John Tamihere Just because GayNZ.com hasn't featured any of John Tamihere's recent anti-gay rants on nationwide Radio Live talkback doesn't mean he's stopped. Far from it. Though the last couple of months have been particularly dire, they come on the end of a year of diatribes guaranteed to bring out the worst in his clearly already glbt-averse listeners. Sadly, very few gay or lesbian callers - or our supporters - have been prepared to ring 0800 RADIOLIVE (0800 723 465) and take on Tamihere's macho anti-gay posturings masquerading as pleas for freedom of speech and thought. The New Zealand AIDS Foundation, criticised on numerous Tamihere talkback sessions for ‘promoting the homosexual lifestyle', decided to take action. They formally complained to the Broadcasting Standards Authority that the brutish radio host's broadcasts were anti-gay rhetoric, breaching standards relating to denigration, balance and fairness. Sadly, the Authority did not uphold the complaint. It considered the comments did not contain the invective, vitriol or negativity necessary to amount to the denigration of gay people. “JT's got the clearance!” Tamihere's co-host Willie Jackson declared on air on the 30th of March. “He's got his hands in the air. He's not a homophobe. The AIDS Foundation, you've missed out. I think you were robbed, AIDS Foundation, because I think he is a homophobe, despite the certificate he got from his mate Tipu Misa and the Broadcasting Standards Authority.” And so it continued. Tamihere regarded the ‘certificate' as proof positive he wasn't homophobic. “Do more work stopping the spread of HIV, and stop acting on behalf of the gay liberation movement,” he advised the AIDS Foundation once again. Vileness began anew from listeners contacting the show. “Gays should be removed from NZ and put in waters around Auckland Islands,” said one email read out. Another caller was critical of homosexual law reform 20 years ago, another email criticized TV shows “full of over the top faggots” wanting to be accepted. And so it went on. AIDS Foundation boss Rachael Le Mesurier, getting wind of all this, got mightily worked up. But why should the NZAF be concerned? Well, for starters, out and proud and secure gay men and more likely to address the risks of contracting HIV and value their wellbeing enough to commit to safe sex. Then there's the role of a healthy and broad-ranging gay community in spreading the message about HIV and safe sex and 'normalising' the use of condoms. Berated, ill-informed and demeaned men who have sex with men are more likely to be isolated, self-loathing and reckless. Media messages count, especially when those messages can reach the families, workmates and friends of glbt people. Perhaps the Broadcasting Standards Authority didn't understand the corrosive nature of Tamihere's incessant rants? The compliant to the BSA was a learning curve for the Foundation, Le Mesurier explains. “I think it's important to note that the BSA ruling did not take into account the bulk of homophobic broadcasts that have been occurring on Radio Live since July last year. The NZAF had attempted informal face-to-face mediation with Radio Live and CanWest management over these broadcasts, many of which occurred around the period of the homosexual law reform 20th anniversary and in the weeks following, Le Mesurier says. “The NZAF first filed a formal complaint in October over a broadcast on the John Tamihere show which had attacked us for approaching the station with our concerns. We thought it was only fair that we should have a right of reply on air, but we were blocked from doing so by the show's producer, hence our decision to formally complain. As part of our complaint, we included references to the earlier broadcasts to indicate a history of homophobia and bias in the John Tamihere programme." But formal complaints must be filed almost immediately after each broadcast in question. There's not much time for putting together a cogent, referenced and historically-rerferenced case. “Unfortunately, formal complaints about broadcasts must be received within a fixed time period, and by the time NZAF filed its formal complaint, the timeframe meant that the majority of these earlier broadcasts could not be taken into account by the BSA," sighs Le Mesurier. “We had hoped that a history of homophobic broadcasts over a period of months could be taken into account as context, but we learnt that this is not how broadcasting complaints work,” continues Le Mesurier. “Formal complaints must be received about each and every instance and judged individually. This could perhaps be a flaw in the system, as it allows broadcasters to follow the letter of the law rather than the spirit of it." "In addition," she says, "our complaint regarding being blocked from appearing on-air does not fall under the regulation of the BSA, as it can only rule on broadcasted material, so was also unable to be taken into account.” So, once again, on the afternoon of Friday 30th March, Le Mesurier tried to speak to the hosts on air, and finally got through. The call began amiably enough. She put a few clear points across, but it soon became clear Tamihere wasn't really listening… as our transcript shows: ********** Rachael Le Mesurier: Hi guys, this is Rachael Le Mesurier, Executive Director of the New Zealand AIDS Foundation. How's it going, guys? John Tamihere: Congratulations Rachael. Le Mesurier: Congratulations? That's lovely, thank you! John, how are you? Tamihere: Never been better, wouldn't be dead for quids. Le Mesurier: I know, I know. Hey, I wanted to share with you guys, I'm actually at the Maxim Institute's afternoon