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'Big gay party' to welcome Brian Tamaki

Author
Newstalk ZB Staff,
Publish Date
Fri, 6 Oct 2017, 2:11PM
(Photo \ NZME)
(Photo \ NZME)

'Big gay party' to welcome Brian Tamaki

Author
Newstalk ZB Staff,
Publish Date
Fri, 6 Oct 2017, 2:11PM

A "big gay party" will be held to welcome Destiny Church's leader to Christchurch.

Brian Tamaki is expected to speak in the city on Monday, and has previously claimed that the Christchurch earthquakes were caused by sinners, gays and murderers.

Activist Josie Butler has organised a 'Queer Quake Mardi Gras' party for his arrival, to act as a "counter narrative to his homophobic hate slur."

Ms Butler, who shot to fame after throwing a sex toy at former Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce in 2016, says not only is she throwing a "gay party" to make a stance, but to let people attending Mr Tamaki's talk, who may be struggling with sexuality, that it's "okay to be gay".

"I personally think that Brian Tamaki exploits the most vulnerable people in our communities by taking their money with false promises of salvation, and I am disgusted that he uses the guise of Christianity as a shroud for homophobia and bigotry," she said.

When it comes to blaming the city's devastating earthquake on people's sexuality, she said it is offensive and making light of the city's biggest tragedy.

"... that he would state that gay people somehow caused this. It is ridiculous, it is highly offensive, and it is not okay," she said.

"The LGBTQ community have some of the highest suicide rates in NZ, and it's hate speech like this that further perpetuates the situation."

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