Management of cleaning company Wet and Forget have now apologised directly to the gay community through GayNZ.com for homophobic radio talkback statements made by their spokesman during a live phone-in commercial for the company's cleaning products. After our recent article about John Tamihere's anti-gay broadcasts on Radio Live, several GayNZ.com readers contacted us to express anger at ‘Wet and Forget' spokesman Wayne Harris's homophobic “tail gunners” comment live on air. They also contacted Wet and Forget to articulate their outrage. More readers pointed out that Harris had made anti-transgender remarks in a previous commercial broadcast on another radio network. Wet and Forget company director Rod Jenden says he's “only just become aware” of the previous comments. “I wonder what his family would think of this, if he was dragging their name through this ugly situation,” Jenden now says. He is also concerned about the reputation of his business. “As the saying goes, ‘30 years to build a reputation, five minutes to tear it down.'" “We are so angry that this has happened and realise that your community has to work so hard for recognition on equal terms as it is, without this public unthinking outburst... My apologies again for the shameful display of one of my staff.” Harris himself has yet to comment publicly on his homophobic broadcasts but Jenden says he has been “severely reprimanded”. Ref: GayNZ.com (m)
Credit: GayNZ.com News Staff
First published: Thursday, 26th April 2007 - 12:00pm