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| irn | 8124 |
| master_filename | 001056_MIX_celebrate_being_queer_af_rally_at_parliament.wav |
| master_md5 | CC8396727FE2F940D480B38A91B02ADE |
| master_duration | 43:12 |
| master_sample_rate | 44.1 kHz |
| master_bit_depth | 16 bit |
| master_channels | 1 |
| media_reference | 001056 |
| media_source | PrideNZ.com |
| copyright_position | In copyright |
| copyright_ownership | Gareth Watkins (PrideNZ.com) |
| copyright_ownership_note | |
| submitted_to_nlnz | |
| public_url | https://www.pridenz.com/40_years_of_love_celebrate_being_queer_af.html |
| meta_url | https://www.pridenz.com/data/media/meta/8124.html |
| plain_text_url | https://www.pridenz.com/plaintext/40_years_of_love_celebrate_being_queer_af.txt |
| production_date | 28-07-2026 |
| production_day | 28 |
| production_month | 07 |
| production_year | 2026 |
| recording_type | Event |
| series | Browse Media |
| sub_series | List of audio items on PrideNZ.com |
| title | 40 Years of Love - Celebrate Being Queer AF |
| description | Audio from the 40 Years of Love - Celebrate Being Queer AF rally, held on the steps of Parliament to mark the 40th anniversary of the Homosexual Law Reform Act 1986. Details. 00:01 - MC Tristan-Cordelia. 00:45 - Kōwhai - karakia. 01:01 - MC Tristan-Cordelia. 02:42 - Kōwhai. 04:30 - MC Tristan-Cordelia. 04:40 - Bill Logan. 10:35 - MC Tristan-Cordelia, chants. 11:34 - Alexi. 14:54 - MC Tristan-Cordelia. 15:06 - Amal. 18:48 - MC Tristan-Cordelia. 21:20 - Open mic begins. 22:00 - Kay Jones. 24:17 - Val Little. 26:13 - Hugh Young. 28:32 - MC Tristan-Cordelia. 29:00 - MP Kahurangi Carter, List - Green Party (with folding hand fan). 34:25 - MP Georgie Dansey, List - Labour Party. 37:35 - Tristan-Cordelia. 40:11 - MP Kahurangi Carter, List - Green Party. 40:54 - MC Tristan-Cordelia. 41:40 - Kōwhai, closing. 42:14 - Short clip of Fuck You - Lilly Allen (with news reports from 10 July 1986). |
| summary_computer_generated | Recorded on the steps of Parliament in Wellington on 28 July 2026, 40 Years of Love - Celebrate Being Queer AF marked the 40th anniversary of homosexual law reform in New Zealand. MC Tristan-Cordelia framed the rally as the activist part of the anniversary commemorations: an open, unapologetically queer gathering that remembered why reform was necessary. The event opened with a karakia from Kōwhai and celebrated the 1986 decriminalisation of consensual sex between men, while refusing to present queer history as a simple, completed journey towards equality. It combined remembrance, celebration, political protest and calls for continuing collective action. Kōwhai, born in 2009, reflected on growing up with freedoms created by earlier activists and warned that those gains could not be taken for granted. The speech connected historic arguments used to criminalise homosexuality with contemporary political rhetoric about transgender people, puberty blockers and proposed legal definitions of women and men. This intergenerational perspective became a central theme of the rally: homosexual law reform was a major victory, but its anniversary also demanded solidarity with trans, non-binary, takatāpui and intersex communities facing discrimination in 2026. Veteran activist Bill Logan recalled a time when queerness was secret, employment was precarious and rejection by families was common. Police harassment, sauna raids, blackmail and electric shock aversion therapy formed part of the reality before reform. Logan described how the campaign unfolded amid the fear and misinformation of the AIDS pandemic, when opponents claimed reform would threaten children, public health and civilisation. The law changed because lesbians, gay men, socialists, liberals, church members, health workers, students, trade unionists and other allies organised together. Campaigners also rejected a compromise that would have left younger men criminalised, demonstrating the importance of defending those most vulnerable. Young activist Alexi said homosexual law reform had enabled lesbian, gay and bisexual people to live openly without fear of prosecution, but argued that the struggle for LGBT freedom did not end in 1986. Alexi criticised policies restricting puberty blockers and imposing rigid definitions of gender, describing them as attempts to generate fear and scapegoat transgender people. Amal Samaha similarly challenged the idea that reform emerged from smooth national progress. Anti-gay prejudice had once appeared mainstream, while cautious politicians often remained silent. Samaha argued that old prejudices are now repackaged as safeguards, parental rights, balance and compromise, making open resistance to anti-trans politics essential. Tristan-Cordelia placed the Wellington rally within an international climate of threats, violence and cancelled Pride events. The response, Tris argued, must be kotahitanga: queer communities gathering visibly and protecting one another rather than allowing intimidation to drive them from public space. Chants of “We’re here, we’re queer” reinforced the gathering’s message of collective resistance. The open microphone prioritised queer elders, people shaped by homosexual law reform and HIV and AIDS activism, communities affected by recent government policy, and elected representatives. Kay Jones recalled attending law