Homosexual convictions to go
Parliament will likely have allowed for the wiping of historical homosexual sex convictions last night.
The third reading of the Criminal Records (Expungement of Convictions for Historical Homosexual Offences) Bill was due, after it passed its second unanimously.
It will set up a system where men charged with consensual homosexual conduct (or their families) under old laws can apply to have those convictions wiped from the record.
The Government believes about 1000 of these men are still alive.
The old law made no distinction between consensual and non-consensual male homosexual sex, meaning the expungement process could not be a simple cleaning of the slate.
Homosexual sex was legalised in 1986 after a firestorm of protests and counter-protests, but the convictions under the old law still stood – leading to discrimination in employment and other areas.
‘‘This conviction still leads, after 53 years, to self-hatred, worthlessness, unjustified guilt and shame,’’ one man wrote in a submission to Parliament.
Former Justice Minister Amy Adams began the process after activist Wiremu Demchick petitioned Parliament in 2016.
Justice Minister Andrew Little is now in charge of the bill.
‘‘The bill empowers those convicted and their representatives by providing a simple, lowcost, and effective way to right the wrongs of the past,’’ Little said during the second reading.
Both Adams and Little have ruled out any kind of compensation for those convicted under the old laws, which many submissions to MPs have asked for.
Similar schemes in other countries have generally not included compensation – but Germany’s has, with about
NZ$5200 set aside for all convicted plus another
NZ$2380 for every year they were imprisoned.
‘‘There isn’t going to be compensation, because it’s not the same as where people have been wrongfully convicted – these convictions were according to the law at the time
30 years ago,’’ then Prime Minister Bill English said as the law was introduced.
‘‘We can’t quantify the full effects of the unjust law before
1986. Gay Kiwis who were not convicted were also victims of discrimination and limited opportunities,’’ Little said.
Representatives of the youth wing of Little’s own party – Young Labour – told the select committee considering the bill that compensation would be appropriate.
‘‘These laws ruined lives and we need to do more than apologise, we need to give something back to them,’’ Young Labour’s Alka Ahirao said.
LGBT activist Bill Logan earlier called for compensation.
‘‘So many people were forced into unnecessarily small lives. The hurt was enormous. The number of lives which were completely wrecked by these laws ... Parliament was a part of that,’’ he said.