New Zealand MP Maurice Williamson's
speech to parliament in support of gay marriage has become an
Internet hit.
Williamson, a member of the
conservative National Party, delivered his colorful and powerful
speech just before parliament approved a measure making New Zealand
the 14th nation to legalize such unions.
(Related: New
Zealand: Fourteenth nation to legalize gay marriage.)
“I have had a reverend in my local
electorate call and say that the gay onslaught will start the day
after this bill is passed,” Williamson told colleagues. “We are
really struggling to know what the gay onslaught will look like. We
do not know whether it will come down the Pakuranga Highway as a
series of troops, or whether it will be a gas that flows over the
electorate and blocks us all in.”
“I also heard some more disgusting
claims about adoption. Well, I have got three fantastic adopted
kids. I know how good adoption is, and I have found some of the
claims just disgraceful. I found some of the bullying tactics really
evil. I gave up being scared of bullies when I was at primary
school.”
“I cannot understand why someone
would be opposed. … But I give a promise to those people who are
opposed to this bill right now. I give you a watertight guaranteed
promise.”
“The sun will still rise tomorrow.
Your teenage daughter will still argue back with you as if she knows
everything. Your mortgage will not grow. You will not have skin
diseases or rashes, or toads in your bed. The world will just carry
on. So do not make this a big deal.”
“This bill is fantastic for the
people it affects, but for the rest of us, life will go on.”
“Finally, can I say that one of the
messages I had was that this bill was the cause of our drought –
this bill was the cause of our drought.”
“Well, if any of you follow my
Twitter account, you will see that in the Pakuranga electorate this
morning it was pouring with rain. We had the most enormous big gay
rainbow across my electorate.” (The video is embedded on this
page. Visit
our video library for more videos.)
Appearing on the program Firstline,
Williamson said he was surprised by his new fame: “I feel a little
bit like 'Gangnam Style.' Now what am I going to do for an encore?”