Celebrating 30 years

In 1986, the Homosexual Law Reform Act was voted into law with a majority of five. Thirty years later, NZ is celebrating that victory, plus all the necessary changes to the law to acknowledge gay relationships, marriage and legal rights. We have come a long way in 30 years.
Celebrations opened at The Beehive,  NZ's seat of Parliament. Here are some photos I nicked from Amanduh's Facebook feed - to be honest I went to the Martinborough Fair super early in the morning and fell asleep in the afternoon, and only woke up 40 minutes before we had to leave to get to the event so I had no time to get the camera, or even put on my false eyelashes!

Amanduh La, Kevin and me. Amanduh told me to wear this outfit. We are both in love with it! Plus we were so bad, we were up rather late the night before drinking tea and putting the world to rights. I love her dress - I didn't make this one but I wish I had. We are in front of an enormous rainbow flag.

 Fran Wilde, the Labour MP who sponsored the Bill. She is an extraordinary woman and I have immense respect for her, even though she wants to change our flag to the hidjus teatowel proposed in the referendum (If you are not a Kiwi and don't know about our tragic flag change debacle, I just Can't Even....)

 Grant Robertson our gay (Labour) MP for Wellington Central. People can we just take a minute to think about this. Wellington is the seat of government -Wellington Central is heavily populated by civil servants. It is always Labour. This is because those who work in the machinery of Government know which party provides the most stable, rational governance. Because civil servants see everything. Really.

 A Kapa Haka group opens the evening in the Ballroom.

 My darling friend LaQuisha St Redfern. 

So this afternoon LaQuisha aka Conrad and I sat on his deck in the sun and planned an appearance we are making together late in May. A drag queen who is a woman and a drag queen with a beard and a hairy chest -we are the odd balls of the city, so it stands to reason we should do a show together.

Should be jolly!

Anyway, I for one am proud to have done my bit to support the HLRA back in 1985/1986, and it was a happy day when the Law was passed. I had many gay friends then as I do now and the very idea that their love should be illegal was absolutely intolerable to me.