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NewZealand–
AGayUtopia?
44 » pink weddings magazine
This beautiful country is
fast gaining respect for its
efforts to recognise diversity,
as
Dominey Flores
of Silver Fern
Immigration Services Ltd explains
C
ontemporary new Zealand society has
often been hailed a ‘gay utopia’ by many
members of its thriving lGBt community.
although the vestiges of conservative
societal attitudes continue to linger like a
stubborn but gradually fading patriarchal stench, one
can proudly confirm that new Zealand has a ‘gay
friendly’ environment; and a culture of tolerance that
encourages social and political equality.
of course, that is not to say that the lGBt
community’s struggle against discrimination and
inequality in new Zealand is over – far from it – but
where else in the world can you find a country’s
political leader openly rubbing shoulders with scantily
clad gay members of the community, at one of the
biggest lGBt festivals of the year? now, in most
countries such a public display of approval for a
minority group that has long been subject to
discrimination on various levels, would usually signal
political suicide for the politician involved, but Prime
Minister John Key did just that at this year’s ‘Big Gay
out’ Festival, a public event which celebrates gay pride
and promotes safe sex. His attendance and active
promotion of the event marks a positive change in the
societal attitude towards the lGBt community in new
Zealand, and indicates a growing political acceptance
and recognition of gay rights in the country.
new Zealand’s move towards a ‘gay friendly’
environment was marked by a number of
parliamentary milestones – the induction of
Georgina Beyer, the world’s first openly transsexual
Member of Parliament in 1999, and the
abolishment of laws that punished sexual relations
between men, followed by the introduction of the
Human Rights act 1993 and the Civil Union Bill in
2004 – to name just a few. in a recent statement,
Prime Minister John Key clearly asserted that he is
not ‘personally opposed to gay marriage’ and that
it was possible that the new Zealand Parliament
would consider a member’s bill in the future. in
2005, the government took its first step in that
direction when it introduced the Civil Union Bill,
Destinations – new ZealanD
Continued