Gay chief censor Bill Hastings is receiving support this week for his controversial decision to ban a violent video game – from the same man who suggested in October that Hastings sexuality was affecting his ability to censor. NZ First deputy leader Peter Brown in October asked in Parliament whether it was appropriate to have a homosexual in charge of censorship in New Zealand, and suggested outside the House that “someone with heterosexual old-time values” would be stricter in preventing the release of objectionable material. Hastings, arguably one of New Zealand's strictest chief censors, announced late last week that the Playstation game “Manhunt” would not go on sale in New Zealand, making it the first video game to be totally banned in this country. The purpose of the game is to kill people while making a snuff movie, with additional points being awarded for violent murders. Brown says he is unfamiliar with the specifics of the game, but based on reports he has read feels New Zealand is better off without it and that Hastings has made the right decision. When asked if he now felt any differently about statements he made that suggested Hastings sexuality would affect his job, Brown only said, “Believe it or not I can support a decision, or even challenge one, without always stopping to think about a person's personal background.” Only a few hours after replying to GayNZ.com on Tuesday afternoon, Brown asked at Question Time in Parliament whether the Government's proposed Families Commission would cater to “homosexual families” and in a separate question, asked if opposition parties would have a right to veto the Commission's powers if it involved itself in such "controversial issues".
Credit: GayNZ.com News Staff
First published: Thursday, 18th December 2003 - 12:00pm