Homosexual Bill... ‘would Not Pass 1st Vote’ (Press, 9 July 1974)
This is a Generative AI summary of this newspaper article. It may contain errors or omissions. Please note that the language in the summary is reflective of the original article and the societal attitudes of the time in which it was written.
Summary: Homosexual Bill... ‘would Not Pass 1st Vote’ (Press, 9 July 1974)
On 8 July 1974, New Zealand Prime Minister Mr. Kirk expressed his belief that any proposed bill for homosexual law reform would not pass its initial vote in Parliament. He noted that while the Labour caucus had not prevented its Members of Parliament (M.P.s) from introducing a private member's bill on the topic, there were significant divisions within the Labour party, making it unlikely that any M.P. would propose such a bill. He indicated that if an Opposition member were to introduce a similar bill, Labour M.P.s would be allowed a free vote, but he doubted that the motion for its first reading would garner enough support. Mr. Kirk suggested that a petition to Parliament could serve as a more effective means of exploring the issue. When asked about his potential vote if a bill were presented, he conveyed a cautious stance, indicating that he would need to examine the specific wording of any proposed bill or motion before taking a position. Importantly, he stated that he would not support a bill that normalised homosexuality. The Prime Minister conveyed that the Labour caucus had engaged in a prolonged and intense discussion regarding homosexual law reform, revealing the topic's deeply divisive nature among its members. No consensus had been reached, and the general mood suggested that the timing was not right for introducing such a bill due to ongoing divisions. Additionally, Mr. Kirk pointed out the government's concerns regarding different groups within the homosexual community. He made a distinction between those he considered to be a social problem and another group perceived as having anti-social behaviours, which he felt complicated the discussion surrounding homosexual law reform. The government seemed to categorise these groups into those with medical issues and the advocates for reform. In a separate note, it was reported that President Tito of Jugoslavia had departed from Belgrade for a four-day official visit to Rumania, having been invited by President Ceusescu.
Important Information
The text on this page is created, in the most part, using Generative AI and so may contain errors or omissions. It is supplied to you without guarantee or warranty of correctness. If you find an error or would like to make a content suggestion please get in contact
The text on this page is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 New Zealand