TV presenter Cassie Stokes, who recently joined the Xpose team, has spoken of her shock after recently receiving homophobic hate mail.
The 28-year-old presenter came out publicly as gay after joining Xpose, as she "didn't want it to be this thing that came out later and it looked like it I was hiding it or something."
Subsequently, she received an anonymous postcard which contained derogatory, homophobic language, saying she has a "label on her back".
Stokes said on The Nicky Byrne Show on 2FM: "As I've said, I don't think it's on my back, I'm wearing this on my front and very proudly."
Stokes decided to speak out about the hate mail as she hopes it will draw attention to the issue, and maybe help someone who is more vulnerable than her.
She said: "To someone who's younger and more vulnerable this person could be spreading hate towards them, it could be quite relevant to someone who is quite vulnerable. I am in the public eye so I am expecting it.
"I think it's important for people to know that it still does go on towards gay people, and we still have to keep educating and keep working on it, and hopefully some day it won't, and a TV presenter won't have to point out that they are gay."
The TV3 presenter went on to say that while she quickly moved forward from the incident, her family found it more difficult to deal with.
She explained: "I felt uneasy. I kept it to myself for a few days then I told my family.
"I think they were much more upset over it than I was, because as I said I am in the public eye, you need to have a thick skin in this industry."
