A group of Pacific Island LGBTIQ elders have penned a powerful open letter calling for rugby star Israel Folau to be more respectful amid the furore over his anti-gay social media comment.

Folau came under intense criticism for writing a now-deleted comment on Instagram that “God’s plan” for gay people was “hell” unless they “repented for their sins”.

Rugby Australia chief executive Raelene Castle said on Tuesday after a meeting that Folau acknowledged the offence his comments had caused and would “go away and think about” his social media conduct.

“For him he is proud of what he is and what he stands for, so he wants to make sure that we are not asking him to compromise those beliefs,” Castle said.

“But at the same time very much we explained to him that this is challenging for us and… how can he find a way that makes sure that he is not disrespectful, but it doesn’t compromise his own personal beliefs.”

Meanwhile, a group of LGBTIQ elders from Tonga and Samoa have written a powerful response to Folau amid the furore over the comment.

Tongan elder Joleen Mataele Brown, who is a transgender ‘leiti’, and Samoans Fiaailetoa Kenneth Moala and Ymania Brown from transgender advocacy group Samoa Fa’afafine Association penned the open letter encouraging Folau to be respectful and follow the principles of his Christian faith.

“We believe that God has no other plan for gay people other than to celebrate their humanity and the deeds they perform in loving unconditionally their fellow human beings,” they wrote. Read more via QNews