Compensation for gay men with historical convictions again asked forCHRIS MCKEEN/STUFF "These laws ruined lives and we need to do more than apologise, we need to give something back to them," Young Labour's Alka Ahirao said. Homosexual sex was legalised in 1986 after a firestorm of protests and counter-protests, but the convictions under the old law still stand. Despite the law change the men held onto a sex conviction which often saw them denied jobs and other opportunities. READ MORE: Government announces plans to wipe historical homosexual convictionsThis is the first ever "expungement scheme" in New Zealand history. National's Chris Bishop asked if a model where compensation was instead pooled into a fund for general LGBTI support could be useful.

Source: Stuff December 06, 2017 23:15 UTC