August 25, 2013
Māori, gay or workers’ rights alright by me
Opinion: I'm not a gay rights campaigner, in fact, if I was being honest, I would have to admit that I'm still a little uncomfortable with gay men. Maybe that perspective comes from my time in the freezing works where no one would dare admit they were gay, and hanging around with John Tamihere for so long!
However, believe it or not, I will always defend the rights of homosexuals and will not tolerate any discrimination against them because I learnt when I was a young union official that their fight for equality was no different to fighting for workers' rights, women's rights and, of course, Māori rights.
I set that scene because on Monday – the day gay marriage became law in New Zealand – the rednecks and homophobes were outraged. From the beat they were playing on their one-eyed drum, you would have thought the world was going to end in A Big Gay Out.
Oddly enough, on Tuesday, the sun came up, the bills arrived in the mailbox and the world carried on as usual.
The disaster predicted by the homophobes and haters never eventuated.
These same people would claim that giving women the vote back in the day was wrong and acknowledging Maori rights under the Treaty of Waitangi was a form of apartheid.
So last Monday, Ruby Bay residents Courtney Clyne and her partner Mel Powell were one of the first couples to tie the knot in Nelson.
They are now each other's wives, which sounds a bit strange to people like me, but probably the funniest part of the ceremony was that they both wore jandals.
Gays have long been a part of New Zealand society and Māoridom has been prominent in terms of gay rights and activism.
Transsexuals like Carmen, politician Georgina Beyer and activists like Ripeka Evans and Donna Awatere were at the forefront of the gay rights struggle. It was my Uncle Sid Jackson who first challenged the union movement over its prejudices.
In 1984 he called for unions to support homosexual law reform. I will never forget the shock amongst all the blue collar unions when my uncle stood up at the Federation of Labour Conference in Wellington and called for equal rights for gays. My mates asked me had my uncle suddenly switched sides but I assured them all that wasn't the case.
He saw it as straight discrimination that gays were not receiving the same rights as heterosexuals in the work place and around the country and a stand needed to be taken. I'm sure Uncle Sid would see gay marriage in exactly the same way and would have had a smile on his face last Monday watching Courtney and Mel exchanging vows.
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