Date: Mon, 25 Aug 1997 01:43:40 -1000
From: lambda@aloha.net (Martin Rice)
Subject: SA 170:  New Zealand Marriage Case Update

Aloha kakahiaka kakou.

The following blurbette is from GAP (Gay Appiance of Professionals) in
Wellington, New Zealand.  You can be put on their broadcast list, which
deals with many aspects of the community there, by contacting them at
gap@nz.com 

The appeal mentioned below is scheduled for September 3rd or 4th.



GO FOR IT JENNY & JOOLS . . . APPEAL MARRIAGE RULING

Three New Zealand couples who lost a High Court gay-marriage case have
advanced to the Court of Appeal, New Zealand's highest court.

In May of 1996, Auckland High Court Justice Kerr ruled that legalization of
gay marriage should be pursued via Parliament not through the courts, in
part because public support for the idea is hard to gauge. 

"To give marriage a meaning which the plaintiffs seek would require me to
interpret the law in a way which I do not perceive Parliament to intend,"
Kerr wrote.  "Community attitudes in 1996 are much more relaxed to gay and
lesbian couples . . . but whether that relaxation would extend to supporting
marriage of such couples is difficult to gauge."

New Zealand has a national law banning discrimination based on sexual
orientation, and the 1955 Marriage Act does not say spouses must be of
opposite sexes.  The only marriages specifically prohibited are those that
would "damage the gene pool."


~~pau~~
 
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  "Welcome to President Bush, Mrs. Bush, 
  and my fellow astronauts."
                            --Dan Quayle
                  ~~~~~~
             Fred and Martin,
      strangers before all but 16.7%
       of the law, and fading fast.
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~