Claims About ‘gay’ Teachers Rejected (Press, 16 October 1985)
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Summary: Claims About ‘gay’ Teachers Rejected (Press, 16 October 1985)
On 16 October 1985, during a session in Auckland, former college principal John Kelly presented his views to the Parliamentary Select Committee reviewing the Homosexual Law Reform Bill. This private member's bill, introduced by Fran Wilde, MP for Wellington Central, aims to decriminalise consensual homosexual acts between males aged 16 and over and to prohibit discrimination against homosexuals under the Human Rights Commission Act. Kelly, who retired from Fairfield College in Hamilton in 1980 and now resides in Auckland, strongly refuted allegations put forth by opponents of the bill. These opponents claimed that if the bill were enacted, homosexual teachers would promote their lifestyle in classrooms and that 16-year-old students could be influenced or seduced into homosexuality. He asserted that the rigorous selection and training of teachers, along with established ethical standards, would prevent any such occurrence. He shared his experience from a 32-year teaching career, mentioning that he had known several homosexual teachers without witnessing any instances of inappropriate behaviour towards students. Kelly's testimony reflected his support for the bill and its proposal of 16 as the age of consent, opposing the notion that legalising homosexual acts would lead to harm in educational settings.
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