Article Held To Be Indecent (Press, 1 April 1977)
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Summary: Article Held To Be Indecent (Press, 1 April 1977)
On 1 April 1977, the Christchurch Magistrate's Court fined Michael Stephen Waghome NZ$50, with NZ$20 costs, for printing an indecent document. The court found Waghome, aged 33, guilty of a charge related to producing an article titled "An Introduction to Anal Intercourse," which was featured in the Gay Liberation Front newsletter titled "Aequus" in February 1975. In his reserved decision, Magistrate H. J. Evans stated that he perceived the article as indecent, asserting that the sexual acts described within it could not be viewed as anything but criminal. His reasoning was based on the prevailing laws that deemed such acts illegal at the time. The magistrate concluded that the document in question indeed carried an immoral or mischievous tendency due to its discussion of these criminalised sexual acts. However, in determining the penalty, Magistrate Evans acknowledged several mitigating factors in Waghome's favour. He noted that the defendant presented himself as a sincere and intelligent individual and pointed out that Waghome was only responsible for printing a document with a limited audience. Ultimately, the magistrate expressed the belief that, given the evolving standards of social and moral behaviour, there should be a degree of tolerance for individuals advocating for societal change, alongside those who opposed or resisted such discussions. This ruling highlighted the tensions surrounding issues of sexuality and morality in New Zealand society during that period, reflecting both the challenges faced by the LGBTQ+ community and the slowly shifting attitudes towards sexual expression and rights.
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