Hugh Young

This summary captures the essence of an audio recording featuring Hugh Young discussing their involvement in the homosexual law reform movement in Aotearoa New Zealand. The recording was made during the Queer History in the Making community event in Wellington on September 12th, 2015, where Hugh Young speaks about working with Heterosexuals Unafraid of Gays (HUG) during the 1980s.

Young describes their own personal journey, revealing a time when they were closeted and identified as bisexual, which led them to get involved with HUG. Despite some in the gay community seeing them as hypocritical, Young felt that their efforts as part of the organization did not harm the community and they were contributing positively to the cause. Working alongside Kim Saffron, Young took on a significant role in media relations, writing and distributing press releases in support of the homosexual law reform.

The interview delves into the challenges faced by reform advocates, particularly with the media. Young criticizes the media's attempt at providing balanced coverage, stating that when one side of a debate is right and the other wrong, such an approach does not work in favor of the just cause. Young discusses their direct engagement with the media, acknowledging that while they wrote many letters to newspapers, they felt that the anti-law reform campaigners received more attention than deserved.

Within the context of the reform movement, Young also touches on a more lighthearted but impactful event known as the 'Shiny Buttons amendment', where a whimsical response from HUG highlighting the absurdity of exempting certain professions from the law was picked up by a newspaper.

Aside from their activism, Young describes an incident relating to advertising ethics within the gay community. After coming out, Young, working in radio at the time, criticized a possum fur advertisement in the Pink Triangle publication for misleadingly promoting the product as chinchilla fur. This led to the advertiser withdrawing support from Pink Triangle, creating tension within the collective, though some members acknowledged Young's intent to prevent the community from being misled.

The recording concludes with Young describing a provocative image associated with the controversial advertisement, wherein a scantily clad figure seductively wrapped in fur poses for the camera. The image stands as a symbol of the era's marketing and cultural sensibilities.

The conversation is anchored in the broader context of the 2010s, looking back on the events of the 1980s and the Homosexual Law Reform Act of 1986. The recording represents a valuable reflection on the struggles and behind-the-scenes activities that contributed to significant social change in New Zealand. The interview was part of a larger archival effort to preserve and share the history of the homosexual law reform, and Young's firsthand account offers insights into the dynamics between media, activism, and community identity during that transformative period.

This summary is created using Generative AI. Although it is based on the recording's transcription, it may contain errors or omissions. Click here to learn more about how this summary was created.

Hugh Young

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