WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Prime Minister Helen Clark lashed out at opponents she claims are trying to smear her with a campaign alleging she is a lesbian while offering a personal apology Wednesday for the “dreadful” treatment of homosexuals by past governments.
Clark told the gay community’s Express newspaper that her political opponents have questioned her sexual orientation for years, making continual references to her childless marriage to a respected academic.
“So what are they getting at? Am I supposed to not be a real woman because I haven’t had children? It’s all bizarre and I don’t think most people relate to it,” Clark told the newspaper.
“I’m not a lesbian myself but some of my best friends are, literally. So I can’t take it as an insult because it’s not wrong in any way to be lesbian,” she said. “I’m going to refuse really to see it is as a smear because I say if I was (lesbian), so what?”
Clark, whose popularity is at historic highs just months from a general election she is widely tipped to win easily, called the smear campaign “totally counterproductive” and apologized to gays and lesbians for discrimination under past New Zealand governments.
“People have put up with the most appalling discrimination, stereotyping, people have been criminalized. Of course it is…dreadful,” she said.
Homosexual activity was outlawed in New Zealand until 1986. Gays and lesbians claim to have suffered discrimination from government social, welfare, health and law enforcement agencies in the past.