reform rallies and being ordered to remove activist badges at work, despite religious symbols being permitted. Speaking as a bisexual activist, Jones discussed bisexual invisibility, transphobia, disability and the value of everyday conversations that challenge hatred. Val Little remembered coming out while law reform was being debated and hearing political leaders demean queer people. Little celebrated finding the term non-binary later in life and praised today’s rangatahi for creating new possibilities. Hugh Young reflected on the slow movement of social change and remembered producing satirical posters that mocked signatories to the anti-homosexual law reform petition, arguing that humour can weaken bigotry. Green Party MP Kahurangi Carter honoured activists who risked their jobs, families and safety, as well as figures including Fran Wilde, Louisa Wall and Georgina Beyer. Carter shared the story of her queer grandmother who helped run a supposed softball club that served as an illegal gay bar on Karangahape Road. She confronted police attempting to raid the venue and protected the queer and trans people inside. The story brought humour, whakapapa and community memory together, while Carter urged people to remain loud in spaces where LGBTQIA+ voices are absent and to continue fighting for trans rights, healthcare, education and liberation. Labour MP Georgie Dansey acknowledged achievements since 1986, including marriage equality and the prohibition of conversion practices, while condemning current attacks on transgender, non-binary, takatāpui and intersex people. Dansey credited community activists with creating lasting political change and promised continued advocacy in Parliament. Tristan-Cordelia closed by recalling police profiling of gay men and the exploitation of sex workers before prostitution law reform, stressing how recent these experiences remain. After acknowledgements and a closing karakia from Kōwhai, the recording ends with a 1986 news report announcing that the Homosexual Law Reform Bill had passed by 49 votes to 44. The historic broadcast underlines the rally’s message: queer freedom was won through struggle, remains fragile and must be defended collectively. |
| interviewer | |
| voices | Amal Samaha; Bill Logan; Georgie Dansey; Hugh Young; Kahurangi Carter; Kay Jones; Tristan-Cordelia; Val Little |
| tags | Homosexual Law Reform; bisexual; gay; lesbian; non-binary; takatāpui; 1980s; 2020s; activism; adoption; aversion therapy; bisexual invisibility; blackmail; conversion / reparative therapy; conversion practices; disability; disability rights; freedom; General election; glitter bombing; homosexual law reform; homosexual law reform petition; marriage equality; police; puberty; puberty blockers; softball; softball club; struggle; vulnerability; Parliament grounds; Aotearoa New Zealand; Christchurch; Karangahape Road; Wellington; Green Party; New Zealand Labour Party; Conversion Practices Prohibition Legislation Bill (2021); Homosexual Law Reform Act (1986); Legislation (Definitions of Woman and Man) Amendment Bill (2026); GOD (Grumpy Old Dyke); QAF (Queer As Fuck); Amal Samaha; Benjamin Doyle; Bill Logan; Bill Sutch; Georgie Dansey; Germaine Greer; Gerry Brownlee; Hugh Young; Kahurangi Carter; Kay Jones; Lawrence Xu-Nan; Shirley Smith; Tristan-Cordelia; Val Little; Winston Peters |
| tags_computer_generated | transgender; intersex; sexuality; Youth; education; politics; performance; sex; health; history; homophobia; human rights; family; Fran Wilde; coming out; law; San Francisco; support; music; crime; social; growing up; elders; marriage; Georgina Beyer; school; legacy; sport; transphobia; community; Louisa Wall; Marriage Equality; discrimination; Pride parade; children; women; representation; equality; insurance; medications; closeted; nature; Taranaki; painting; fear; trust; church; love; queer; government; hui; silence; Vietnam War; poofter; harassment; dyke; homosexual; values; New Zealand First; policy; Tino Rangatiratanga; narrative; allies; gender; manaakitanga; peace; hypocrisy; consent; school uniform; rainbow; liberation; building; bigotry; safety; hope; surrogacy; parties; Stuff; persecution; tomboy; minority; rangatahi; Tonga; recognition; anger; change; conservative; Vietnam; shorts; iwi; dolls; public servant; cis; threats; rangatiratanga; power; trans; uniform; lawyer; top; Liberalism; attack; celebration; compromise; rhetoric; mainstream; expectations; walking; sodomy; march; defiance; badges; other; posters; hiding; humanity; solidarity; letter; actions; parade; rally; code; shopping; listening; boxes; fascism; strength; future; work; website; face; mahi; Florida; saying no; security; environment; button; dresses; karakia; God; tactics; public health; petition; family values; select committee; Space; masculine; Ngati Tuwharetoa; civil war; bus; servant; People; Events; access; legislation; speech; routine; time; Kim Hill; LGBT; busted; Marion Street; stall; pandemic; endurance; movement; period; banned; election; trade; police harassment; protection; secret; memory; cruelty; AIDS; Spanish; student; kotahitanga; home |
| location_name | Parliament grounds |
| location | 1 Molesworth Street |
| broader_location | Wellington |
| location_lat | -41.277875695175055 |
| location_long | 174.77730073733258 |
| precise_locality | true |