A witty riposte by an MP to Destiny church leader Brian Tamaki's linking homosexuality with the disastrous Christchurch earthquakes has won Massey University's quote of the year competition. Denise Roche MP Last month Tamaki claimed that the earthquakes were causes by the earth reacting to "the weight of human sin" and singled out gay then-Christchurch Central MP Tim Barnett's championing of the civil unions legislation which allowed same-sex relationships to be legally recognised. Green MP Denise Roche’s witty comeback, “Sex just can't be that good,"captured 26% of the public vote, just ahead of an observation about another anti-gay campaigner, one-time-conservative party leader Colin Craig, of whom it was said by a female employee during a court case: "In the beginning I really admired Colin. It was only as time went on that I realised he was a douche bag." Massey University speech writing lecturer Dr Heather Kavan believes it was the humour underlying Ms Roche’s comment that won the day.“I think a lot of people vote for the quotes that make them smile. Denise Roche's statement was quick-witted and funny. She conveyed her point without denigrating Tamaki, in a situation that left others struggling for words.”
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Friday, 16th December 2016 - 9:06am