TAB sorry for transsexual ad

10.05.2002

The TAB will apologise to a transsexual offended by a raunchy radio advertisement.

The provocative advertisement broadcast on Radio Sport encouraged punters to bet on the National Rugby League (NRL).

It featured a huddle of men wolf-whistling at a passing woman. But they voiced their disgust when they realised she was a transsexual.

Joanne Proctor, a former Lyttelton crane driver now living in the King Country as a woman, complained to Racing Minister Annette King that the advert was "offensive and objectionable".

She said yesterday: "It attempts to sell a product on the basis of prejudice and ridicule and in the process it perpetuates negative stereotypes and misinformation."

She asked the minister to use her influence to have the ad pulled or rewritten.

Ms King ordered her officials to speak to TAB chiefs, a spokeswoman said yesterday. The TAB assured them the advert was no longer on air.

TAB acting chief executive officer Jim Leach said the offending advertisement was run over a short period to promote a specific event. It was withdrawn when it had run its course.

The advert was off-the-wall but not intended to be offensive.

"Sometimes you can interpret these things a number of different ways," he said.

"There is a fairly fine line with some of these things."

Mr Leach said a written apology would be sent to Ms Proctor.

Yesterday, she said she was satisfied the TAB would be apologising. "They were advertising a product to a bunch of blokes on a blokes' station and they thought they were being funny," she said.

"It's a good outcome. Good on Annette King."