Homosexual law reform urged

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32803, 31 December 1971, Page 1

Homosexual law reform urged

The case for homosexual law reform could not be continually side-stepped by New Zealand Parliamentarians, said Professor B. James, professor of psychological medicine at the University of Otago, in Christchurch yesterday.

Professor James, In an interview, said that public opinion on homosexuality was becoming far more weighted in favour of reform of the present laws—laws which affected only the male homosexual, and were based on a piece of legislation passed in Britain last century. “This law was passed in Britain almost by accident. It has, of course, now been! reformed there,” he said. “Parliamentarians in New Zealand are scared of losing I votes when the matter of I homosexual law reform I comes into view,” Professor ! James said. “There seems to me to be a lack of fundamental honesty and courage in politics these days. Surely they are the nation’s leaders, then why do they not lead?” “Someone certainly has to be prepared to stick- their neck out,” he said. “The past has proved that in at least one party’s case this has proved the right move.”

‘Tacit agreement’ Professor James said that he would be even more concerned for the future of New Zealanders’ mental health if he did not know that many Parliamentarians were in tacit agreement with homosexual law reform. Such reform would mean that sexual acts in private between consenting males over the age of 21 wbuld no longer be a criminal offence.

Homosexuality, Professor James said, far from being a crime or even an illness, was a developmental deviation caused generally by poor family relationships. There were a lot of irrational. fears about homosexuality and the possibility of reform of the laws pertaining to it. “Many of these fears are evaporating -because it is being talked about, and people are beginning to understand,” he said. “But still we have people—many of whom should know better —saying that reform of the laws will mean that youth will be corrupted. There is simply no psychological evidence to support this.” Professor James said that the ultimate stereotype of the New Zealand male as a “short-haired beer drinker” was only necessary to bolster a shaky sense of male identity. “To young people these days, that stereotype is just not accepted, as there is a greater recognition of, and toleration for, a much wider

view of masculinity,” he said.

Commenting on the role of schools in developing a balanced attitude towards sex and other social processes, Professor James agreed that schools should accept more responsibility for this. “Not every child can have a good home but he can have a good school,” he said.

Education on sexual matters should be introduced into schools “at a very early stage” and in an informal way as part of the mainstream of social education. ’There should not be a treatment of “sex education” as something apart, as this immediately made it suspicious in children’s eyes. “To bring in this type or realistic social education would mean a fundamental ( modification in the teachers’ college training programmes,” Professor James said. “The State should certainly ask itself seriously why this is not being done.” Such a development would eventually reduce the number of young people appearing in courts and being admitted as patients in New Zealand’s psychiatric hospitals.

“Even the best magistrates know that they are often powerless to help a young person once he has appeared in court. Schools can provide a guide which could stop many of these young people going off the rails,” Professor James said.

‘Drop-outs’ Asked if New Zealand would have to face the increasing problem noticed overseas of school “dropouts,” Professor James said

that many young people here were opting out of school because they were not interested.

“Maybe the schools just aren’t interesting. And teenagers are the first to realise that there are many questions schools will not touch —justice, war and peace, and the hypocrisy and double standards of modern society,” Professor James said. “The young people want relevancy, but are they really getting it in all schools? I don’t think so.”

Teen-agers were basically more correct in their perception of life than many teachers and adults. Professor James said.