A pioneer in New Zealand's marriage equality fight, Jenny Rowan, has been ousted as Kapiti Mayor. Councillor Ross Church has beaten Rowan in a STV system vote, which due to its complexities caused the results to be delayed. An influx of last minute votes also slowed the count. Rowan became the first ever out lesbian 'to be elected' Mayor when she claimed the Kapiti job in 2007. She had previously served as Mayor of Inglewood from 1986 to 1989, but came out during that time. While she encountered some homophobia during her time as Kapiti Mayor, mostly in the form of hateful billboards erected by an angry local, she has kept her sexuality out of her political career. Rowan will forever keep a place in New Zealand's GLBTI history books, as she and partner Jools Joslin were one of three same-sex couples who went to court for the right to marry in the late 90s. They lost their fight at the High Court, Court of Appeal and United Nations. Rowan and Joslin have now been together for 25 years, marrying in Canada in 2006, and have a family of six children and four grandchildren.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Saturday, 12th October 2013 - 8:30pm