A pro law reform march (File Photo) A gay former high-ranking member of the army who played a unique part in the Homosexual Law Reform fight has died. Peter Sumner was a former Lieutenant Colonel who lobbied MPs with a military background during the fiery phase of our history. These included fierce opponent Geoff Braybrooke, whose commanding officer he had been. “They talked about homosexuality and the Army and so on,” Homosexual Law Reform campaigner Bill Logan recalls, but “Braybrooke was immovable, of course.” Sumner had come out of the Army and the closet when he was in his 50s, and Logan says he was more than happy to help fight for the crucial law change by using his connections and history. While he’d never encountered any openly-gay men while in the Army, Logan says Sumner met many gay men who’d been in the Army once he was out and public about it. The two men were both heavily involved in running what was the Gay Switchboard in the 80s, which is where they forged their friendship despite their stark differences. “He was an upright Army officer, who had a great sense of humour, but was quite conservative really. And I was a commie,” Logan laughs. “We became good friends and enjoyed each other’s company. We worked very closely together and we both found in funny that we really had a history that was so opposed. It wasn’t so many years after we were on opposite sides in a war, when we would cheerfully have shot each other.” Logan explains Sumner was briefly, at one stage, New Zealand’s most senior officer in Vietnam. He will forever remember his friend as someone who was very fair-minded. He says inevitably in gay organisations there will always be ‘an amazing handbag fight’. “Back then there’d be every now and then a ‘he said something nasty about me’ kind of fight. Peter was a slow, patient, careful listener to both sides and had a deliberation and a fairness that people had a lot of confidence in. And it helped keep the organisation together through some difficult times.” Sumner remained a volunteer at the Gay Switchboard for many years, and was still there when it became the Wellington Gay and Lesbian Helpline. “I had the privilege of volunteering with Peter in the 2000s - we used to meet the new helpline applicants together,” former Gay Wellington Chair Stu Donaldson recalls. “He was a real character and lovely man who cared a lot for members of the glbti community. If you ever phoned the helpline on Christmas Eve you would have got Peter - you could always rely on him to keep the helpline going!” Donaldson says he is a great example of the great glbti people in Wellington, and someone who will be sadly missed. Peter Sumner was 84. If you would like to share a tribute, email news@gaynz.com
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Wednesday, 8th January 2014 - 8:49am