A New Zealand church leader is under fire for suggesting that Cyclone Gabrielle, a storm that recently devastated New Zealand and parts of Australia, was caused by homosexuality and pornography.
Like it or not, there is no denying that Cyclone Gabrielle is an ACT OF GOD.
And who better to talk about an Act of God, than a Man of God!
Read more here:https://t.co/qEZIfHxwz5 pic.twitter.com/Hze0h1u0wP— Brian Tamaki (@ApostleTamaki) March 1, 2023
Brian Tamaki of the Destiny Church made the controversial comments through an hour-long sermon live-streamed on Facebook. During the sermon, the self-styled “apostle” described Cyclone Gabrielle as an act of God brought by the “moral depravity and degradation” of porn users, which he concluded after spending hours watching porn.
Aside from blaming the tragedy on abortions, the far-right fundamentalist leader and activist also claimed that the storm hardest hit the towns of Gisborne and Hastings in New Zealand because they have the “highest number of porn watchers in the country.”
Tamaki backed up his wild claims by saying he “hopped on” a porn site to research the “perversion linked to bad weather.”
— Adam is in a world of pure procrastination (@adamundefined) March 4, 2023
According to the New Zealand Herald, Tamaki was heard saying: “That city in there, Hastings and Gisborne, has the highest number of porn watchers in the country, and it’s one of the biggest averages per capita in the world.”
“And they’re the biggest watchers on the porn site of gay porn. I know! And I closed it and thought, ‘I can’t do this in church; I can’t say this publicly.'” he added.
Tamaki also said New Zealand was designated for destruction because the country has the “queerest parliament in the world.”
He continued his rant, saying, “Please, stop watching porn, New Zealand. It’s getting us in trouble. By the way, I don’t watch porn.”
God told me to come and tell you get fucked you sleazy opportunistic grifter
— Gigabishop Brian Tamaki (Taylor’s version) (@bboybishopbrian) March 2, 2023
In response to Tamaki’s remarks, Gisborne’s mayor Rehette Stoltz told the online magazine site The Spinoff that his claims were “disappointing, unhelpful, and laughable.”
“We have families struggling after losing their homes and their livelihoods, and a much-loved community member lost his life. In true Kiwi style, the rest of NZ have mucked in and supported us every step of the way,” she said.
“I suggest Brian stop wasting his time ‘researching’ Pornhub and instead join the rest of New Zealand who have donated time, energy, and money to help us get back on our feet,” Stoltz added.
It wouldn’t be the first time Tamaki had made claims against the LGBTQIA+ community in New Zealand. The founder of the far-right Freedoms New Zealand party also opposed much progressive legislation in the country, including a bill to ban conversion therapy.
He claimed in an article that the proposal would mean “good parents being criminalized for being… good parents” and that the LGBTQIA+ community in New Zealand was “aggressively” dominating the discussion.
Nevertheless, the proposal to ban conversion therapy was the most supported legislation in New Zealand’s history, ahead of other progressive legislation such as the End of Life Choice Bill for legalizing assisted dying and the Marriage Amendment Bill for legalizing same-sex marriage.
