Kevin Hague

In a Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand podcast recorded on September 17, 2012, Green Party member Kevin Hague discusses what it's like to be a queer Member of Parliament. Hague, who has been an MP since 2008, shares insights on their public and private life balance, particularly regarding the assumed knowledge of their sexuality due to their past prominent role with the AIDS Foundation and their openness in their maiden speech.

The conversation touches on the experience of being a queer MP, Hague's personal strategy of talking generally about their partner and child while keeping details private. Additionally, there is a discussion of the normalization of queer MPs in parliament, thanks to the groundwork laid by predecessors such as Chris Carter and Tim Barnett.

Hague also delves into the positive support received from the queer community, both for their political work and personal validation. This includes Hague's work on marriage equality and addressing the effects of homophobia on queer youth. Despite the Green Party's campaign approach focusing on party votes over electorate votes, there is a sense that queer representation on the party list has garnered support from the queer community, although data on this is challenging to quantify.

Furthermore, Hague notes the mix of open queer MPs and those who are not out within the New Zealand Parliament, suggesting that reasons for lack of openness could include party conservatism and an embedded history of homophobia among older MPs.

Regarding legislative matters, Hague is an advocate for marriage equality over civil unions, viewing the latter as a stepping stone toward the goal of equality. They also express the need to explicitly include gender identity in anti-discrimination law, recognizing that implicit protection is less impactful than explicit legal acknowledgment. Hague is preparing a comprehensive overhaul bill for New Zealand's outdated adoption law, aligning it with contemporary values and focusing on the rights and interests of the child. They expect the passage of this bill will follow the successful implementation of the Marriage Equality Bill, which has broad parliamentary support.

This detailed profile, situated within the broader context of New Zealand's political and social attitudes towards the queer community, highlights Hague's contributions to advancing queer rights and representation in politics. Hague is confidently optimistic about the future passing of queer-inclusive legislation.

This summary is created using Generative AI. Although it is based on the recording's transcription, it may contain errors or omissions. Click here to learn more about how this summary was created.

Kevin Hague

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