Tag: lgbt history
4 July 1975
The first major parliamentary attempt at homosexual law reform in New Zealand was defeated. National MP Venn Young had introduced the proposed legislation a year earlier. It aimed to decriminalise homosexual acts between consenting adults aged 21 and over. Just before the vote, Young told the House,...
Historian Gareth Watkins uncovers May dates in New Zealand’s past that have impacted today’s queer community in Aotearoa.
May 1983
2023 marks the 40th anniversary of the first International AIDS Candlelight Memorials which took place in San Francisco and New York City. In New Zealand, the memorial was first observed as...
Historian Gareth Watkins compiles significant July dates in Aotearoa New Zealand’s LGBTQ+ history including the passing of Homosexual Law Reform.
26 July 1877
One of the earliest missionaries in NZ, William Yate, died on this date. Born in Shropshire in 1802 he arrived in the Bay of Islands in 1828. Scholars...
Historian Gareth Watkins highlights June dates that pushed progress forward for Aotearoa’s Rainbow communities.
June 1949
Journalist and author Tom McLean was born in Greenock, Scotland. He worked for a number of Scottish newspapers before moving to NZ in 1973. In the mid-1980s, after a year of general unwellness, he took...
On the 50th anniversary of the birth of NZ's Gay Liberation Front, Gareth Watkins highlights April dates that made a difference to Aotearoa’s LGBTQ+ community.
11 April 1972
This month marks the 50th anniversary of the first Gay Liberation Front action – a Gay Day held in Auckland. Historian Will Hansen...
Gareth Watkins discovers March dates that made a difference to New Zealand’s LGBTQ+ community.
22 March 1964
Norman “Old Sunshine” Gibson died in New Plymouth. In the 1990s Gibson’s daughter, Miriam Saphira wrote about her father and his relationship with Roy Ayling. Both were soldiers in the First World War, sharing...
Michael Stevens reflects on the ever-changing face of Pride in Aotearoa and longs to be able to gather again.
Happy Pride! Even though it is muted this year thanks to the pandemic. Instead of physically being in the same space we’re invited to be together online, and what choice did...
Historian Gareth Watkins examines significant February dates in Aotearoa New Zealand’s Queer History.
23 February 1924
The NZ Truth newspaper published a story about the growth of degeneracy and sex crime. Under the headline “Sterilisation Proposed” the newspaper reported the increase of sex crimes from 1919 to 1922. Included in the...
