Anti-gay Petition Launched (Press, 14 March 1985)

On 14 March 1985, four members of the New Zealand Parliament announced a campaign against the proposed Homosexual Law Reform Bill, which seeks to decriminalise consensual sex between males aged 16 and older. The MPs—Norman Jones and Graeme Lee from the National Party, and Allan Wallbank and Geoff Braybrooke from the Labour Party—are concerned that many of their colleagues support the legislation. In a bid to mobilise public opinion, they launched a petition with the goal of gathering one million signatures, hoping to canvass households across the country by 1 May 1985. The bill, introduced by Labour MP Fran Wilde, had garnered initial support in a parliamentary vote of 51 to 24, with 20 members either absent or abstaining. However, Jones noted that parliamentary conventions typically favour the introduction of private member bills, and many MPs may not support the bill if the age of consent remains at 16. The Gay Taskforce had assessed the voting patterns, identifying MPs as either supportive or opposed to the bill, which Jones stated was accurate at the introduction stage. Jones expressed concerns about the composition of the select committee assigned to review the legislation, suggesting it leans towards reform. Given this, the opposing MPs aim to raise public awareness and opposition to thwart the bill's progress. Each legislator has received substantial correspondence from constituents supporting their stance, indicating a disconnect between public and political opinion on the issue. The petition, coordinated through the New Zealand Anti-Homosexual Action Group, will be distributed and signed primarily by individuals of secondary school age and older to maintain its credibility. If successful, it would become one of the largest petitions presented in New Zealand. The four MPs plan to conduct speaking tours to further their cause, encouraging constituents to write to their MPs and submit their opinions to the select committee. They highlighted their religious beliefs as influencing their views on the legislation, with each expressing their concern that legalising homosexuality would undermine traditional family values. Jones specifically opposes the bill, labelling homosexuality as unnatural and linking it to the potential spread of AIDS. Overall, the MPs believe their campaign reflects the sentiments of thousands of New Zealanders who are against the legalisation of homosexuality, aiming to close what they see as a significant gap in understanding between the public and the legislature.

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