Maryan Street MP Labour's out lesbian MP Maryan Street has announced she's seeking selection as Nelson's Labour candidate in next year's general election. The list MP told the Nelson Mail newspaper of her intentions yesterday. "I'm approaching this with excitement and confidence," she said. "It's a good fit for me. I've spent a lot of time here over the last few years, and my extended whanau live here in Nelson." Current Nelson MP Nick Smith said on Monday the announcement had "come out of left field" because he had not known that Street had any interest previously in issues pertaining to Nelson. "She is well-known to come from the hard left of the Labour Party, both in terms of her unionism and feminism. I'm not sure that would fit well in Nelson," he said. He added that Street's sexual orientation was a complete non-issue: "People are more interested in the capacity of an MP to advocate for the community and relate to the issues." Street said she would bring a fresh face to the electorate, but conceded it might be a "very difficult choice for some people". She believed, however, that Nelson was liberal enough in its views to accept a lesbian MP, and that many in the community would support her simply because she was a lesbian. Street also revealed she is confident enough that she already has a Nelson real estate agent looking for property for her in the area. The Nelson Mail story is on the link below. Ref: Nelson Mail (m)
Credit: GayNZ.com News Staff
First published: Tuesday, 18th September 2007 - 10:37am