that they've got about pursuing social justice – and I believe you had Greg Fleming [Maxim's CEO] on earlier today, is that correct? Tamihere: Dunno. Le Mesurier: Yeah, I think you did. Tamihere: Not with us. Le Mesurier: I think John, you've just given an endorsement of their new book, ‘Pursuing Social Justice in New Zealand'. You've got the quote on here. Tamihere: That's right, me and Judge Michael Brown. [Editor's note: Brown was a high-profile signatory to the appalling and inacurate 'gay and lesbian parents are more likely to abuse and kill their children' letter furtively distributed to MPs during Parliament's Civil Unions debates.] Le Mesurier: That's right. Tamihere: His, mine, and who else endorsed it do you think? Le Mesurier: Well, what's interesting is that there's some key things in there that I even think the AIDS Foundation would agree with about communities, and that communities are the best response to social injustice. One of the questions I know you've had for a long time John, is ‘why should the AIDS Foundation bother with things like homophobia, when we should just stick to HIV?' That's what you've been saying – true yeah? Tamihere: That's true. Le Mesurier: Well I thought it was really interesting to see a name attached to a book which was endorsing why communities need to be strong and how to keep those communities strong. Because one of the references they make, for example, ‘through thousands of small acts of kindness and cohesion a community are built'. And I think it's those small acts of kindness that John, at the end of the day, we wanted to bring to your attention late last year. Co-host Willie Jackson: Good on ya, Rachael. Tamihere: (giggling) Well, how many pages did you take in writing - you're bringing my kindness into play – how many pages did you write? Le Mesurier: I tell you, it was quick as. Tamihere: No, no hang on, how many pages of kindness did you write about me? Le Mesurier: Aw, I was more interested in the comments you were making John, because you're one of the biggest critics we have. Tamihere: I was just interested in the comments you were making about me. Le Mesurier: Oh, in preparation for the complaint? I wasn't sure what you were talking about. Tamihere: Yeah. Le Mesurier: Actually, I'm sorry John, not a lot more apart from the actual pages were related to the actual complaint. We try to give back up information but, I tell you what, you win some you lose some, but at the end of the day, I'm on live and I'm talking to you, because actually that's one of the big problems we had right at the beginning was getting a chance to talk to you, so in some senses we're really pleased to have that chance to… Tamihere: Well no, our producer says that's not correct. Now, on talkback shows when certain things spring onto them, it is incumbent on them the ring then, rather than have an allegation made that the programme was biased, get a transcript of it or a replay of it, and then take umbrage with it. So the key is, you're on now… Le Mesurier: I am, I am! Tamihere: So, what's your point? Jackson: So that's the thing. Ring up when it's topical, not when it suits you, I suppose that's what we're saying, Rachael. Le Mesurier: Absolutely, and that's why I'm online right now, because you guys were talking about it yesterday. Jackson: So let's go to the point. Do you think Tamihere's a homophobe? Le Mesurier: What I'm conscious of is that Tamihere doesn't seem to like one particular community. I'm not even sure if it'd be lesbians, it sounds like it's just gay men. Tamihere: What are you talking about? I like Lindsay Perigo immensely. Le Mesurier: You do, but your general statements about gay men are pretty sweeping, pretty derogatory, and based on… Tamihere: But hang on Rachael, I'm allowed in this country, as a heterosexual male, I'm allowed to say I do not agree with or support homosexuality, aren't I? Le Mesurier: Change the word homosexuality. If you put in there ‘I don't agree with women', or ‘I don't agree with Asians' or ‘I don't agree with Jews', and see what it sounds like. Tamihere: Hang on a minute. I sit here day in and day out and say I'm sick and tired of Maoris – does that make me a racist against Maoris does it? Or does that make me a person that picks on Maoris all the time does it? Le Mesurier: Well it depends on how many other positive comments you have to say John. Tamihere: It depends on the topic. Le Mesurier: If you balance it. If you actually put a variety of different views. Because we know that you're not about saying that ‘all Maori are second rate citizens', we know you're not saying that. But it's not clear that's what you're saying with homophobia. Jackson: Yes. Le Mesurier: It's quite clear that you think actually they're not – gay men are not entitled to the rights... Tamihere: Well no, hang on, well Willie Jackson actually agrees absolutely with me. Jackson: No I don't. Le Mesurier: He just doesn't express it the way I do. Jackson: No, you express it a little bit differently to me; don't put me in the same boat as you. Tamihere: You don't want your kid to be a homosexual, right? Jackson: Yeah, that's right, no. Le Mesurier: Because they have actually to put up with comments like you have, John. It's really quite hard to have young people come out when they hear derogatory comments like you make about who they are. Tamihere: Well what are you doing to stem them from coming out? ********** Stemming - ie stopping - gay and lesbian people from coming out? Huh?!? This Friday evening we bring you part two of this insightful on-air jousting match and ask Le Mesurier: Was it all worth it? GayNZ.com - 16th April 2007