John Tamihere "I don't like it, because I'm heterosexual" - welcome to Tamihere's latest radio rant! In a new transcript from Radio Live, John Tamihere takes issue with a young gay couple in the Herald with their 'wet-looking lager', berates the NZAF for promoting the homosexual lifestyle, and gets the 'gay' caller of his dreams... John Tamihere and Willie Jackson's Radio Live show broadcasts nationwide Monday-Friday from 12-3pm. There have now been eight days worth of 'discussion' on the GLBT community over a two-month period, starting 7 July (with the anniversary of homosexual law reform), and carrying through until this latest programme. The NZAF tell us they attempted informal mediation with the station in order to try and achieve some balance in the discussion, but this process sadly has not been effective. Radio Live - 12.25pm, Thursday 7 September 2006 TAMIHERE: This article in the New Zealand Herald today... Ponsonby really is New Zealand's Gay Capital. It's statistically now been proven by someone from the AIDS Foundation that's done this in-depth study. JACKSON: Well OK, so why is that news? I mean I think Ponsonby's always been like that for the last few years. When they say gay capital, most people in Ponsonby aren't gay, are they? TAMIHERE: Well no. they're really a small percentage of the population, gays... It says one in eight New Zealand gay male couples live in Ponsonby, Herne Bay, Saint Mary's, all in the centre here. There's none out West Auckland, Willie. JACKSON: Well maybe, no, they're everywhere... they are there, but in West Auckland or South Auckland, they have to keep quiet because of gay-bashers like you. You've got some problem with this story? TAMIHERE: No, the interesting thing is, there's two young fellows here, Dennis Petrone and Isaac Grey, there's a picture of them... they live together and they've got beers in front of them to sort of demonstrate that they're just sort of normal kiwi lads, but it's really wet-looking lager, that's what they drink! JACKSON: So what? TAMIHERE: Putting that to one side, it says 'look it's pretty tough for us to hold hands walking down the road still', Willie. JACKSON: I would imagine it is, what with blokes like you around. You'd do bowl into them, wouldn't you? Break them holding hands, mate, if they want to hold hands. TAMIHERE: No, I wouldn't do that, Willie. JACKSON: OK. So they're saying it's hard for them to hold hands outside of Ponsonby or in Ponsonby? TAMIHERE: Yeah, it says that, 'it wasn't anything that was felt uneasy about, we were holding hands while we were walking down Newmarket'. Newmarket's supposedly pretty liberal isn't it, Willie? JACKSON: I don't know.... TAMIHERE: ''I can't wait to get back to K' Road where there are drag queens to protect you and lots of people in the streets to support you, people of our own flavour', Willie. JACKSON: OK, yeah, so your point is? TAMIHERE: 'AIDS Foundation researcher, Peter Saxton...' JACKSON: They love you at the AIDS Foundation. TAMIHERE: 'Gay men naturally sought out places where other gay men live, well that's got to be the truth... JACKSON: So what's your problem with this, John? TAMIHERE: I just think it's very interesting, the numbers that are there at the moment. In the census data which is starting to come out. In an interesting statistic, 'preliminary data showed that the number of men living with same-sex partners jumped from 2,883 to 4,572'. JACKSON: But is that good or bad? TAMIHERE: So that means that was an '0.5% increase of men living with their male partners', it says here. JACKSON: Well good luck to them, J.T., I say. TAMIHERE: 'They cited other surveys indicating that about 2% of men had sex with men at some point in their lives'. Now why would I have a problem with that article, Willie? JACKSON: I don't know, you've brought it to the desk... TAMIHERE: Well what the issue is, is that you can put a face on it as much as you like, but at the end of the day, it's 2%, and if you're 2% of the population, don't try and take 90% of the action in terms of promoting whatever you're promoting... JACKSON: They also say that because of their gay lifestyle, Auckland is a more vibrant-type setting. TAMIHERE: Yeah, well, if there's any of the gays out there listening, how can you possibly make the connection that solely because you're gay, it makes Auckland vibrant? JACKSON: I think they've probably got a point. They've got that sort of exuberant type of lifestyle and probably make it a bit vibrant, and aren't you stereotyping them? TAMIHERE: I don't know. JACKSON: What do you think out there? I think Ponsonby and that is probably quite vibrant because of some of the gays around, and I don't have a problem with that. TAMIHERE: No, I think Ponsonby's reasonably vibrant because there's a lot of cafes and there's a huge selection up and down Ponsonby Road. JACKSON: I'd like to say it's because of the diversity of the people who also contribute to that. TAMIHERE: Yes, but it doesn't necessarily make the connection that you just made that it's vibrant because it's gay. JACKSON: Yeah, but why does it upset you? TAMIHERE: I don't like it. JACKSON: Why don't you like it? TAMIHERE: Because I'm heterosexual. JACKSON: OK you're heterosexual, but we've had this discussion before, and so you're just saying, keep it to yourself but... TAMIHERE: They just keep promoting, this AIDS Foundation. If they'd just stick to stopping AIDS, that would be great, instead of just promoting a lifestyle. How about promoting good deeds and good conduct amongst the community rather than promoting the lifestyle, full stop? There is a difference, isn't there?... the AIDS Foundation has another brief, I would have thought... to go and sort out some of those Zimbabweans for us. JACKSON: If you want to talk to J.T. about his strange views on homosexuals... that's our first topic today... (ten minutes later, 'Dominic' calls on the topic) CALLER: I'm openly gay and I've been in a long-term relationship for nearly six years now, and I actually agree with you, John, I don't like the idea of young homosexuals walking down the street holding hands