“I wonder if they cast that guy as ‘The Jew’ because of that fucking ridiculously large honker of a nose,” he tweeted in 2011. “It must be prosthetic. Must be.”

In another tweet he asked for film recommendations but excluded films about the Holocaust. Rivers also described Jews as “gross”.

One of Rivers tweets targeting women said: “I’ve just seen a girl in the tightest white tank & lord help me if she’s not pregnant, she should be killed. #gross.”

Another offensive tweet stated: “whiny” women should “change your tampon” and stay out of his way.

Over the massive scandal that rocked the Gay Times and Rivers himself, he quickly tweeted an apology on Tuesday which was accompanied by a prepared statement stating that at the time of those offensive comments, he was facing “issues that prevented him from treating people with the respect and kindness he values so dearly now”.

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