Anti-Gay Marriage Commercial Backfires on NZ Candidate
A Katter’s Australian Party commercial intended to paint Liberal National Party (LNP) leader Campbell Newman as a hypocrite for supporting gay marriage has backfired on the minor party.
The ad asks how well voters know Mr Newman and features him repeating the words: “I support gay marriage.”
It also features images of two shirtless men, and Mr Newman handling a skirt.
But instead of achieving its goal, the ad has sparked outrage among Queensland’s gay and lesbian community and support groups.
Equal rights campaigner Phil Browne on Monday lodged a complaint with the Advertising Standards Bureau, labelling the ad as “vile”.
“The ad uses fear and hate to target homosexuals, an oppressed minority group,” Mr Browne said in his complaint.
“This is vile and unacceptable.
“It would be totally unacceptable to use another minority group to promote the same message.”
Mr Newman told reporters in Brisbane it was “immaterial” that he supported gay marriage but his party didn’t.
He said the priority should be on looking after “normal Queensland families who need their cost of living pressures reduced right down”.
But when asked what a “normal family” was, Mr Newman did not exclude same-sex couples from his response.
“(They are) families who are trying to pay their mortgages, trying to make ends meet, who need low vehicle registration costs frozen,” he said.