Tim Barnett Brian Tamaki, the anti-gay leader of his own, evangelical, Destiny Church is confused and showing signs of paranoia, a prominent glbti rights campaigner says. Tim Barnett, often referred to as the architect of the Civil Unions bill which passed through Parliament successfully in 2004, was commenting on Tamaki's widely-reported and ridiculed claim in a televised sermon that the Christchurch earthquakes were caused by past Christchurch Central MP Barnett being prominent in working for relationship equality for same-sex couples in law. Tamaki selectively quoted the Bible to back up his claim, made last weekend on the eve of the Kaikoura quakes, that earthquakes are caused by the the earth convulsing under the weight of homosexual sin. "It is regrettable when a public figure who is investing in homophobia reverts to hate speech," Barnett says. He believes that such statements are indicative of "paranoia" and that Tamaki "clearly has his issues mixed up... he is confused and he is not communicating rationally." Barnett says he has been gladdened by the "dismissive reactions by political leaders and skeptical questioning by media. Gay Intelligence and Security minister Chris Finlayson has called Tamaki a "sick puppy who needs counseling" and gay Labour MP Grant Robertson has called him a "ridiculous, irrelevant bigot." National MP Paul Foster-Bell is amongst the chorus of derision from non-gay MPs, calling Tamaki "a disgrace... a fraud and a crook."
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Saturday, 19th November 2016 - 7:43pm