Auckland's drag queens Anita Wigl'it, Kita Mean and Elektra Shock featured on RuPaul's Drag Race.
Auckland's drag queens Anita Wigl'it, Kita Mean and Elektra Shock featured on RuPaul's Drag Race.
Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
Destiny Church leader Brian Tamaki plans to protest and upset upcoming rainbow events with his motorbike-riding followers and wants drag queens banned from public places, like gang patches.
But the Green Party’s rainbow spokesperson Kahurangi Carter said “bigots” like Tamaki are encroaching on people’s human rights.
“The Green Party will always speak up for rainbow rights alongside the people of Aotearoa,” Carter told the Herald.
“Enough is Enough. We will no longer sit back and watch the transgender invasion into our public places and schools ... it’s a full-on assault on the innocence of our children,” said Tamaki.
“It’s time to clean up and confront this scourge in our society, the scourge of transgender ideology.”
Tamaki is also against gang patches in public but says the leather vests worn by his motorbike club members are korowai (cloaks), not gang insignia.
Tamaki’s comments come as he plans to mobilise his followers to take action against upcoming rainbow storytelling events as a part of national tour planned by drag queens in Rotorua and Hastings.
Destiny Church leader Brian Tamaki. Photo / Dean Purcell
Tamaki’s team have pledged to shut down the Rainbow Storytelling event at Rotorua Library next Thursday, and a similar event at Hastings Library the following Wednesday.
Tamaki is also petitioning the local councils, urging them to prevent rainbow storytelling events in council-owned libraries.
“This has crossed the line. I’ve had enough of all this Rainbow-washing over our nation.”
Tamaki says he wants youth to be “safe in our schools, libraries, our sports and our public places”.
He said the rainbow community is “even preying on children who are in state care”.
Carter, however, said New Zealanders value each other’s diversity.
“The people of New Zealand support and value our rainbow community. We understand that rainbow rights are human rights. We can and must fight for a world where everyone can thrive and be valued in their community. My kids love drag queens because they are so fabulous and fun,” Carter said.
Joseph Los’e is an award-winning journalist and joined NZME in 2022 as Kaupapa Māori Editor. Los’e was a chief reporter, news director at the Sunday News newspaper covering crime, justice and sport. He was also editor of the NZ Truth and prior to joining NZME worked for urban Māori organisation Whānau Waipareira.
