Auckland signage company Cranium, which has come under fire for a controversial Christmas billboard featuring trans woman Caitlyn Jenner, has apologised for causing offense and says it will be making a donation to glbti youth organisation Rainbow Youth. The billboard, which for a time had a defiant "censored" cover placed over it following complaints has now been removed, "including from our social media page... and we've done everything we can to rectify the situation," says Cranium managing director Phillip Garratt. Asked how the firm decided on the Jenner image and the wording "I hope your sack is fuller than mine this Christmas" Garratt says he'd rather not comment. "I feel like we're going to go round in circles and I don't want to be labeled like I'm currently being labelled as.There was have no malice in it whatever, it was just a bit of humour and now I'm eating humble pie and doing my best to rectify that." As to whether there is a transphobic or homophobic atmosphere in his business, Garratt says "No there isn't. I've got best friends that are homosexual and lesbian." He describes the situation as "basically one of those 'when humour goes horribly wrong' situations." He says he has had positive feedback as well as negative, "with people seeing it as humour and a lot of emails calling me a redneck and horrible stuff which I think is quite uncalled for. I've had a client approached by one lady. For something that was not hate-filled it's gone that way now... it's been made worse." Garratt says the firm "absolutely apologises and our Facebook page will shortly relflect that we are sorry and that we're not a homophobic or transphobic management or business whatsoever."
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Thursday, 3rd December 2015 - 11:46am