‘Gay’ Reform ‘supported By 67%’ (Press, 24 September 1985)

On 24 September 1985, a preliminary analysis conducted by the Wellington Gay Task Force indicated that 67 per cent of New Zealand's voting population is in favour of the Homosexual Law Reform Bill. This finding emerged from an examination of a petition that opposed the bill, with the Gay Task Force focusing on the breakdown of signatories by electorate. Spokesman Bill Logan stated that the Task Force relied on data provided by those behind the petition, noting that the figures clearly illustrated the number of individuals in each electorate who did not support the petition against reform. To bolster their analysis, the Task Force utilised census data from 1981, revealing that an average of 78.5 per cent of the population in each electorate was older than 12 years. Furthermore, 89 per cent of that demographic was over 18 and, thus, eligible to vote. Based on this data, Logan concluded that 67 per cent of the electoral population backs the reform initiative. He highlighted the assumption that those who chose not to sign the petition likely support some form of reform, given the extensive time frame—175 days—during which signatures had been collected. The petition garnered support from various avenues, including widespread distribution of petition forms and efforts by organisations such as the Salvation Army, which helped collect signatures across the country. The Gay Task Force announced that a more detailed analysis, segmented by electorate, would be released that day, including overall support figures for the reform in each region, while acknowledging some potential margin for error. Additionally, the Gay Task Force reported that support for the bill had risen to 62.3 per cent, marking a 1.6 per cent increase since a poll conducted in late June. There was also a minor decline in uncommitted opinions, which fell from 4.6 per cent. Peter Wall, the coordinator of the Task Force, interpreted the poll results as indicative of a growing acceptance of the bill across New Zealand, effectively overshadowing the opposing petition that was to be presented to Parliament on the same day.

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