2112 signatures received.
The Campaign to Pardon Gays in Aotearoa
Campaign update
Last updated 27 September 2018
On 3 April 2018, the New Zealand House of Representatives
voted unanimously
to accept
the Criminal Records (Expungement of Convictions for Historial Homosexual Offences) Bill at
its Third Reading. This means there is now a legal basis for a process to expunge
convictions for consensual historical homosexual acts. This follows the
formal apology of
the House of Representatives on 6 July 2017.
If you wish to apply to have your convictions expunged, or you wish to represent someone
else in the expungement process, we suggest that you read the following resources published
by the Ministry of Justice.
The Campaign to Pardon Gays in Aotearoa is deeply grateful to all who have helped to reach
this stage. Essentially, all requests by the Campaign have been granted by the Government;
this means that the Campaign is likely at an end. However, we still welcome your
contacting us.
Prior to 1986, the systematic persecution of gay men, using the machinary of the criminal justice system, resulted in
hundreds of men being convicted for acts that are now legal in New Zealand. Even those who weren't
convicted lived with the fear of being pubically disgraced and punished, just for being true
to who they were.
2016 was the 30-year anniversary of the passage of the
Homosexual Law Reform Act (1986)
by the
New Zealand House of Representatives. A brave and determined
campaign ensured that this vital reform ended the institutionalised persecution of gay men. In years since,
New Zealand attitudes toward
rainbow communities have been
utterly transformed towards a more inclusive society.
The Campaign to Pardon Gays in Aotearoa was formed to ask the Government of New Zealand to apologise for the past wrongs, and to
create a process for expunging convictions for consensual historical homosexual acts; previously men convicted of homosexual acts
still had those convictions on their criminal records.
Since the Campaign was started, Parliament has addressed the concerns raised by the Campaign. These positive actions by Parliament will
impact postively on those who were convicted, their whaanau and friends, and the wider LGBT community.
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