Doctor disputes surgeon’s claim on homosexuals
PA Hamilton A Waikato doctor has disputed assertions by a colleague that liberalising homosexual laws will lead to sodomy in bars. A surgeon, Mr Geoffery Wynne-Jones, has proposed a personal remit to the Medical Association conference that the association oppose the Homosexual Law Reform Bill. Mr Wynne-Jones suggested that liberalising the law would lead to sodomy in bars and in other public places. Dr Michael Easther said such suggestions were “ridiculous.” “I have been in a lot of heterosexual bars and I have never seen any heterosexual acts in them, and so I cannot see why there would be homosexual acts in homosexual bars,” he said. Opposition to legalising the bill was often based on equating homosexuality with sodomy, Dr Easther said. “You cannot equate them. Homosexuality is a liking for the same sex and definitely not just sodomy,” he said. He said many of his
homosexual friends did not practise sodomy, and found it a “turn off.” Of 11 convictions for forced anal sex, nine were done by heterosexual men and two by homosexual men, he said. Dr Easther said it was ridiculous that people could not be considered old enough at 16 to decide their sexual orientation. He said that introducing the law would not increase the spread of A.I.D.S. The disease was carried through promiscuous sexual activity. People likely to become affected by A.I.D.S. would be more likely to seek advice or treatment if homosexual acts were not a criminal offence, he said. Legally, 16 year olds could marry and have children. “They are old enough to decide they are heterosexual yet not old enough to decide if they are homosexual,” he said. Dr Easther said he did not like some of the tactics used to gather signatures for the anti-law reform petition. He said a friend’s son, aged 16, a student, was coerced into signing for fear of being thought a “poofter.”
Doctor disputes surgeon’s claim on homosexuals
Press, 17 May 1985, Page 4
Stuff Ltd is the copyright owner for the Press. You can reproduce in-copyright material from this newspaper for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0 New Zealand licence. This newspaper is not available for commercial use without the consent of Stuff Ltd. For advice on reproduction of out-of-copyright material from this newspaper, please refer to the Copyright guide.
Copyright in all Footrot Flats cartoons is owned by Diogenes Designs Ltd. The National Library has been granted permission to digitise these cartoons and make them available online as part of this digitised version of the Press. You can search, browse, and print Footrot Flats cartoons for research and personal study only. Permission must be obtained from Diogenes Designs Ltd for any other use.
This newspaper was digitised in partnership with Christchurch City Libraries.