Greens and Labour MPs have taken issue withPrime Minister John Key’s apparent comment yesterday that the “TPP is not a gay and lesbian issue,” calling him ignorant. The PM made the comment after some attending Auckland’s Big Gay Out on Sunday booed the national contingent during their brief appearance on the main stage. GayNZ.com reporters noted that some of those voicing anti-TPPA sentiment were not necessarily from the core Big Gay Out picnic day crowd. “The TPPA is an LGBTQI issue, as it’s an issue for all New Zealanders,” said Green Party rainbow issues spokesperson Kevin Hague in a statement released today. “John Key has admitted that the TPPA will mean higher prices for medicines and reduced access to cutting-edge, top-of-the-line drugs. This will affect people living with HIV/AIDS and all other New Zealanders.” “Homosexuality remains criminalised in Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei,” said lesbian MP Louisa Wall, chair of the Labour Rainbow Caucus. “This year, New Zealand celebrates 30 years since our law reform. The TPPA does not contribute to promoting LGBTQI rights and is therefore fundamentally relevant to the rainbow communities of every country involved, including ours. “Having attended the inaugural Being LGBT in Asia-Pacific UN initiative in Bangkok last year, I am clear that the discrimination faced by LGBTQI people who are poor and HIV-positive will be compounded with increased difficulty in accessing affordable medication under the TPPA’s enhanced patent protections. To say that the TPPA is not an LGBTQI issue is incredibly ignorant. "
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Tuesday, 16th February 2016 - 3:26pm