The title of this recording is "Flashback to homosexual law reform". It is described as: A short video highlighting some of the people and actions during homosexual law reform in Aotearoa New Zealand (1985-1986). It was recorded in Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand on the 9th July 2015. This is a recording of an event and features the voices of Bill Logan, Glenda Gale, John Banks, Linda Evans, Norman Jones, Patricia Bartlett and Tighe Instone. Their names are spelt correctly, but may appear incorrectly spelt later in the document. The duration of the recording is 5 minutes, but this may not reflect the actual length of the event. A list of correctly spelt content keywords and tags can be found at the end of this document. A brief description of the recording is: A short audio montage highlighting some of the people and actions during homosexual law reform in Aotearoa New Zealand (1985-1986). A video version is also available. The content in the recording covers the 1980s decade. A brief summary of the recording is: This summary details an audio montage documenting critical moments and sentiments during the homosexual law reform movement in Aotearoa New Zealand in the mid-1980s. Recorded on July 9th, 2015, in Wellington, the recording includes contributions from individuals vividly representing different perspectives on the issue, among them Bill Logan, Glenda Gale, John Banks, Linda Evans, Norman Jones, Patricia Bartlett, and Tighe Instone. The 5-minute recording, held by the Lesbian and Gay Archives of New Zealand (LAGANZ), captures a plethora of views surrounding the contentious debate over the Homosexual Law Reform Act of 1986. Opponents of the law reform, including some vocal community members and politicians, argued that homosexuality was against the laws of nature. Remarkably, there was a fear that legal recognition would not only normalize but also encourage an increase in homosexual behavior, drawing dubious parallels with cities like San Francisco and countries where such reforms had been passed. Critics, wrapped in the mantle of protecting societal values, delivered a doomsday narrative of the potential repercussions on the family unit and society at large. This resistance was typified by the dismissal of a petition signed by 835,000 New Zealanders against the legalizing of sodomy for young adults, which opponents claimed would lead to the destabilization of the family structure. Conversely, the recording also captures moments of solidarity and support for the reform from unexpected quarters, such as the Salvation Army’s public display of support for a lesbian and gay rights march. This unexpected alliance highlighted the complexity of individual and organizational stances on the reform. While the Salvation Army band provided music to the marchers, the reactions from the organization's members varied, with some still holding strong reservations against lesbian and gay rights despite the ostensible show of support. Amidst the contrasting views and political turmoil, the LGBTQ+ community’s resolve shines through. The recording details significant lesbian and gay rights demonstrations, including a nearly 10,000-strong march through Wellington's streets. The march served not just as an assertion for homosexual rights but also as a broader fight for an open and liberal society. The sentiments expressed show the community's demand for visibility and respect as legitimate New Zealand citizens, as well as their ambition to move beyond campaigning for individual interests towards shaping a more inclusive political landscape. The full transcription of the recording follows. It includes timestamps every thirty seconds in the format [HH:MM:SS]. The transcription begins: This audio comes from the collections of the Lesbian and Gay Archives of New Zealand. For more information, visit Legans dot org dot NZ. Right, so homosexual. As far as I'm concerned, [00:00:30] sex legalise the the sex all right, thank you [00:01:00] concerned Christians hiring town halls to discuss the problems of the alienation of Children of our society or violence within the family. Do not see this happening, and we question the motives for their concern. I believe their concern is founded on irrational fear and ignorance. We are citizens of this country. We demand our rights [00:01:30] as citizens of New Zealand. What is your member's opinion of the homosexual law reform bill? They completely opposed to it. For what reason? It's against the law of nature. And if the homosexuals just prevented diversion with themselves, they would die out in one generation. Once the law is changed, a certain number of people that think if there's no law against it, it is quite all right. And in some people's minds it could even be considered normal once the law [00:02:00] says it's not an offence. And this way the practise of homosexual activity will spread as it has in San Francisco. Every country which has legalised it has had an increase in sexual activity amongst homosexuals. [00:02:30] What do you think of the Salvation Army joining in the March today? I think it was very good of them to come to our support. It's the first time they've given a public exhibition of support, and especially to provide the music for us was really helpful because we often have trouble maintaining our own rhythms. Yes, I noticed the Salvation Army people here were really joining in for the Lesbian Gay Chance. Do you think they really support lesbian and gay rights? They were clapping in time with our chance more than in time with their music. It was pretty amazing. But from some of the conversations that are going on around about between gay men and lesbians and members of the Salvation Army, I wouldn't be under any illusion that most of them are still [00:03:00] strongly opposed to lesbian and gay rights. Jesus was gay. Oh, Jesus was God. I so 835,000 New Zealanders average decent people presented this parliament [00:03:30] with a petition saying they don't want to know about this bill. They don't want to legalise sodomy for 16 year olds, 17 year olds, 18 year olds or 20 year olds. They don't want to have sodomy legalised for armed servicemen. They don't want to have sodomy legalised for any sector of our society because they say that legalising sodomy is the thin edge of the wedge, and it's going to destabilise the family unit, destroy [00:04:00] this nation and democracy. Friday, the 13th of September, black and pink Friday saw another huge lesbian and gay march through the streets of Wellington. This time, nearly 10,000 lesbians, gay men and their friends marched in support of lesbian and gay rights. In the past, we have been easily silenced, and we have been made invisible. Tonight we are saying we [00:04:30] have had enough. This whole thing started for us as a campaign in our interests, a campaign to give us as gay people, some some beginning towards a liberation. But it's become, over the course of time, something much different than that. This campaign has become a pivotal issue in New Zealand politics. [00:05:00] It's a this has become a fight to preserve a certain openness in society. And so it's for that reason that the gay communities and the lesbian community have got to look beyond our own boundaries for support in the community more widely for support among other people who stand for decency, openness, liberality and freedom. The full transcription of the recording ends. A list of keywords/tags describing the recording follow. These tags contain the correct spellings of names and places which may have been incorrectly spelt earlier in the document. The tags are seperated by a semi-colon: 1980s ; Alison Laurie ; Aotearoa New Zealand ; Bill Logan ; Cynthia Bagwash ; David Hindley ; Glenda Gale ; God ; Homosexual Law Reform ; Homosexual Law Reform Act (1986) ; Lesbian and Gay Archives of New Zealand (LAGANZ) ; Norman Jones ; People ; Salvation Army ; Salvation Army Citadel ; San Francisco ; Tighe Instone ; Wellington ; alienation ; archives ; army ; boundaries ; change ; children ; community ; democracy ; exhibition ; family ; fear ; freedom ; friends ; gaming ; gay ; homosexual ; homosexual law reform ; homosexual law reform petition ; law ; lesbian ; march ; music ; nature ; normal ; other ; petition ; politics ; silence ; sodomy ; support ; ties ; time. The original recording can be heard at this website https://www.pridenz.com/flashback_to_homosexual_law_reform_audio.html. Please note that this document may contain errors or omissions - you should always refer back to the original recording to confirm content.