‘Can’t let the haters win’: Alex Greenwich on the biggest battle of his career

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For Sydney MP Alex Greenwich, a highly explicit tweet attacking his sexuality was just the start of a long period of sustained online hate, death threats and self-doubt. For a public figure who had fought, and won, high-profile policy battles, Greenwich was facing his far biggest struggle.

Greenwich has spoken publicly for the first time with gay magazine DNA about his mental health challenges in the aftermath of the graphic and homophobic 2023 tweet by rogue MP Mark Latham, details of which the Herald has not repeated.

Alex Greenwich has turned to fitness to improve his mental health.

But that tweet, which the Federal Court found had defamed Greenwich, was just the beginning of a difficult two years for the MP. At times, he wondered whether he could keep doing his job.

He has received death threats, which police believe to be credible, and his office has been inundated with hate mail. At the same time, Latham has never apologised for the tweet.

The 44-year-old was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and after being initially prescribed Valium to help with anxiety and insomnia, he was often left feeling “groggy and a bit worse for wear”.

Instead, he turned to medical cannabis, which has been a game-changer for Greenwich and has strengthened his resolve to ensure the NSW Labor government overhauls current laws that mean drivers who have tetrahydrocannabinol in their system can be charged, regardless of their medical needs.

Alex Greenwich has stopped drinking and relies on medical cannabis to manage his PTSD symptoms

Medical cannabis is not the only major change Greenwich has made to his lifestyle.

Greenwich, who is the first MP to feature in DNA, is photographed celebrating his renewed fitness after turning to exercise and personal training as part of managing his mental health.

“The thing with PTSD is that it’s not always present. There are things that trigger it, and it manifests in a variety of ways,” Greenwich told DNA.

“Some days I’m great, and I’m effective, and I get shit done, and I can be really motivated. But then there are other days where I break into tears and won’t be able to sleep, and where my emotions will be completely deregulated, or I have full-on panic attacks where I can’t breathe and start sweating, or have nightmares and a really heightened sense of anxiety.

Alex Greenwich has detailed his mental health struggles with gay magazine DNA.

“At several points, it made me question my ability to do my job with the lack of ability to concentrate or focus. So it was helpful to know that this was a mental health illness that was a result of the experience that I’d had, but that this was also something I could get treatment for.”

Greenwich told DNA that maintaining a healthy body was also a significant part of his approach to achieving a healthier mind and working towards recovery.

“Another part of managing my PTSD has been doing a lot of exercise, and that has really helped,” he told DNA. “I have a great personal trainer. I’ve been doing Barry’s [Bootcamp] classes with friends, and being active and doing physical activities has really helped.”

Greenwich said he chose to tell his story with DNA because gay men were well aware “dealing with bullies doesn’t end when we graduate high school”.

“Over the last two years, I’ve been intensely attacked for my sexuality, and I’ve done this to be honest about the impacts, my ongoing mental health journey, and the importance of finding the strength to be confident in my sexuality,” Greenwich said.

“I wanted to challenge the image of me that Latham and others have tried to put into the world, and I think these photos [in DNA] achieve that goal perfectly.

“You can’t let the haters win, and you also can’t do it alone. It’s so important to ask for help whether it’s from a psychologist, lawyer, personal trainer, your partner, staff, parent or a close friend.”