Shame on @miafreedman comparing the love between gay people as the same for a paedophiles love for children! #theprojecttv #disgraceful

Australian journalist Mia Freedman has come under fire after comparing gays to paedophiles on a news program.

Freedman appeared on Channel Ten’s The Project on Thursday when she talked about the idea of a national paedophile register.

She said: “We accept that gay people can’t change who they love and they’re sexually attracted to, so why do we think that people who are sexually attracted to children can be rehabilitated?

“Name and shame them. I want know where they are.”

Within the space of a few minutes, users on Twitter and other social media blasted Freedman’s analogy as offensive:

@MiaFreedman We have fought long and hard to not be considered sexual deviates. Thanks for the comparison. So disappointed. — Tracey Skittles (@TraceySkittles) October 16, 2014 — Jarrah James (@jarrahjames) October 16, 2014

However, other users defended Freedman, saying they understood the point of her argument.

One user wrote: “@MiaFreedman @theprojecttv Ease up tigers. I would like to think that everyone knew what you were getting at.” Freedman has since apologies for her comparison, writing in several posts on Twitter today:

Lousy analogy on @theprojecttv . Apologies if it came across wrong. — Mia Freedman (@MiaFreedman) October 16, 2014

Mortified that I may have caused offence to some in the gay community who misunderstood my clumsily worded point in chat on @theprojecttv — Mia Freedman (@MiaFreedman) October 16, 2014

I am a longtime and fierce supporter of marriage equality and the LGBTQI community. — Mia Freedman (@MiaFreedman) October 16, 2014

Last week, an Australian newspaper which came under heavy criticism for describing the transgender victim of a brutal murder as “she-male” issued a half-hearted apology.

The apology read: “Many believe that yesterday we presented Mayang’s story in a way that was disrespectful to her memory.

“The Courier-Mail had no intention of diminishing the value of Mayang’s life, or to add to the grief being felt by her family.”