A gay red top

You know, having now seen the top, the description isn’t totally inaccurate 🙂

Stuff reports:

Key flirted with controversy again that day on the Farming Show radio programme when he slagged off host Jamie Mackay for wearing red.

He said the host would not do well in a charity golf event that afternoon because he was wearing ”that gay red top”.

Key had made the remark after offering to donate up to $10,000 for a charity golf tournament if Mackay shot a hole-in-one.

“You’re going to be nervous when you line up in those par threes now, aren’t you. You’re munted mate, you’re never going to make it. You’ve got that gay red top on there.”

Of course there is outrage. But I think the comments from two gay groups were fairly reasonable:

Rainbow Wellington chairman Tony Simpson said Key may have used the word ‘gay’ in the broader sense, but it was a peculiar choice.

“We won’t get really far as a society if we start walking around calling people names. Hardly seems productive activity.”

Gay Auckland Business Association chief executive Gresham Bradley said he wasn’t offended by Key’s comment, but that it could be taken the wrong way.

“Given the way ‘gay’ is used today as a derogatory remark I’m a bit surprised he would say that,” Bradley said.

“I personally don’t take offence from this coming from John Key, who I know to be a very supportive person of the gay community.

‘‘[However] I think he may wish to consider the wisdom of using that word as people could easily misinterpret his meaning.”

I agree with Gresham. People can misinterpret, especially when it is the PM, so he should avoid the phrase. But can we have less of the hysteria sweeping certain people about it.