Influence of England and usa
New Zealand’s views were largely formed by the views of England and larger western societies. In 1861 England replaced the death penalty for homosexual offences was life imprisonment. New Zealand enacted similar legislation six years later. Any sexual activity between men of any age became unlawful in England in 1885, and New Zealand followed suit in 1893. In New Zealand, men convicted of these offences could also face flogging or whipping and hard labour.
The Sexual Offences Act 1967 enacted the recommendations. Homosexual activities between consenting males remained criminal offences except under specific conditions – only two people present, both over 21, not in the merchant navy – with ties of two to ten years imprisonment for anything that didn't follow the rules. This law remains in place in Great Britain, though an amendment in 2000 reduced the age restriction to 16.
The USA also had a significant influence over New Zealand. In June 1969 gay patrons of the Stonewall Inn, a local gay bar in New York, resisted a police raid. The resulting riot made front-page news. The Gay Liberation Front emerged to demand change in laws and in society. · In the 1980s AIDS was beginning to be detected in the gay community in America. Prior to its detection many people had been infected. New Zealand assumed that there was a similar situation here and the Health Department predicted a decline in New Zealand’s population because of it.
This photograph appeared in the front page of The New York Daily News on Sunday, June 29, 1969, showing the "street kids" who were the first to fight with the police.
Increasing number of convictions
As the cities grew, so did the numbers of convictions for sex between men. There were increases of convictions during the late 1950s and early 1960s. Police harassed offenders, Trapping them in situations where they were forced to answer their questions. The police were going to great lengths to arrest men who were caught performing homosexual offences. The police’s behaviour was a reflection of society's views. If a man was caught for one of these offences this meant he would be imprisoned.
Influence of psychiatry
It was believed for a long time that men who were gay had a mental illness and several judges began to reduce the sentences given to gays men and in return they were required to visit a psychiatrist. There was also the belief that it was possible for an individual to change their sexual orientation. Many psychiatrists believed that homosexuality was curable. A psychiatrist, M. Bevan Brown said that if the person was not happy with their sexual orientation then it was possible for them to be treated. The standard treatment was psychoanalysis and group therapy. Aversion therapy was also used on many individuals. It was said that aversion therapy that was self-elected but the pressures of society, family and friends often had a significant influence.
The gay liberation movement was very successful and in 1972 the psychiatrists in New Zealand removed homosexuality from being considered a mental disorder. This was a victory for the gays as homosexuals were no longer associated with mental disorders.
Influence of feminism
In the early 1970s the second wave of feminism began and this changed society’s views. Women became less dependent on men and this enabled men to no longer feel the pressure of having to provide to women. The roles held by people in society were changing. Gay liberation activists studied the approaches and outcomes of the black and feminist movements.
From previous involvements in the feminist movements trying to achieve political change the lesbians also involved in the gay liberation movement gave a major contribution. They helped the gay liberation movement achieve eventual decriminalisation of homosexuality. Activist, Linda Evans said, “we did bring quite a long experience in various political activities – in feminist organising, and of course, in our own lesbian organising.”
Brett Sheppard who was a gay businessman spoke about the police raids on his gay sauna in February 1980 which caused the gay protest, he said, “The rallies took place and people got involved and one of the things that we did find was that the women were ahead of the men because the women had been involved in feminist activities. And they were quite prepared to chain themselves to the lamp post on the corner of Queen and Victoria Street and the light bonfires in the middle of the street – so in other words they were real radical, way ahead of the men.”
May 1977 abortion-rights march (which numbered about 300)
Prejudice in society
There was often a negative view upon gay men in society and they were treated very badly. All aspects of their lives could be affected; many were rejected by their family and friends, were fired from their jobs, blackmailed and physically abused. Because of how negative people were towards gay men this caused many to hide their sexuality.
In 1964 when a gay man was beaten to death in a park and the attackers were not sentenced this sparked some people to begin protest for the homosexual law reform.
In December 1984 it was found that 75% of gays and lesbians in Wellington survey have been subjected to verbal abuse, and 42% have been threatened with physical violence on account of their sexual orientation.
The problem was not just laws but more importantly social attitudes. There could never be social justice while being a heterosexual and having a patriarchal family was considered normal. Gay liberationists realised that the patriarchal family was an important part what was considered to be the ideal society so they were determined to change this.
New Zealand claimed to be a society of equalitarianism, which can often also lead to conformity. This made it difficult for people who were different to be accepted into society.
It is hard for a society to establish the difference between law and morality. A gay Methodist Minister, David Bromell argued, “By distinguishing between legality and morality, many Christians and several churches felt able to support the law reform, whatever they have thought about the morality or immorality of homosexual acts in private.”
