Kay Jones

In the podcast "Kay Jones - homosexual law reform," recorded on the 14th October 2015, Kay Jones recounts the historical landscape of homosexual law reform activities in both Auckland and Wellington, New Zealand during the 1980s and 1990s. The discussion provides an insightful first-hand account of the era's challenges, activism, and social dynamics as they pertained to the LGBTQ+ community, particularly on the issues of homosexual law reform, inequality, and bisexual erasure.

Jones shares their personal experiences with activism, beginning with signing a high school petition supporting law reform—an act that brought their parents to tears over potential repercussions on their future employment. Emphasizing the weighty personal risks for supporting such causes during that time, Jones narrates their involvement as a union delegate amid the simultaneous contexts of state sector reforms and the introduction of the homosexual law reform Bill. They highlight the tension between publicly showing support for the LGBTQ+ community, such as wearing a support badge at work, and the pushback received, including being reprimanded by a closeted gay supervisor.

Jones highlights the uncomfortable conflicts faced by LGBTQ+ individuals within various organizations. They describe the hypocrisy and complexity of working environments and institutions such as the Salvation Army, where gay employees and trainees were forced to collect anti-reform petition signatures or risk losing jobs and training opportunities.

Moreover, the interviewee reflects on the stringently guarded social spaces within the queer community, discussing how bisexual individuals often faced erasure and exclusion, even within queer groups that otherwise sought to combat discrimination. Jones shares personal stories about this exclusion, but also about standing in solidarity with various groups over the years, actively participating in demonstrations and writing for queer publications.

Throughout the account, Jones underscores the importance of fighting for equality and human rights beyond personal identification. They touch on the evolution of the movement from the 1980s to the following decades, highlighting the progressive embedding of these rights into society and legislation, such as the part two of the homosexual law reform concerning human rights protections that emerged later.

The podcast paints a picture of not only the external societal struggles but also the internal community debates of the time. Jones' narrative underlines the activism, bravery, and camaraderie that defined the movement, and how community members, sharing a common cause, could create change despite internal and external barriers.

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.

Kay Jones

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