Reform A ‘health Aid’ (Press, 14 March 1985)
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Summary: Reform A ‘health Aid’ (Press, 14 March 1985)
On 14 March 1985, the debate surrounding the legalisation of homosexuality in New Zealand intensified, particularly in relation to its intersection with the A.I.D.S. epidemic. Mr Norman Jones, the member of Parliament for Invercargill, claimed that legalising homosexuality would likely contribute to an increase in A.I.D.S. transmissions. This assertion faced immediate pushback from the Lesbian and Gay Rights Resource Centre in Wellington. The centre's administrator, Mr Philip Parkinson, argued that repealing laws that criminalise homosexual acts between consenting adult males would facilitate more effective A.I.D.S. prevention campaigns. Mr Parkinson highlighted the challenges faced by government health authorities in engaging with the gay community, designating them as a key risk group for A.I.D.S. He explained that criminalisation created barriers to communication and cooperation in health initiatives. His analysis pointed to contrasting statistics from the United States, where 31 states reported varying numbers of A.I.D.S. cases, with both legal and illegal homosexual activity present in these states. Notably, he indicated that some states with legal homosexual activities had significantly fewer A.I.D.S. cases, while others with prohibitive laws had higher instances of the disease. Parkinson emphasised the reality that homosexual relations occur regardless of their legal status. The conversation on reform took a procedural step forward when Ms Fran Wilde, the Government member for Wellington Central, successfully introduced a private member's bill aimed at changing the existing laws on homosexuality in Parliament the previous Friday. This development is seen as a pivotal moment for advocating change in the legal framework surrounding homosexuality and addressing the public health implications of the A.I.D.S. crisis.
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