‘Gays’ oppose change to bill
PA Wellington The homosexual community would fight to defeat the Homosexual Law Reform Bill if any major changes were made to it, said a Gay Task Force spokesman, Mr Bill Logan. He said a conference of about 200 homosexual men and lesbians in Wellington during the week-end, decided to oppose any amendments to the bill on the age of consent and any exemptions to the human rights section of the bill.
The age of consent in the present bill is 16, and the bill includes provision for sexual orientation to be included in the scope of the Human Rights Commission Act.
“We don’t want any substantial changes to the bill and will campaign to defeat it if any such changes are made,” Mr Logan said.
“We want the bill to encompass the idea that it is okay to be gay. Gay people are equal and anything else is irrevelant. We are not interested in being told that it is bad to be gay, but if you are over a special age it is not illegal.”
Homosexuals wanted equality. Anything less was a legislative stamp of approval for homophobia, he said. The conference also decided to oppose any further attempt to criminalise lesbianism.
“We want the original bill passed,” Mr Logan said. The conference also recognised the need for better
co-ordination between homosexual organisations throughout New Zealand.
There were “countless” homosexual and lesbian groups but better organisation and co-ordination were needed to deal with national issues, he said. “We need to have better organisation to deal with the development of the New Zealand branch of the American Moral Majority, to deal with A.I.D.S. (acquired immune deficiency syndrome), and for the campaign for the bill,” Mr Logan said.
A Task Force activist, Ms Alison Laurie, told the conference that anti-homq-sexual campaigners were sending local fundamentalists to the United States for training “in tactics used by the Moral Majority group.” Mr Logan said homosexual and lesbians needed to get together with other people “who are the admitted targets” of the New Zealand branch of the Moral Majority. The press officer for the campaign against the bill, Mr Barry Reed, denied any connection with the Moral Majority. He said the New Zealand group, tentatively called the Coalition of Concerned Citizens, was concerned with issues such as the bill and sex education in schools.
“The campaign against the bill has been the catalyst for this movement and is the focal point at the moment. It is a movement of the people of New Zea-
land and I don’t think it is going to be like the Moral Majority,” Mr Reed said. He said the coalition was non party political and went across denominational boundaries.
“What is happening in New Zealand will have a far wider base than the Moral Majority. The Moral Majority centres on the Rev. Jerry Falwell, but the movement in New Zealand will centre on issues,” he said.
Mr Reed denied claims that local fundamentalists had gone to the United States for training in tactics used by the Moral Majority. He said the editor of “Challenge Weekly,” a national Christian newspaper, Mr John Massam, had gone to Los Angeles and San Francisco to observe the homosexual community in those cities.
“His trip was funded by the campaign against the bill and he is expected back later this week,” Mr Reed said.
The campaign against the bill had “partly funded” a trip to the United States by the Rev. lan Hooker, of the Congregational Church in Auckland, and three other men from an organisation called Exodus.
“They did not go to learn tactics from the Moral Majority but to take part in counselling services to help homosexuals who want to leave the homosexual lifestyle,” Mr Reed said. Exodus was a counselling for homosexuals wanting to
leave that lifestyle, he said. Mr Reed said Mr Hooker and his three associates had now returned from the United States and would set up an organisation called Homosexuals Anonymous.
“Homosexuals Anonymous will enable homosexuals to go through a course and take steps which enable them to change their lifestyle,” Mr Reed said.