A well-drafted hate speech law may bring LGBT, ethnic, and religious minorities together, says Massey University researcher Peter Saxton, because it would protect robust argument but not at the expense of our "common humanity". "The public health effects of hate speech are clear and profound," says Saxton in today’s NZ Herald. “Targeted groups are subject to more hatred, more mental health problems, more violence and, in the case of the gay and lesbian community, more brutal homicide than other groups. They bear a disproportionate burden of other New Zealanders' freedom of expression.” Although striking a balance between freedom of expression and freedom from discrimination is difficult, Saxton believes it is possible to have the best of both worlds, and actually increase debate rather than restrict it. “The balance can be struck by minority groups conceding speech that is merely offensive, and by freedom-of-speech absolutists conceding a restriction on speech that incites violence or dehumanises identifiable groups,” he says. “Making concessions on both sides of the law will, however, provide some legal remedy for those expressions that advocate the inherent inferiority of groups and that incite violence against them."
Credit: GayNZ.com News Staff
First published: Friday, 22nd October 2004 - 12:00pm