Thu 9 Feb 2017 In: New Zealand Daily News View at Wayback View at NDHA
The Government’s decision to quash historic homosexual convictions is “overall a very positive move” according to community advocate and sexual history commentator Michael Stevens. Michael Stevens Justice Minister Amy Adams has just annnouced that this would be done on a case-by-case basis, something Stevens says he hopes “will apply to men who got caught doing the bogs - many people were arrested for what would still be seen as public indecency today, because there was nowhere else to go”. He says he imagines this is not a blanket wiping of all convictions as some of the men convicted will have been arrested for underage sex. “I have a few friends who were arrested, one even changed his career path because of it,” he says. “Overall I think this is very positive, but I haven't seen all the details.” With no mention of whether the Government will make an official apology, Stevens says he believe an official apology “would send a message of how serious the government is about this”.
Credit: Gay.NZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Thursday, 9th February 2017 - 2:23pm