A gay Upper Hutt couple fostering a troubled teenage relative allege they have been discriminated against by Child, Youth and Family because of their sexuality. Wayne Jackson and Jamie Blake have been whanau caregivers for a teenage cousin of Blake's since2008. The teenager's mother was killed in a car accident and his father turned his back on the boy, who suffers from a number of behavioural problems. Three days after he was put in their care the men were told someone had approached CYF with concerns about their suitability as caregivers. The men claim that two social workers 'twisted words' of those who were interviewed as part of a CFY investigation into them. For example, an ex-employer alleges social worker investigator asked leading questions, twisted his words and "made it look like he had said I was a predator around younger children and the elderly," according to one of the gay men. "Starting back in 2008 till now we have had to put up with snide remarks, jokes about our sexuality and it has made us feel like we have some sort of disease," says Jackson. CYF denies anti-gay discrimination and says its concerns are solely regarding the pair's personal backgrounds. Blake and Jackson acknowledge their own troubled past but say this fuels their determination to help at-risk youth. In frustration they have asked Minister of Social Development Paula Bennett for assistance and have referred their discrimination claim to the Human Rights Commission which has offered to mediate the dispute. Read the whole story here. You can discuss this NZ gay community news story in the GayNZ.com Forum
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Thursday, 23rd September 2010 - 1:22pm