Discrimination Rejected (Press, 7 December 1987)

On 7 December 1987, the Human Rights Commission in New Zealand dismissed a complaint of religious discrimination against the Victoria University newspaper, "Salient," submitted by the Christian counselling group New Image. The complaint arose when "Salient" declined to publish an advertisement from New Image that offered to counsel individuals seeking to change their homosexual orientation. New Image's spokesman, Noel Mosen, asserted that their group aimed to assist individuals in moving away from what he termed the gay lifestyle if they desired such help. In contrast, "Salient" maintained a policy centred on the belief that individuals should have the freedom to select their own sexual orientation without interference from prevailing social views or pressures. The Human Rights Commission, upon reviewing Mosen's complaint, found it lacked merit. They noted that "Salient" consistently rejected advertisements that suggested homosexuality was an undesirable state, demonstrating that any advertisement violating this policy would be rejected irrespective of the religious background of the advertiser. As per the commission, Mosen was not discriminated against based on his religious beliefs; the refusal was a result of "Salient's" editorial policies rather than any bias against religion. Grant O'Neill, the editor of "Salient" for 1987, expressed hope that New Image would come to understand the newspaper's stance and would not perceive the situation as discrimination against them due to their religious beliefs. Mosen was unavailable for comment at the time of the report.

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