HistorySame-sex relationships were widely accepted within maori legend and even when the British arrived in New Zealand in 1840, homosexual relationships were a regular part of life. However when they were colonised they adopted British law, that all homosexual acts illegal and punishments included hard labour and imprisonment. Later the punishments were lessened as the views of homosexuality began to change. The New Zealand Homosexual Law Reform Act of 1986 was passed that legalised consensual sex between men aged 16 and older and was homosexuality was no longer a criminal offence. During the 1970's a gay subculture established in major cities like Auckland and Wellington. The highly publicised trial for the murder of Charles Aberhart, who was beaten to death by a group of men who claimed were propositioned by him, was criticised for finding the mean not guilty even though they admitted to committing the crime. New Zealand held their first gay pride week one year after the Stonewall riots like many other countries around the world.
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Changes to the LawEven though homosexuality was no longer against the law, discrimination was still a very real problem for the LGBT community not just in New Zealand but everywhere in the world. In 1993, discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation (heterosexual, homosexual, lesbian or bisexual) was outlawed through the passing of the Human Rights Act. In May 2012, Labour Party MP Louisa Wall announced that she would introduce the Marriage Amendment Bill to allow same-sex couples to marry. The Legalise Love Campaign had begun a year earlier, wishing to promote adoption and marriage equality and organised protests throughout the country. The ballot was drawn in August of the same year. Much of the opposition came from the Catholic Church in New Zealand as well as political parties such as Family First and the Conservative Party. However despite the opposition, the youth wings of all eight political parties as well as the Human Rights Commission declared their support for the Marriage Amendment Bill. The final reading took place on 17 April 2013 and passed 77 votes to 44, with the whole gallery erupting into applause and singing the traditional Maori song "Pokarekare Ana". Without the movements in other countries including the United States, the progress that New Zealand has made towards LGBT Equality would be virtually non-existent.
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