Opponents of the Civil Union Bill making submissions to the select committee would, if given the chance, turn the clock back even further and recriminalise homosexuality. MP Tim Barnett, who chairs the committee, says opponents of the Civil Union Bill aren't just opposed to the bill, they're opposed to the sexuality of those who will benefit from it. "Ask them if they regret the homosexual law reform bill and they say, yes, they do," he says. This even extends to some of the MPs sitting on the committee. United Future MP Larry Baldock freely puts himself in the anti-camp regarding homosexual law reform. "I probably wouldn't have voted for it," he told the Dominion Post. Barnett has received 400-odd e-mails and letters so far, many disturbing. One advocates the death penalty for homosexuals. It was signed off: "Are you a patriot or a poofter?"
Credit: GayNZ.com News Staff
First published: Wednesday, 22nd September 2004 - 12:00pm