Following his public support of Brian Tamaki and the Destiny Church, James Laverty has resigned from his position as Guardian of Rainbow Pride Auckland (RPA).
“To pursue opportunities working with churches across New Zealand it’s time I step away from Rainbow Pride Auckland and let the board continue planning for next year’s pride month,” says Laverty
While Rainbow Pride Auckland is open to working with all community groups, the board and advisors both wholeheartedly disagree with Tamaki’s previous comments and will wait to see if he and the church follow through on their promises to the community before making any further decisions.
At this stage, Rainbow Pride Auckland is not in support of Tamaki, Destiny Church, or Coalition NZ and any member of RPA seen to be acting otherwise are doing so as an individual, not a representative of the society.
The board will meet tomorrow to discuss the next steps but would like to emphasise their continued commitment to organising an open and inclusive pride month next year.