Brian Tamaki None of the many gay friends Destiny Church leader Brian Tamaki claims have come forward despite the church passing on a request for a private or confidential interview. At the launch of historian Peter Lineham's book Destiny: The Life and Times of a Self-Made Apostle the NZ Herald reported Tamaki as saying that he doesn't hate gay people and that he has "a lot of gay friends." Tamaki has constantly railed against homosexuality through events such as the Enough Is Enough march on Parliament. His manifesto DVD for the ill-fated Destiny political party constantly returned to the theme of the allegedly insidious influence of homosexuals on society. Contacted two weeks ago by GayNZ.com Daily News seeking to test that claim, Destiny's media liaison person, Richard Lewis refused to discuss Tamaki's friendships with gays or assist our reporter to approach them, saying said that it was inappropriate, and not the right thing to do . Despite our offer of confidentiality or even anonymity Lewis initially would not countenance such contact on the basis that such matters are Tamaki's private affair. However, Lewis did eventually agree to pass on our reporter's contact details and request for a confidential or unattributed interview. But two weeks later there has still been no response. Tamaki's wife, Hannah Tamaki, has said that she was supported in her unsuccessful bid for a leadership role in the Maori Women's Welfare League by several gay people. The Tamakis have also claimed, as proof of the fact that gay people like her husband, their observation that male airline cabin crew are courteous and friendly to Tamaki. GayNZ.com remains open to speaking with any of Tamaki's claimed many gay friends and can be contacted through: news@gaynz.com.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Thursday, 5th September 2013 - 1:27pm