Thu 20 Oct 2011 In: New Zealand Daily News View at Wayback View at NDHA
Damian Light speaking at last week's GABA forum United Future is running a gay candidate, and making it clear it's because he's an impressive person and his sexuality is utterly irrelevant. The party's North Shore candidate Damian Light has been placed at 12th on the party's list heading into the election, and has been selected as a candidate for the second consecutive time. Light spoke at the Gay Auckland Business Association Candidates' Forum last week where he shared that he had only recently come out. He said United Future is fair, open and believes in choice and removing barriers to create a more open society for all. "This room, this city, this country is filled with diversity and this is something we should celebrate," he said. "Our personal freedom to live as we wish is so important to us all. My generation enjoys more personal freedom than the last yet there is so much more that we need to do. Our policies include renaming the Ministry of Women's Affairs to the Ministry of Gender Affairs, recognising that gender equality is an issue that affects us all." He added that he believes adoption is not about the sexual orientation of the parents, the issue is whether the parents are suitable, and stated United Future would support changed legislation to allow same-sex couples to adopt. United Future leader Peter Dunne tells GayNZ.com Daily News Light is a very impressive candidate and was selected on that basis. He adds the sexuality is a non-issue and not something the party asks its candidates about, saying "we don't think a person's sexuality is relevant". Dunne echoes Light's comments that United Future is not only completely open to diversity in its ranks, but in the country as a whole. Light is a former student of Takapuna's Rosmini College who works in business management.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Thursday, 20th October 2011 - 2:03pm