and stuff. I feel that, in my relationship, we don't need to show public affection, and what we find is there's a minority percentage in the gay community who like to be out there... they really let down the quiet people like us who just want to live everyday life, and you wouldn't even know that we are living in a same-sex relationship. TAMIHERE: Yeah but Dominic, you don't have a problem with other people knowing that you do? CALLER: Oh, no. If someone asks me if I'm gay, I don't deny it. But I don't have it tattooed on my forehead, I don't need to have a parade, or a certificate that I'm legally civil unioned and stuff. I think it's gone too far and organisations like the AIDS Foundation are focussed on the homosexual side where they should be, as you said, focussing on Nigerians (sic)... They give gay people like myself a not-so-nice reputation of being promiscuous and, you know, dodgy, and I'm very faithful, I wouldn't even think of cheating on my partner. TAMIHERE: Hey Dominic, I'm grateful for you ringing, because everyone thinks that I'm a homophobe and a gay-basher, but I just want to... CALLER: Well you were in the Labour Party. You voted for the Civil Union thing so you can't be. TAMIHERE: No no, actually I didn't, I voted against it, but put that to one side. All I'm saying is that it seems that in regards to the population, from the census, it says in this article today, 2,883 men identified themselves in the census. Now I suspect that's an under-representation because a lot of people might believe it's just their own business and no-one else's, even in the statistical sense. My own view is that the battle's won, all the legislation is just about homed in, but every year, out comes another wheelbarrow, whether it's 'oh we want to adopt kids now'. Now if civil union legislation was so desperately needed in the gay community, why is it that within three months of it's legislation, there wasn't a log jam. There were 54 civil unions, and at the same time 2,500 male-female marriages? CALLER: Again, John, that's the minority in my community that are out there shouting from the rooftops and saying, 'we want this', 'we want that', and speaking for the whole community and giving the wrong interpretation out there. Now in my social circle, probably 90% of us didn't support the civil union bill... we don't need a certificate that our relationship is recognised by law. That's something you have between your partner. Just as a lot of straight people don't get married, they just choose to... TAMIHERE: Be de facto. CALLER: Yeah and that de facto thing gave us enough rights with property, seperation plus the... JACKSON: Hey Dominic, you're saying that you don't need to hold your partner's hand and all that sort of stuff. What of course a lot of your mates would say id 'well it's all right for heterosexuals to hold hands in public, why can't we do it? What would you say to that, Dominic? CALLER: I just say that's the type of people we are, even if we were straight we wouldn't hold hands in public and kiss and cuddle anyway because we're very private people and that's for us, at home. But on the same side, it's not 100% accepted in the whole community, so why go and flaunt it and put yourself at risk of any sort of unnecessary discrimination, you're just asking for trouble. JACKSON: Oh mate, you're the caller J.T.'s been looking for the last two years, isn't he John? TAMIHERE: Don't listen to that numbskull over here. CALLER: Good on you J.T. If you joined the National party, I'd vote for you. TAMIHERE: Yeah but this is a mature sort of debate, where you don't get beat up for, see I'm a flag-bearing carrier for male-female relationships, right? CALLER: Yeah. TAMIHERE: Now just because I think that I should stand up and be very proud and promote that, immediately you get a kick in the guts because you're the labeled by the AIDS Foundation and all the flag-carriers for the gay population for being a homophobe. JACKSON: You've been labeled that, in fact, by them, and it was in the gay paper, wasn't it? CALLER: The trouble with the AIDS Foundation is they want to be up there, get all the publicity and quote all these untrue statistics so they can get more funding when the funding round comes through. The more statistics that can get increased, the more government funding that they get that they don't have to answer for. Lie they're not legislated by anything, they're their own private organisation and they're a right within their own, and I'm absolutely sick of them speaking on behalf of the gay community, they have no right. TAMIHERE: What about the representation of the gay M.P.'s that you've got in the house now, there's about six, right. Now Chris Finlayson from the National party seems to be saying much the same as you. 'Hey look, I'm gay, that's my business'. He's the only one that I would support, all the rest of them are just jokes. JACKSON: Hey thanks very much for calling Dominic... Your dream caller there, J.T. TAMIHERE: No, well I don't know about dream caller. The reality is that we're now starting to get, rather than platitudes and slogans that you, in a dastardly fashion, always throw at me, that call actually started to exhibit that in the gay community, there's a... JACKSON: A diverse view. TAMIHERE: Yeah, and they're not all one-way traffic that this article would have you believe. JACKSON: That was a good call actually. What do you think of it, people? I mean that bloke is openly gay but he says he doesn't wear his sexuality on his sleeve, I like that, it's good, yeah. What you do think? If you want your voice heard on Tamihere and Jackson's Radio Live programme, the number to call the studio is 0800 723 465, weekday afternoons 12-3pm. Please don't be deterred from calling if the subject of the day is not gay-related - it's the callers who set the agenda for talk radio, not the hosts. We would appreciate you letting us know if your call does, or does not make it to air - email editor@gaynz.com. As with any of our features, you can comment on this transcript on our GayNZ.com message boards. Matt Akersten - 14th September 2006