Opposition to Homosexual Law Reform
Political Opposition
A robust political opposition formed almost immediately following Fran Wilde’s announcement of her homosexual reform bill. Whilst gay rights activists and supporters had initially thought the bill would pass swiftly through parliament, the staunch opposition meant that they were in for a much longer fight. The fight soon became acrimonious in nature, with MP Norman Jones’ infamous homophobic diatribe used as the main point of argument for the opposition - 'Go back into the sewers where you come from ... as far as I'm concerned you can stay in the gutter.' His statement that looking at a homosexual was comparable to looking at ‘hades’ became a symbol of homophobic hatred and opposition to the homosexual reform bill. A petition against the bill was announced on 14th March, unsurprisingly it had been proposed by Norman Jones, as well as National MPs Graham Lee and Geoff Braybrooke, as well as Labour MP Alan Wallbank. Similarly, the CCC (Coalition of Concerned Citizens) was formed by two religious fundamentalists, Sir Keith Hay and Sir Peter Tait. The CCC, which was a group significantly influenced by its Christian roots, gave strong support to the petition, as did the Salvation Army. The petition strived to achieve 1,000,000 signatures, and both the CCC and the ‘sallies’ proved very effective in gathering these signatures. Circulation of the petition in churches, workplaces and rest homes allowed the petition to gain a large number of signatures very quickly. Doorknocking also proved extremely effective, with CCC volunteers reportedly gaining 5100 signatures in one night, with just 85 men working. The Salvation Army, however, gathered a lot of negative press through their significant financial contribution to the campaign – people questioned here such large funds had come from, the societal insinuation being that senior members had taken donations and redirected them to support the petition. Eventually the efforts of the CCC and Salvation Army was rejected by the petition committee of the government, with looming questions over the legitimacy of the petition as a whole, and doubts over the authenticity of many of the signatures. A group called the Campaign for Homosexual Equality (CHE) further hindered those who campaigned against homosexual law reform. This group of radical protestors frequently interrupted meetings of anti-reformers, making it difficult for any progress to be made.
A robust political opposition formed almost immediately following Fran Wilde’s announcement of her homosexual reform bill. Whilst gay rights activists and supporters had initially thought the bill would pass swiftly through parliament, the staunch opposition meant that they were in for a much longer fight. The fight soon became acrimonious in nature, with MP Norman Jones’ infamous homophobic diatribe used as the main point of argument for the opposition - 'Go back into the sewers where you come from ... as far as I'm concerned you can stay in the gutter.' His statement that looking at a homosexual was comparable to looking at ‘hades’ became a symbol of homophobic hatred and opposition to the homosexual reform bill. A petition against the bill was announced on 14th March, unsurprisingly it had been proposed by Norman Jones, as well as National MPs Graham Lee and Geoff Braybrooke, as well as Labour MP Alan Wallbank. Similarly, the CCC (Coalition of Concerned Citizens) was formed by two religious fundamentalists, Sir Keith Hay and Sir Peter Tait. The CCC, which was a group significantly influenced by its Christian roots, gave strong support to the petition, as did the Salvation Army. The petition strived to achieve 1,000,000 signatures, and both the CCC and the ‘sallies’ proved very effective in gathering these signatures. Circulation of the petition in churches, workplaces and rest homes allowed the petition to gain a large number of signatures very quickly. Doorknocking also proved extremely effective, with CCC volunteers reportedly gaining 5100 signatures in one night, with just 85 men working. The Salvation Army, however, gathered a lot of negative press through their significant financial contribution to the campaign – people questioned here such large funds had come from, the societal insinuation being that senior members had taken donations and redirected them to support the petition. Eventually the efforts of the CCC and Salvation Army was rejected by the petition committee of the government, with looming questions over the legitimacy of the petition as a whole, and doubts over the authenticity of many of the signatures. A group called the Campaign for Homosexual Equality (CHE) further hindered those who campaigned against homosexual law reform. This group of radical protestors frequently interrupted meetings of anti-reformers, making it difficult for any progress to be made.
Moral and Religious Grounding of Opposition
Many of the opponents to homosexual law reform based this view in a religious or moral grounding. Religious opponents believed that homosexuality was perverse phenomenon, and the legalising it was contrary to the intentions of God and must be avoided at all costs. They felt as though they were upholding their beliefs by standing against reform. Moreover, there was societal concern from opponents that the bill’s legalisation would see a collapse in the family unit, with families unable to function in a society which recognised gay couples as legitimate. Opponents also claimed that AIDS would spread at an epidemic rate if legalised, however this idea was largely refuted by the government’s plan to educate and ensure that safety measures were in place to prevent the spread of AIDS. Keith Hay strongly believed that legalising homosexuality was a decline in New Zealand’s moral standards, and that campaigning against homosexual reform gave individuals the opportunity to prevent this., and in doing so re-establish ‘traditional values’ in New Zealand society. Despite this, not all Christians supported anti-reform, with many liberal Methodist and Anglican churches forming pro-Homosexual Law Reform groups.
Many of the opponents to homosexual law reform based this view in a religious or moral grounding. Religious opponents believed that homosexuality was perverse phenomenon, and the legalising it was contrary to the intentions of God and must be avoided at all costs. They felt as though they were upholding their beliefs by standing against reform. Moreover, there was societal concern from opponents that the bill’s legalisation would see a collapse in the family unit, with families unable to function in a society which recognised gay couples as legitimate. Opponents also claimed that AIDS would spread at an epidemic rate if legalised, however this idea was largely refuted by the government’s plan to educate and ensure that safety measures were in place to prevent the spread of AIDS. Keith Hay strongly believed that legalising homosexuality was a decline in New Zealand’s moral standards, and that campaigning against homosexual reform gave individuals the opportunity to prevent this., and in doing so re-establish ‘traditional values’ in New Zealand society. Despite this, not all Christians supported anti-reform, with many liberal Methodist and Anglican churches forming pro-Homosexual Law Reform groups.
Key Ideas
-Many MPs such as Normal Jones and Graham Lee strongly opposed the homosexual reform bill, including setting up a petition which sought to abandon the Bill. They gained the support of the CCC, a Christian reform group, and the Salvation Army.
-Opposition to the bill failed to achieve much traction, as anti-reform meetings were often interrupted by radical reform groups such as CHE (Campaign for Homosexual Equality)
-There were moral and religious concerns that gave people reason to oppose the bill. Opponents believed that it would lead to a collapse of the family unit, an increase in Paedophilia, and an increase in the spread of AIDS. Religious opponents believed it was 'unnatural'.
-Many MPs such as Normal Jones and Graham Lee strongly opposed the homosexual reform bill, including setting up a petition which sought to abandon the Bill. They gained the support of the CCC, a Christian reform group, and the Salvation Army.
-Opposition to the bill failed to achieve much traction, as anti-reform meetings were often interrupted by radical reform groups such as CHE (Campaign for Homosexual Equality)
-There were moral and religious concerns that gave people reason to oppose the bill. Opponents believed that it would lead to a collapse of the family unit, an increase in Paedophilia, and an increase in the spread of AIDS. Religious opponents believed it was 'unnatural'.