Views On Homosexuality (Press, 5 June 1980)
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Summary: Views On Homosexuality (Press, 5 June 1980)
On 5 June 1980, Dr R. A. Moodie, the secretary of the New Zealand Police Association, clarified that his recommendations to the Human Rights Commission regarding changes to laws on homosexuality did not originate from the Police Association itself. In response to a letter by Varian J. Wilson published in "The Press," Dr Moodie asserted that his suggestions were made in his personal capacity and did not reflect a formal position of the association, which had no official stance on the question of homosexual law reform. Dr Moodie described Wilson's letter as containing "some rather irrational and emotive statements" about the topic. He expressed concern about the enforcement of current laws, stating that the existing legal framework was fostering increased tension within the gay community. Many individuals identified law enforcement actions, even when justified, as instances of harassment and oppression against gay people. His recommendations to Human Rights Commissioner Mr P. J. Downey included the proposal that laws concerning indecent acts between consenting adults be revised, alongside the introduction of an age of consent. However, he specified that there should be no alterations made to the sodomy laws. Dr Moodie argued that the current legal framework discriminates against males, highlighting the disparity where indecent acts between consenting males are illegal while similar acts between females are legal. He suggested that to eliminate this discrimination, the laws could either be liberalised or the prohibitions against males could be extended to cover females, though he noted that the latter choice would be contrary to prevailing international opinions. Dr Moodie concluded that the appropriate course for New Zealand, if it opted to make changes, would be to legalise consensual indecent acts between adult males, while firmly excluding any reforms of sodomy laws from his recommendations. He indicated that this provided context to many of the statements made in Wilson’s correspondence.
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