New Zealand has in recent years become a broadly gay-friendly place, defying the odds in what has always been perceived as a fairly macho country. Certainly there remains an undercurrent of redneck intolerance, particularly in rural areas, but it generally stays well below the surface.
All this has partly come about in response to New Zealand's admirable recent history of resistance to anti-gay bigotry. Homosexuality was decriminalized in 1986 and the
age of consent
was set at sixteen (the same as for heterosexuals). The human rights section of the
legislation
, making it illegal to discriminate against gays and people with HIV or AIDS, was passed in 1993, with none of the usual exceptions made for the military or the police. There are officially no restrictions on people with HIV or AIDS entering the country
.
Such is the mainstream
acceptance
that the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra is quite upfront about one of its most prominent composers, Gareth Farr, doubling as a drag queen - though not mid-concert.
Gay and lesbian contacts
Publications
Express
(fortnightly, $2.50; tel & fax 09/361 0190,
express@outnet.co.nz
), sold in almost any decent bookstore, graces the magazine racks of gay-friendly cafés and is often distributed free at gay venues; it...
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Where to go
This tolerant attitude has conspired to deghettoize the gay community; even in
Auckland
and
Wellington
, the only cities with genuinely vibrant gay scenes, there aren't any predominantly gay areas and most venues have a mixed...
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