item details
Gay Task Force; producer; May 1985; New Zealand
Overview
This poster advertised a significant protest event held in support of the Homosexual Law Reform Bill in May 1985. Called the 'Bigot Busters' rally, the event was held in Wellington Town Hall on 21 May 1985 and attended by 1400 people. Its intention was to publicly counter the anti-reform petition which had been circulating since March 1985. Activist and academic Alison Laurie spoke at the rally: ‘the more visibility we have, the safer, the stronger, our community will be’.
Labour Cabinet minister Fran Wilde was also at the rally. She had introduced the Homosexual Law Reform Bill on 8 March 1985, immediately causing a political and social furore.
The crowd was entertained by the Topp Twins and 'Normal Jones', a parody of Minister of Parliament Norman Jones who was an outspoken opponent of homosexual law reform and an instigator of the petition opposing the bill.
The poster was designed by Neil Costelloe (1960-1990) for the activist group Gay Task Force during the Homosexual Law Reform campaign in 1985-86 (Costelloe died a few years later in London from AIDS-related causes). Groups such as the Gay Task Force aimed to counter their opponents through nationwide street marches, rallies, information leaflets, and by disrupting anti-law reform meetings. Their arguments rested on human rights, freedom of choice, and an end to discrimination based on sexuality.
The Homosexual Law Reform Act was passed by 49 votes to 44 on 9 July 1986, and came into effect on 8 August that year. The Act decriminalised sexual relations between men aged 16 and over.