Homosexual Law Reform Act
- When
- 9 July 1986
- Where
- Parliament, Wellington · Te Whanganui-a-Tara
- Reach
- Nationwide
Sex between men over 16 was decriminalised, after a sixteen-month campaign and one of the most vitriolic public debates in modern New Zealand.
Fran Wilde’s bill drew an opposing petition claimed to hold 800,000 signatures, presented with marching bands, though its verification was never established. Public meetings were ugly and gay New Zealanders were named and abused. The Act passed 49 to 44. Anti-discrimination protection followed in 1993, civil unions in 2004 and marriage equality in 2013, and in 2018 convictions under the old law were wiped.
Regions affected
Sources
Written for this project from these references rather than copied from them. Follow a link to check the account against the original.
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