LGBTQ people in New Zealand
New Zealand society is generally accepting of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) peoples.
[1] The Māori language word takatāpui had historically referred to devoted relationships between people of the same sex, but in modern terminology encompasses LGBT identity and sexuality.
Academic Elizabeth Kerekere has found that prior to the imposition of colonial law and morality, takatāpui were simply "part of the whānau [family].
They brought with them the Christian doctrine that sodomy was sinful, meaning many Māori were forced to hide or destroy evidence of their takatāpui selves.
Despite this, one missionary, William Yate, was sent back to England in disgrace after being caught engaging in sex with young Māori men.
In 1893, all kinds of sexual activity between men was criminalised, with penalties including imprisonment, hard labour, and flogging.
[10] By as early as the 1930s, queer subcultures were so developed that a shared language had developed, emerging out of "elements of prison slang, pig Latin, Polari, gay slang, Māori and localised dialect," used primarily by male and trans women sex workers.
After the change of licensing laws in 1967, Rupe was able to found her first of several famous establishments, Carmen's International Coffee Lounge, located on Vivian Street in Wellington.
"Carmen's" was a social hub for people from all walks of life, often attracted to the venue by the notoriety of its openly trans proprietor.
Hers was renown as a safe community hub, and was also a drop-in centre for both local gay and lesbian activist and support groups, and for sex workers, prior to the establishment of the New Zealand Prostitutes' Collective.
[9] One year later, it established a legal subcommittee – the Wolfenden Association – out of which the Homosexual Law Reform Society emerged.
In 1964, Charles Aberhart was beaten to death in Christchurch's Hagley Park by a group of men who claimed he had propositioned them.
[8] In 1972, academic Ngahuia Te Awekotuku was denied a visitor permit to the United States on the grounds that she was a homosexual.
Although primarily a social club, Hedesthia members were pioneering in their advocacy work, reaching out to the media and various community organisations in order to educate the public about trans issues.
Noted mycologist Gillian F. Laundon was a member of Hedesthia, and in 1976 she also set up an off-shoot group which focused specifically on supporting transsexuals, called TransFormation.
[19] Trans activism also continued to develop during this period, with pioneers like Rupe breaking boundaries through running for Wellington Mayor in 1977, and Laundon in that same year successfully petitioning for the right to use women's restrooms at her place of work.
Trans, gay, and lesbian activist groups were not mutually exclusive, and involved people from a diverse range of backgrounds and identities, as well as significant crossover.
[12]After several attempts, the Homosexual Law Reform Act was passed in 1986, decriminalising sexual activity between men over the age of 16.
[21] Supporters of reform argued that removing the stigma from homosexuality would help prevent the spread and aid the treatment of disease.
Wellington had the highest number of people belonging to the LGBTIQ communities (11.3%), followed by Dunedin (7.3%), Christchurch (6%), Palmerston North (5.8%), Hamilton (5.6%) and Auckland (4.9%).
Chris Carter (Labour, Minister of Conservation) became New Zealand's first openly gay MP when he outed himself shortly after being elected in 1993.
Even earlier Marilyn Waring, a New Zealand National Party MP in the 1970s and 1980s, was also outed as a lesbian during her term and subsequently re-elected.
[40] New Zealand is also a home for Eliana Rubashkyn, an internationally-known former LGBTI refugee, who became stateless several years in China after a severe case of discrimination due to her intersex variation,[41] and received subsequently a universal recognition of her gender by a U.N. declaration, making her case a first in the world.
In May 2015, PlanetRomeo, an LGBT social network, ranked New Zealand as the happiest country in Oceania (and the eleventh worldwide) for gay men.
Hamilton, Wellington, Tauranga, Christchurch, and Dunedin host annual Pride Weeks, usually operated by the local UniQ, related youth-focussed organisations, or the New Zealand AIDS Foundation as a community-building initiative.
Financial problems in 2001 led to the parade's demise, but the festival continued as a celebration of the city's LGBT citizens and comprised many events throughout February, including the popular Big Gay Out (in contrast to the music festival Big Day Out held in January), which is still held on the Sunday closest to Valentines Day each year.
[58] Over the Christmas and New year period, many lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people attend summer camps at Vinegar Hill, New Zealand, in the Manawatu region [59] and Uretiti Beach campsite.
