A New Zealand beer company is under fire for a billboard that some are condemning as homophobic. DB Breweries advertised Tui beer—the Kiwi equivalent of Miller or Budweiser—with a sign (above) that read "Dad's new husband seems nice. Yeah right," with the brand's logo in large print.

The implication, complain detractors, is that you'll need a drink to deal with the fact that your father is gay.

Not so, says Tui marketing manager William Papesch, who explains that the "Yeah right" catch phrase has been used repeatedly by the 124-year-old brand in a variety of scenarios since 1994. (Below, one billboard proclaims "I'm on a study break. Yeah right.")

Papesch also says the topic of same-sex marriage was intentionally selected for the billboard because of its historical significance—New Zealand lawmakers just passed a marriage-equality measure this month. "Given the recent passing of the Same Sex Marriage Bill in Parliament, this ‘Yeah Right’ line is a topical spin at the age-old situation of a parent’s new partner,” insists Papesch.

But the Tui Facebook page is littered with comments calling the ad "offensive" and "homophobic" and demanding a boycott of the brand.

“I have always had a good giggle at your billboards as I drive down the Hutt motorway each morning, but I am pretty disgusted by the one I saw yesterday," wrote one woman. "Homophobia in this day and age? Really?"

Others got the joke, though: "Great billboard," said one man posted, "unless you've got no sense of humour."

Another wrote “As a gay man who has fought for equality all my life, I cannot believe the stupidity of people getting upset. To me it’s not anti-gay, if the billboard said ‘new wife’ no one would raise an eyebrow, why should ‘new husband’ be any different.”

What do you think of the ad—funny or foul?