Hallelujah Parliament to pass law allowing for wiping of convictions for engaging in homosexual behaviour

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, April 3rd, 2018 - 13 comments
Categories: grant robertson, human rights, identity, labour, national, Politics - Tags: ,

It is about time. Today Parliament is set to pass a law allowing for the expunging of convictions of adults for engaging in homosexual behaviour.

From Audrey Young at the Herald:

Parliament will unanimously pass a law [today] allowing the convictions of men for homosexual offences to be expunged from the public record.

Such men are also likely to receive an apology for a second time but there will be no compensation.

Applications for expungement may be made by the men themselves or by a representative, including a family member, if the person with convictions has died.

Several MPs have made personal speeches during the course of the legislation about relatives, including Green MP Marama Davidson and Labour MP Kiritapu Allan.

Among the more personal speeches was one by Grant Robertson, the gay Finance Minister, who said the illegality of homosexuality, the arrests and the imprisonments and the fear of that happening did not only ruin lives and destroy potential.

“It killed people,” he said. “Hundreds or possibly thousands of lives have been lost because men could not bear the shame, the stigma, and the hurt caused by this Parliament and the way that society viewed them as criminals.”

Robertson also addressed the gay men who were not convicted but still lived through it “in the face of discrimination, in the fact of hate … we also owe all of you an apology.”

And credit where credit is due. The law was introduced by National.  It is good to see that all parties are working towards the same goal, that is achieving justice for an important part of our community.

I can recall clearly the events of the 1980s when homosexuality was decriminalised and there were all these claims that this would cause the end of the nuclear family, not to mention the end of Western civilisation.

Neither happened.

Now is the time to draw a close to a rather dark episode of society’s treatment of a minority.  And celebrate our diversity.

13 comments on “Hallelujah Parliament to pass law allowing for wiping of convictions for engaging in homosexual behaviour ”

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  1. Nick 1
    3 April 2018 at 8:12 am

    Wow, Parliament can work together for the betterment of all. Nice. Next.

  2. JanM 2
    3 April 2018 at 8:55 am

    I wish my darling friend Paul was alive to see this

  3. Stunned Mullet 3
    3 April 2018 at 9:06 am

    Very long overdue…but well done anyway parliament.

    I would hope this would pass with 100% voting Aye.

  4. Roflcopter 4
    3 April 2018 at 9:40 am

    This should have happened the moment it was decriminalised.

  5. adam 5
    3 April 2018 at 9:50 am

    This is one of those moments when you realise that the rule of law is a complete ass.

    Seriously, why make people criminal and then charge them for being gay, but to then leave it on the books for almost 40 years after the law changed decriminalising homosexuality – seems bloody stupid at best, criminally insane at worst.

    But cheer this fubar result if you need good news, for me it’s just another reminder how bat shit crazy liberalism is as an ideology. Right up there with conservatism in it’s abject subjugation of human beings, except it does it in the name of profit.

  6. james 6
    3 April 2018 at 10:26 am

    Great to see this passing with support from all parties.

    Long overdue.

  7. AsleepWhileWalking 7
    3 April 2018 at 10:49 am

    Yay!

  8. veutoviper 8
    3 April 2018 at 11:23 am

    Just a little information on timing for those who want to watch/listen live.

    Apparently, the Third Reading of the Criminal Records (Expungement of Convictions for Historical Homosexual Offences) Bill will take place on Tues evening, not afternoon – probably first thing after the tea break. It is set down for 12 ten minute speeches (two hours).

    This was signalled last Thursday in this brief 2 minute “Business Statement” discussion in the House by Chris Hipkins. https://www.parliament.nz/en/watch-parliament/ondemand?itemId=199137

    After Question Time this afternoon, the House will begin the 10 hour debate on the Appropriations (2016/17 Confirmation and Validation) Bill but this will be interspersed with other business such as the Third Reading of the Criminal Records Bill tonight. The long Appropriations debate will also be broken up with tomorrow being a Members Day, and a couple of other Bills are also set down for Thursday.

  9. Duncan Brown 9
    3 April 2018 at 9:34 pm

    The prophets of doom in the 1980s were not that far off. You would have to be blind or intentionally unseeing not to notice the rarity of the nuclear family in today’s society. There are of course other factors than just the rise of homosexuality: promiscuity, solo mums, absent dads, no-fault divorce,financial pressures, the elevation of so-called rights over responsibility etc have all been detrimental to the nuclear family. And that’s just New Zealand. Re the end of Western civilisation, it may take time, but some of the stories that come out of Britain would suggest we’re well on the way.

  10. Treetop 10
    4 April 2018 at 11:18 am

    17 April 2018 will be 40 years since the release of partial police evidence into the December 1976 inquiry into how Muldoon used a police file to ruin Colin Moyle.

    What a small minded and discriminating man Muldoon was to have done this.