As discrimination against same-sex couples was finally removed from the law books last night with the passage of the Relationships Bill, ACT justice spokesman Stephen Franks was proposing amendments to ensure it remained. Franks introduced several amendments, including a repeal of clauses from the Human Rights Act 1993 which made it illegal to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation. "If the Bill passes without this amendment to the Human Rights Act, a caterer or a taxi driver with strong social or religious objections to facilitating same-sex relationships could be prosecuted for declining to be connected with the solemnization of a civil union," wrote Franks in his explanatory note for his proposed amendments, one of which inserted the following clause: "Protection of freedom of expression, of association, and of religious expression in relation to family matters". But Franks' amendments would have gone far beyond same-sex couples, also allowing for discrimination against the following "specified conduct": "extra-marital sex, extra-marital child bearing, the breach of promises exchanged in marriage, desertion, same sex relationships in the nature of marriage, and homosexual sex". Rainbow Labour says Franks is out of control. "Despite being a lawyer, Stephen Franks clearly doesn't understand the Human Rights Act," says spokesman Michael Wallmannsberger. "He paints himself as the champion of the caterer and taxi driver who have to provide services to gay people. But he conveniently ignores the gay taxi driver who has to take the fare of someone like Stephen Franks, despite his views." Wallmannsberger says that unlike his party leader Rodney Hide, Franks has shown that he stands for the right of employers to fire employees because they are gay, for landlords' right to evict gay and lesbian tenants and for drivers to refuse to allow two men holding hands to get on a bus or into a taxi. "Rodney Hide voted for the Civil Union Bill, and declared he was a supporter of the right for gay people to be recognised by the law. This is what one would expect of a party which calls itself the 'liberal' party," he says.
Credit: GayNZ.com News Staff
First published: Wednesday, 16th March 2005 - 12:00pm