New South Wales becomes last Australian state to apologize for laws criminalizing homosexuality
New South Wales has become the last Australian state to apologize for laws criminalizing homosexual acts, 40 years after decriminalization
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — The leader of Australia's most populous state apologized Thursday for the “unforgivable pain” caused by previous laws criminalizing homosexuality, 40 years after gay sex was decriminalized in New South Wales.
“We are here to apologize for every life that was damaged or diminished or destroyed by these unjust laws,” Premier Chris Minns said in a speech to the state parliament. The legislation “should never have existed,” he added.
The state was the last in Australia to make a formal apology for laws that made gay sex acts illegal, following Victoria and South Australia in 2016 and the country's other three states in 2017. Same-sex marriage became legal in Australia in 2017.
Homosexual acts between adult men were decriminalized in New South Wales in 1984, making it the fifth state to do so. Sex between women was never a criminal offense in the state. The state recorded dozens of “gay hate” deaths in the 1980s, in part because of hostility and fear stemming from the AIDS epidemic.