Religious Attitudes
The most quoted line from the bible about homosexuality is, “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.” – Leviticus 18:22.. The church had a major influence over society and most of society’s views are formed by the church originally. The church based its views on quotes from the bible and this became the basis of our society. Many people opposed to homosexual law reform in New Zealand cited the Bible as their guide. Conservative Christians who were protesting against the law reform were only quoting the bible they had no argument other than this. They also claimed that people who were pro-reform were giving God a negative image. The most dominant religious view at the time was that any sexual activity other than between married heterosexual couples was a sin. The main reason for the negative view of homosexuals, which has existed for centuries, was based on religious perspectives. Traditional Christian ethics were very strong in New Zealand’s society the society was based on Christian values. Teachers and parents also reflect these beliefs whether or not they are religious and this causes future generations to hold the same values and attitudes.
The number of people who attend church in New Zealand is very low, research by the Bible Society of New Zealand in 2008 indicated that 15% of New Zealanders attend church at least once a week, and 20% attend at least once a month. In 1886 church attendance peaked at 43.8% of the adult population. This is very low considering how much society was based on religious views. In that late 1960s church attendance began to drop and this coincides with the second wave of feminism and homosexual law reform protests.
“British criminologist, D.J. West, writing as late as 1977, in noting Christian condemnation of homosexual behavior, commented, ‘The effect of this religious condemnation must not be understated. Although formal religious affiliations have declined, and attendance at churches has fallen away, the ethical ideas propagated by religion live on in the population. Christian teachings must be held to a considerable extent responsible for the automatic and unthinking revulsion towards homosexuality in any shape or form shown by so many otherwise gentle and tolerant people.’ New Zealand television interviewer, Lindsay Perigo, similarly notes the religious underpinning of the criminalizing of homosexual acts in 1973: ‘Any law prohibiting a certain form of conduct has an implied moral basis and the moral opposition to homosexuality seems to have been based on the past thousand years, on grounds of religion, specifically Jewish and Christian beliefs’.” – Guy, L. (2002). Worlds in collision: The Gay Debate in New Zealand, 1960-1986, Victoria University Press.
Craig Fraser who was a gay liberationist blamed the church for creating the negative image of gays and said it was the church’s fault that so many gays had been persecuted and murdered.
Leighton Ford was a well-known Christian evangelist who travelled the world preaching Christian values. His views aligned with those of the Coalition of Concerned Citizens, who opposed homosexual law reform here. He preached family values and spoke against the 'homosexual agenda'.
In the photograph, gay rights protesters demonstrate against North American evangelist Leighton Ford (foreground) at Victoria University, Wellington, New Zealand March 1987, Photograph by Ian Mackley (born 1928), New Zealand, courtesy of Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand (Dominion Post Collection, EP/1987/1241)
In the photograph, gay rights protesters demonstrate against North American evangelist Leighton Ford (foreground) at Victoria University, Wellington, New Zealand March 1987, Photograph by Ian Mackley (born 1928), New Zealand, courtesy of Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand (Dominion Post Collection, EP/1987/1241)
Pro-reform leaders tried to silence religious opposition and gain the support from religious groups where possible. They knew that having some religious groups on their side would be very important in changing society’s views and gain a political change.
A Catholic Priest, Felix Donnelly said that he believed there was no real evidence in the bible that was against homosexuals. For saying this he lost the right to celebrate mass.
hiv/aids
AIDS was declared a notifiable disease in New Zealand in August 1983. A notifiable disease is one that is required by law to be reported to government authorities. In 1983 when AIDS was first discovered by scientists it was only found in the gay community and because of this was names Gay Related Immune Deficiency. It then spread to the wider community so the name was changed to Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, which is how it is known today.
Religious people tried to make AIDS seems like a moral issue but this failed when heterosexuals began to become infected also. AIDS was one of the most significant factors that caused the law reform. AIDS was used as an argument for both pro and anti-reform debates. Those who were anti-reform said that the decriminalization would led to the spread of AIDS and those who were pro-reform said that safe sex could not occur while it was illegal. This illness could be passed through the transfer of body fluids such as blood or through sexual contact of any sort, homosexual or heterosexual. In the USA, AIDS mainly affected gay men, so some people saw it as a gay illness or even a divine punishment of homosexuals.
In 1983 the first New Zealander passed away because of AIDS. As a response to this in 1984 Bruce Burnett and Phil Parkinson formed an AIDS Support Network, which in 1985 became the New Zealand AIDS Foundation.
Few cases of AIDS had occurred in New Zealand. Law reformers said that decriminalisation would allow people at risk to come forward for testing. In their view it would also enable a public health response based on prevention strategies such as condom promotion. Health officials soon realised that the gay experts knew what they were talking about, and the government decided to fund campaigns through the New Zealand AIDS Foundation.
The Coalition of Concerned Citizens was a New Zealand group that opposed homosexual law reform in the 1980s. It argued that legalising homosexuality would lead to a decline in moral standards and encourage the spread of Aids.
Society was beginning to change
Sexual activity was beginning to change in the 1960s. In 1960 20.6% of pregnancies were out of wedlock in comparison to 1940 when only 8% were. The contraceptive pill became available in the 1960s and this led to increased sexual activity and was a sign of sexual freedom. There were also many other issues were being debated around the 1960s and this was creating an environment that would be more accepting of a homosexual law reform. People’s understanding of homosexuality was growing and some parts of society were becoming more accepting.