Reform or......

Jack Goodwin from the NZ Homosexual Law Reform Society was first to speak. He said that his society had the image of being a bunch of oldies but in fact they and Gay Liberation had a lot in common.

Goodwin spoke of the difficulties in getting reform through Parliament. He praised the organisation of the National Party Conference which had passed a remit favouring law reform with a considerably larger majority than a similar Labour Party Conference remit. A number of Cabinet members and Parliamentarians are supporters of the NZHLRS. The parliamentary process is inhibiting their wish to introduce a law reform bill. Cabinet members cannot bring private members' bills into the House, and MP's in marginal seats have been discouraged from introducing such a controversial bill for fear of jeopardising their seats and the Labour Party's majority.

The Society had been concerned with the very narrow area of discrimination in law against gays, whereas Gay Liberation took on the fight against much wider areas of discrimination, said Mr Goodwin.

The Society does recognise that a new law alone is not enough, but until glaring legal discrimination is removed there isn't much chance of further progress.

New Zealanders are a timid people, with particularly timid members of Parliament, he said. You have got to say the same thing over and over until what you're saying is no longer strange and people can accept it.