Gemmah’s transgenr story: From Carmen and sex work to the Big Gay Out - NZ Herald

Contents:

• NZ’S QUEER HISTORY: 50 YEARS OF GAY LIBERATN
• GAY RIGHTS
• TIMELE: GAY RIGHTS NEW ZEALAND
• GEMMAH’S TRANSGENR STORY: FROM CARMEN AND SEX WORK TO THE BIG GAY OUT
• STORY: GAY MEN’S LIV

NZ’S QUEER HISTORY: 50 YEARS OF GAY LIBERATN

The Gay Liberatn Front emerged to mand change laws and early 1972, Gay Liberatn groups sprang up Auckland, Wellgton and Christchurch after the amic Ngahuia Te Awekotu was nied a perm to vis the USA on the grounds that she was homosexual. Member of Parliament Venn Young troduced a Crim Amendment Bill 1974 to legalise private 'homosexual acts' between nsentg adults. His bill – not passed to law – followed the Brish mol, wh a proposed age of nsent of 21 (later rced to 20) age of nsent was a major issue for the gay movement.

When the MP Warren Freer proposed legislatn settg the age of nsent for homosexuals at 20 or 18 1979 and 1980, gay groups gave no support.

Wellgton Central MP Fran Wil’s private member’s bill, which removed crimal sanctns agast nsensual male homosexual practic, was passed by 49 vot to 44. Extreme viewpots ensured a lengthy and passnate bate before the Homosexual Law Reform Act was passed July 1986.

GAY RIGHTS

Fran Wil was a Cabet mister the Labour ernment of the 1980s, and is perhaps bt known for her private members bill for homosexual law reform. AdvertisementOn the 50th anniversary of the birth of NZ’s Gay Liberatn Front, Gareth Watks highlights April dat that ma a difference to Aotearoa’s LGBTQ+ muny.

” Prottg unr the Queen was signifint, as was through Brish lonisatn and the adoptn of the Brish legal system 1840 that homophobic laws were subsequently enacted New Zealand. While there had been earlier public meetgs to advote for homosexual law reform, the Gay Day event was one of the first ocsns when rabow activists took to the streets to mand liberatn.

” Shortly after startg, began offerg “a substantial amount of ee space to place rmatn about the gay and lbian muny.

TIMELE: GAY RIGHTS NEW ZEALAND

The se hosted pag for, among others, the New Zealand AIDS Foundatn, Body Posive, Aoraki Lbian & Gay Group (Tima), the Feratn of Gay Gam (New Zealand) and Wellgton Lbian Events. While MP Louisa Wall’s legislatn didn’t ga unanimo support (77 ay/44 no), was more accepted than the civil unn legislatn 2004 (65 ay/55 no), and the earlier homosexual law reform 1986 which only passed by four vot (49/44). One of the major opponents of homosexual law reform was Natnal MP John Banks who told Parliament at the time “This day will be remembered as a sad and sickeng day.

It was sparked by graphic reports of abductns, torture and killgs Chechnya (a republic of Rsia) of primarily gay and bisexual men, and those perceived to be. Lord Cobham, the ernor-general, turned down an vatn to bee patron of the Wolfenn Associatn (later the New Zealand Homosexual Law Reform Society).

AdvertisementHistorian Gareth Watks pil signifint July dat Aotearoa New Zealand’s LGBTQ+ history cludg the passg of Homosexual Law Reform.

GEMMAH’S TRANSGENR STORY: FROM CARMEN AND SEX WORK TO THE BIG GAY OUT

The Otago Daily Tim newspaper published a stgg edorial rponse to a magistrate who had recently overturned the nvictns of two men for homosexual activy. At the time NZ, homosexual activy between mal was illegal, whereas the UK Parliament had jt crimalised sexual activy private between nsentg mal over the age of 21.

STORY: GAY MEN’S LIV

” In a prs release for the 2007 nference, Post Primary Teachers’ Associatn Print Rob Duff said that the PPTA had been workg on the issu sce the late 1980s, while 17-year-old Peter Hotere reunted how he had left school bee of homophobic harassment. The ment summed up one si of the bter public and polil bate that swept New Zealand the mid-1980s durg the mpaign for homosexual law reform.

'The Homosexual Law Reform Act, which was signed by the ernor-general on 11 July 1986 and me to effect on 8 Augt, crimalised sexual relatns between men aged 16 and over.

Sex between women was not illegal, but many lbians suffered the same social discrimatn as gay men and so were stnch supporters of mpaign to reform the law extend beyond the gay muny to wir issu of human rights and discrimatn. The oute would mean that gays and lbians uld be out and about – or that the New Zealand fay would cmble and AIDS would spread through the muny. ' Homosexual law reform New ZealandTo mark the 20th anniversary of homosexual law reform New Zealand, Rad New Zealand add rare d rerdgs to s webse.

’, a documentary broadst on Natnal Rad on 9 July 2006, the 20th anniversary of the fal vote of the prott and rally d was origally rerd for Accs Rad programm ma by the Gay Broadstg Collective and had not prevly been broadst natnally. How to ce this page'Homosexual law reform New Zealand', URL:, (Mistry for Culture and Herage), updated 3-Jun-2022. The practic occur the ntext of massive power imbalanc, misrmatn and manipulatn wh a homophobic, biphobic and transphobic environment which leads people to shame and fear and speratn.

Beg gay is part of who I am, jt as is beg a former diplomat, a fan of the mighty Wellgton Lns, and a fan of New Zealand mic and New Zealand lerature.

In March 1972 she was nomated to study abroad the Uned Stat, planng to rearch Amerin gay liberatn and Red Power. Infuriated, she gave a rog speech to stunts at the Universy of Auckland, challengg them to be open about their homosexualy: “who out there is crazy enough to jo me – and let’s start gay liberatn!

Te Awekotu’s msage reverberated throughout the untry; her subsequent viss to Wellgton and Christchurch rultg gay liberatn groups immediately beg tablished by the universi both ci. Unlike earlier gay anisatns, liberatnists did not foc specifilly on law reform, stead seekg to “liberate their own kd every way possible”. Dpe such differenc between groups wh the broar movement, by 1977 the Natnal Gay Rights Coaln (NGRC) had formed, wh an alliance of 35 member groups and an affiliated membership of over 70, 000 dividuals.

[9] They phed for liberatn through a variety of protts and workshops; one NGRC pamphlet even advisg that activists should make a hab of phong to rad statns wh song requts that were obvly om one gay lover to another. It is ccial to note that fightg for gay liberatn would have been impossible whout women, genr mori, and people of lour.