The Human Rights Commission has welcomed Prime Minister Bill English’s statement yesterday that he would vote differently on gay marriage if it came up to the vote now. The Marriage Amendment Act 2013 allowed same-sex and transgender New Zealanders to marry. At the time English and 43 other MPs voted against the act, which was insufficient to kill it. “We welcome Prime Minister English’s support for marriage equality and the rights of thousands of New Zealanders to marry,” said gay Human Rights Commissioner Richard Tankersley. “Having the courage to challenge your own views and to do so publicly is a rare but valuable quality in any leader.” Tankersley says the Commission "would also like to pay tribute to those 77 MPs who stood alongside lgbti New Zealanders three years ago and argued for our right to be treated equally in our own homeland.”
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Tuesday, 13th December 2016 - 1:46am