Join us at Te Matapihi ki te Ao Nui Central Library for a free event celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Homosexual Law Reform Act 1986. We’ll be joined by Trevor Mallard, Linda Evans, Bill Logan, Onjei Bond, and host Gareth Watkins for a panel discussion exploring the social and political climate, and the long history of community activism that contributed to the landmark 1986 reform passing through Parliament.The panel will discuss the political processes behind the bill and the opposing community campaigns that emerged during a deeply divisive period in New Zealand’s history. We’ll hear about the personal impacts this had on members of the rainbow community, the resulting legacies of the reform, and the ways it continues to shape the lives and rights of queer people in Aotearoa today.
Sunday 14 June, 2-3pm
Te Matapihi ki te Ao Nui Central Library (65 Victoria Street)
Ngā Pou Ruahine, Level 2
Free event, all welcome
About the Speakers:
Trevor Mallard was an MP for 35 years and served as a Minister and Speaker. More recently he was our Ambassador to Ireland, is now retired and spends his time gardening, walking his dog and helping with grandchildren. Trevor acted as “whip” for the Homosexual Law Reform Bill. His role was to keep a day by day count to help ensure the numbers were there to make sure it became law.
Linda Evans has been an activist in lesbian, feminist and gay politics in Te Whanganui-a-Tara since the 1970s. She was involved in the ongoing campaigns for homosexual law reform and anti-discrimination laws in the 1970s and 1980s. Linda is a trustee and voluntary curator for Kawe Mahara Queer Archives Aotearoa.
In 1985 Bill Logan was a radical Wellington bookseller and involved in the Gay Switchboard and the response to the Aids pandemic. He became one of the organisers of the Homosexual Law Reform campaign to decriminalise sex between men. He remains engaged in socialist and community activism, and now works as a counsellor and marriage and funeral celebrant.
Onjei Bond is a recent Master’s graduate in Museum and Heritage studies, interested in the queer history of Aotearoa. He has recently finished a six-month research project focused on documenting and preserving the queer history of the Taranaki region – in collaboration with Pride Taranaki and Puke Ariki.
Gareth Watkins (he/him) founded the non-profit community website PrideNZ.com in 2009. It has become the largest online audio repository of local Takatāpui LGBTQIA+ Rainbow histories. The site now holds over 1,000 audio recordings of events and life histories, along with thousands of related news items dating back to the early 1900s—all freely available to a global audience. From day one, the website’s kaupapa has been to capture a snapshot of local communities, make that content easily accessible to the public, and help safeguard Rainbow heritage by ensuring the collection is available to archives in the future. In 2017, Gareth and his husband Roger Smith also founded Walktours NZ – a volunteer group that has run over 100 free, accessible, inclusive and community-focused walking tours exploring the city’s rich queer heritage.
Event Venue
65 Victoria Street, Wellington, New Zealand 6011, New Zealand
Tickets
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