Update: T-shirt campaign becomes extinct after backlash

The t-shirt which sparked uproar

Moa Beer is offering to apologise in person to anyone offended by a t-shirt campaign which suggests low carb beer drinkers are queer, after an outpouring of disgust and disappointment on Facebook.

The boutique brewer's marketing department was giving away t-shirts which said "Low Carb Beers", with the a pink 'Q' superimposed over the letter 'B' so it read "Qeers", promoting the fact that Moa's brews are "full strength".

When asked by GayNZ.com Daily News whether the campaign is saying that anyone who drinks low carb beer must be queer, Moa's marketing manager replied "yes", but also so replied "yes" to the question of whether Moa was bothered that it had offended some gay people.

The ensuing story sparked angry backlash on its Facebook page.

Rainbow Youth's Sam Shore wrote; "With the recent global spike in “queer” kids killing themselves due to bullying or because they think it's just such a bad thing to be “queer”, I was actually shocked at this campaign. It may seem like a small thing to you guys, but when you're an at-risk youth and you look around and see stupid advertising slogans like yours, it only serves to make you feel worse."

Shore says he used to think Moa beer was a pretty cool boutique brewery, "but sadly due to the fact I am queer I'm going to have to stop drinking it as I'm obviously not butch enough."

Dorothy V Dentata wrote: "BROES. Did you not hear how lesbians fuckin' love good beers? Sincerely- a raging bifurious girl who won't be hooning one of yr brews any time soon."

Others were more disappointed with the spelling, including Bones O'Connor who posted" "Hey! Fuck you, MOA! How dare you leave the U out of QUEER."

John Diver said it's "not a terribly well thought through idea, fellas. It's not 1963 anymore," with media personality Steve Gray adding: "duuuuuh how dumb. 1940 called they want their views back."

After the first flood of responses Moa initially responded that it didn't think too hard about the campaign and it was meant it to be taken light-heartedly.

It later added: "Thanks for your feedback on our tees. They were meant to be light-hearted, kind of like the way we hassle the boss for being bald. We asked some of our gay mates & they thought it was funny, but I guess we should've asked a few more. Don't worry, it's not part of a wider campaign."

Moa has invited anyone in Auckland to a barbecue it's holding on the Britomart lawn tomorrow: "You come down we can apologise in person & we'll shout you a beer," it says.

The image of the t-shirt has since been removed from the page.

Many people are satisfied with the response, but others say they will still boycott the brand.

A minority are still not convinced the t-shirts were a bad idea in the first place, with Bradley Harris writing on the brewer's Facebook page: "gay people have too much shit moan about. Nice t-shirts".

Matthew White asks "Where can I get a t-shirt?" and Dean Barker adds "I'd like one too. Maybe one saying, 'Only faggots drink low carb beer'."

John Green who is 'gay and out everywhere' has no problem with the campaign as he sees it as satire "on the daft attitudes of supposed 'real' men than being anti-gay.

"To my mind the ad ridicules them NOT us. I'd wear the T-shirt proudly to show my contempt for bigotry. It's what those Christian types have done for years after all!"

However the poster isn't going to drink Moa, saying he prefers Bollinger.

By GayNZ.com Daily News staff -