Socred youth supports bill

Press, 12 March 1985, Page 9

Socred youth supports bill

The Homosexual Law Reform Bill now before Parliament was bringing an important social issue into the eighties, said the Social Credit national youth section president, Mr Michael Graveston, in Christchurch yesterday. The section at a meeting yesterday came out in favour of the bill, which decriminalises homosexual relations between two consenting adults. Mr Graveston said the new bill would bring to an end well outdated legislation. “I see the bill as securing

freedom for a group that is not doing serious harm to society, but has had to receive much unwarranted brunt from the justice and social sections of New Zealand in the past.” Mr Graveston said the bill would enable many more homosexuals to come forward in an effort to combat A.1.D.5., and that in itself was a positive move. He said that the age of consent should be 18, and not 16 as in the bill and that all legislation affecting young people should be standardised at 18, as generally was done overseas.