Sociologists Support Homosexual Bill (Press, 1 October 1985)

On 1 October 1985, submissions supporting the Homosexual Law Reform Bill were presented to Parliament’s Statutes Revision Committee by the Sociological Association and the Faculty of Law at Victoria University. The Sociological Association endorsed the bill in its entirety, arguing that homosexual conduct should be legally treated the same as heterosexual conduct. They asserted that the law should not dictate sexual behaviour unless public decency or victims are involved, highlighting that the current law was unenforceable and often regarded with contempt. The Association found it paradoxical that New Zealand, known for its human rights record, did not equally extend these rights to a significant minority based on their sexual orientation. They argued that differing ages of consent contributed to unhappy and unfulfilling heterosexual relationships among some homosexual men, urging that law reform would assist younger homosexual individuals in their self-acceptance by removing legal reinforcement of social disapproval. The Faculty of Law's submission, authored by lecturers lan Macduff, Grant Liddell, and Paul Mackay, expressed general support from faculty members and included signatures from 24 individuals, including the Dean, Professor G. S. Orr. Their submission backed the proposed amendments to the Crimes Act, which would treat same-sex sexual activity similarly to heterosexual activity, and strongly advocated for a uniform age of consent at 16. The faculty expressed that there were no compelling reasons to justify different ages of consent for men and women and highlighted the importance of human rights provisions in the bill, asserting that homosexuals deserved the same freedom from discrimination as other minorities, such as racial groups and women. Additionally, the submission clarified that the bill's focus on sexual orientation as a basis for prohibiting discrimination was not flawed, noting that the Human Rights Commission Act does not prohibit discrimination based on heterosexual practices. They did not advocate for special treatment for homosexual activity compared to heterosexual conduct. Ms Fran Wilde, the bill's sponsor and a member of the Statutes Revision Committee, described the sexual orientation amendment to the Human Rights Act as a "very conservative amendment," countering any claims to the contrary. The convergence of these submissions illustrates a significant push for legal reform to promote equality and human rights for homosexual individuals in New Zealand during this period.

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