Gisborne NZ: Religious group paint over rainbow flag on street crossing in protest against drag queen storytelling at nearby library

A rainbow crossing honoring a city’s LGBTQIA+ community has been painted over in protest after a church pastor’s ultimatum to cancel the local library’s drag story time was ignored.

White paint was used by members of the evangelical Destiny Church on Monday evening to erase the rainbow motif on the important Gladstone Road in the New Zealand town of Gisborne on the north-east coast of the North Island.

Destiny church pastor Brian Tamaki demanded that Gisborne Mayor Rehette Stoltz cancel Tuesday’s “Rainbow Storytime,” in which drag queens read books to an audience over 16, by 5 p.m., but this did not happen.

In response, church members blocked the rainbow crossing section of the road by placing protest signs over it, while others posted a video of themselves using paint rollers to conceal the motif, which had been present since late 2021.

“We are fed up with the sexualization of our children,” church member Leighton Packer said to the camera as the intersection was being painted over.

‘We will not tolerate this. Tomorrow there will be sex workers, adult entertainers.

‘We’ll stand outside the library. We will make a big song and a lot of noise.’

A man who applied the paint said the church’s demands fell on deaf ears.

“We’ve had enough,” he said.

The border crossing in Gisborne had been in place since the end of 2021 and the city’s mayor promised to have it rebuilt soon

Church members block the intersection by holding up signs across the road

“Our mayor doesn’t want to listen, our council members don’t want to listen.

‘Enough is enough.’

Clr. Stoltz accused the church members of committing vandalism on Tuesday and said she would refer them to police.

“We accept that people have different views, but there is no place for hatred or bigotry in Tairāwhiti,” she said.

“We will restore the rainbow crossing as soon as possible.”

‘We absolutely object to individuals interfering with our road markings and the safety of people on our roads.

“We will work with police to hold those involved to account and seek compensation for the cost of the work.”

Drag performers Sunita Torrance (Erika Flash) and Daniel Lockett (Coco Flash) continued their performance at the central HB Williams Memorial Library in Gisborne, despite loud protests outside the church.

Destiny members dueled with counter-protesters Tuesday afternoon to shout and chant over each other.

Destiny Church Pastor Brian Tamaki claimed the drag story time event at the library was a flop

When posting on X, Mr. Tamaki claimed the story telling was a failure.

“Gizzy Rainbow supporters would rather stay outside the library and listen to my team than go inside and listen to Erika and Coco Flash’s bullshit,” he wrote.

‘I don’t blame them. The Gizzy Rainbow Storytime event was a flop! In fact, only the adult librarians were present, which was the purpose of keeping them away from young people.”

A library in the town of Hastings, a three-hour drive south of Gisborne, canceled a children’s storytelling session by Erika and CoCo Flash on Wednesday due to safety concerns.

A spokesperson for Hastings District Council said the spread of misinformation had led to the cancellation.

Mayor of Hastings Sandra Hazlehurst said she was deeply disappointed to have to cancel the event.

“It was our intention to confront this harassment and move forward,” said Cr. Hazlehurst.

“But unfortunately, the possibility of potentially aggressive protests taking place outside the library is something we cannot subject our children and the rest of the community to.”