The Marriage Amendment Bill aims to amend marriage legislation to ensure gay couples are not treated in “a discriminatory manner”. It has passed its first reading and is now open for submissions from the public. In our next piece in a series of opinions, Wairarapa man and future Labour political hopeful Kieran McAnulty says marriage equality is inevitable at some point. Why can’t that time be now?
Not all that long ago, it was illegal to be a gay man in New Zealand. It took a long and often courageous battle against discrimination before it was decriminalised in 1986. Now, in 2012, many people wonder what all the fuss was about. I cannot help but feel that in 20 years’ time, the same will be said for the issue of marriage equality.
Labour MP Louisa Wall’s private member’s bill would allow same-sex couples to marry on the same footing as heterosexual couples. It has garnered significant support, but whether it passes into law remains to be seen. Like the issue of New Zealand becoming a republic, marriage equality has a sense of inevitability about it. One day the New Zealand Parliament will pass such a measure. I do not see why that day cannot be in 2012. Read more
Sources
- Kieran McAnulty in Stuff Nation
- Image: TV3 News
Kieran McAnulty is a proud Wairarapa Bush supporter and treasurer of The Republican Movement of Aotearoa New Zealand.