The Policy

Some of the more interesting new policy included Homosexual Law Reform. NZUSA already has policy arguing that sexual acts between consenting persons, 16 years and over, should be free from any legal restriction.

There is a chance that a bill will be presented to Parliament which will legalise homosexual acts for males over 20. This policy is opposed by the National Gay Rights Coalition because it will lead to increased police harrassment of people under 20 years and it could very well lead to the criminalization of lesbian activity for those women under 20 (to make it plain that the Government does not discriminate on the basis of sex!) For these reasons, NZUSA now supports the NGRC strategy in opposing discriminatory legislation against homosexuals.

There was something of political philosophy debate when it came to a motion which condemned "all forms of sexist and racist publications." The Auckland delegation took the position that this was a form of censorship—and we must be either opposed to, or support, censorship. But the point was made, by Victoria, that censorship was imposed for different reasons; and it is those reasons that are important, not censorship itself. NZUSA opposes both racism and sexism and there is nothing sacrosanct about either when they are presented in a literary form. In this case, censorship was being applied for reasons of protection. The point was taken, and the motion was passed unanimously.