Over $1000 was raised by a dance party on Sunday night, organised tlo protest church leader Brian Tamaki's linking of earthquakes to sin and homosexuality. Donated to the Red Cross earthquake response and $500 for the Takahanga Marae in Kaikoura. “Brian Tamaki's comments are ridiculous as always,” says organiser Nicole Skews-Poole, “but in light of two people dying and a whole community being devastated with homes and livelihoods destroyed, it was an especially awful thing to say. I suspect he's realising that he's irrelevant to most New Zealanders, so comments like these are just an attempt to get media attention, but when they're at the expense of the queer community and the people of Kaikoura I thought it needed a response.She notes that Wellington has been “pretty shaken up by the recent earthquakes too,” ans says she wanted to provide an opportunity for people to get together and let off some steam as well as raise funds for Kaikoura. Skews-Poole, who has been involved in “UniQ events when I was a student and fundraisers for the Wellington Young Feminists Collective,” says over 150 people attended the party and throughout the evening they heard from speakers from the Red Cross, InsideOUT and Tranzform. Local bands The Klaus Vermillion Quartet, Disasteradio and HEX also played the gig.The just over $1,000 raised has already been donated to the Red Cross earthquake response and the Takahanga Marae in Kaikoura.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Wednesday, 7th December 2016 - 6:51am