When Israel Folau posted his infamous 'gays will go to hell unless they repent' messages to social media, it ended his career, brought Rugby Australia to its knees and divided the nation in the process. Folau, by choice or otherwise, became an instant pawn in the culture wars in which only those with a megaphone are heard.
Many in the Pasifika diaspora were frustrated that their voices - arguably the voices of the people most effected by it all - were entirely dismissed or ignored. In the Folau Effect we will hear from them - rugby players, queer and straight, and other Pasifika voices with much to say about faith, football and sexuality.
It is an effort to combat the simplification of issues at play in Israel's story - in order to improve empathy and understanding on both sides. Because if we don't, then how can we profess to promote diversity and inclusion in the same breath?