A deputation of elected gay and lesbian Community Board members will formally meet with Auckland mayor Dick Hubbard to discuss his "unacceptable" "child abusers and murderers" suggestions against same-sex parents. Bruce Kilmister, Lindsey Rea, Leigh Kennaway and Christopher Dempsey were all successful glbt City Vision candidates who endorsed Hubbard in the recent local body elections which saw him oust anti-gay incumbent mayor John Banks at the expense of the proven gay-friendly candidate, ex-mayor Christine Fletcher. Kilmister says the group is now "embarrassed that we as candidates endorsed him at the last election... he'll need to give us and the wider gay community a reason to vote for him next time." Kilmister says the pre-Civil Unions vote letter the mayor signed his name to, suggesting glbt parents are more likely than others to abuse or murder their children, is completely misleading. "The research he and his cosignatories quote includes nothing about same sex parenting. In fact it supports children being brought up by a couple, regardless of sexuality." The mayor is likely to give the group a fair hearing when they meet this Monday afternoon, Kilmister believes, "but he must understand that equating glbt people with child abusers and murderers is just as offensive to gay parents like me as were the old anti-gay slogans linking gays with paedophilia. It's the same old bogeyman again," says Kilmister, "and it's just not acceptable." A deputation from the Gay Auckland Business Association was slated to meet the mayor in the past day or so but has yet to report on the outcome of that meeting.
Credit: GayNZ.com News Staff
First published: Friday, 17th December 2004 - 12:00pm