Openly homosexual Green Party MP Kevin Hague was this afternoon sporting an overtly gay red top in Parliament in reaction to Prime Minister John Key's comments about a radio host's "gay red top".
Mr Key has copped flak from a range of sources - including The Hobbit star Sir Ian Mckellen - for using the word "gay" to describe a red top worn by The Farming Show presenter Jamie Mackay in an interview last week.
This afternoon, Mr Hague was wearing a red top of his own, bearing the slogan "Absolut Homo".
Mr Hague said the shirt, which borrowed the famous Scandinavian vodka brand's logo, was part of a Swedish gay rights campaign. He acquired it when he was living in Sweden some years ago.
Mr Hague said Mr Key's use of the word "gay" to tease a radio host last week relied on homosexuality being perceived as something "pathetic, awful, sad, terrible" or, as Mr Key claimed, weird.
Mr Hague said he was sure Mr Key did not set out to offend anyone "but the fact is that as prime minister when he uses the word in that way he is reinforcing that negative equation".
Mr Key this afternoon refused to comment on the matter further, saying he'd dealt with it yesterday.