Gay advocates after fiscal justice

Submitters raise economic effect of old convictions

Righting the wrongs men suffered for convictions of consensual gay sex should include financial compensation, as has happened in Germany and Canada, a parliamentary committee has heard.

The justice select committee yesterday heard submissions on a bill that would expunge historical convictions for homosexual offences. The bill aims to ease the stigma from convictions before such acts were decriminalised by the Homosexual Law Reform Act in 1986.

Submissions highlighted the pain of discrimination and the important step the bill represents in addressing that. They also challenged the lack of compensation in the bill.

“These laws ruined lives and we need to do more than apologise. We need to give something back to them,” said Young Labour representative Alka Ahirao.

Fellow Young Labour representative Teri O’Neill said New Zealand ought to follow Canada’s lead, which put aside $85 million to victims of the “gay purge”.

Wellington law graduate Ted Greensmith agreed. “The world over, men who were convicted lost employment opportunities because they were seen as a sexual predator when they were just expressing themselves . . . as gay men.

“They suffered huge impacts on their mental health. There is an economic loss that can be tied to these experiences.”

In Germany, the compen-

They suffered huge impacts on their mental health. There is an economic loss that can be tied to these experiences. Ted Greensmith, law graduate

sation is €3000 ($5149) with an additional 1500 for every year spent in prison.

Greensmith said the stigma of being gay often lead to feelings of loss, trauma and isolation. “It’s hard to believe that less than 30 years ago I could have been put in prison for being who I am.”

He cited the Youth 2012 report saying that LGBT people were five times more likely to attempt suicide.

“We have a mental health crisis and it’s felt particularly harshly by LGBT people. Three out of five queer young people have been found to have attempted suicide by the age of 18.”

Wellington resident Tony Simpson, who chaired Rainbow Wellington for 10 years but appeared before the committee as a private citizen, said tolerance was not the same as acceptance.

“Anyone who is gay is aware that dreadful things happened pre-1986 if you admitted you were gay, but that didn’t go away magically overnight in 1986.”

In his written submission, Simpson told the story of Charles Aberhart, who was convicted of a homosexual act in Nelson in the 1960s and given a six-month prison sentence. He moved to Christchurch but was “gay bashed” to death by a group of teens.

“The judge instructed the jury to bring a guilty verdict. To his obvious chagrin they did not do so but declared the boys not guilty and the judge was obliged to watch them walk free. As far as the jury was concerned, a dirty queer had got his comeuppance.”

The committee is expected to report back in March next year.