The Parliament of the Cook Islands has taken an historic step as a leader in the Pacific region in modernizing its criminal code by passing a law decriminalizing homosexuality. This is a great day for the people of the Cook Islands and the road to inclusion and decolonization.
Democratic Party Opposition leader and PGA member, Hon. Tina Pupeke Browne, MP stated:
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Hon. Tina Pupeke Browne, MP
Cook Islands
Of all amendments to Cook Islands laws, Friday’s passing of changes by Parliament to what was a seriously outdated Crimes Act, is one of the best and most civilised advances made in recent times to existing legislation. I believe that we truly need to become contemporary, rational and mature in our thinking and approach to life and discard insidious laws that hark back to the 1500’s. We cannot, on one hand, call ourselves God fearing Christians, and yet condemn our sons and daughters for being the people they were born to be.
I reminded my fellow MPs that it is our jobs as parliamentarians to pass good laws and repeal bad ones. The offending sections in the Crimes Act is a very bad law because it completely insulted Article 64 of our Constitution which assures all Cook Islanders of inalienable rights. We MPs had a job to do. We had to do the right thing. I am absolutely thrilled that the amendment has gone through with such a clear majority (19 MPs in support, 4 MPs against). I was honored to wear a Pride Cook Islands tee-shirt on Friday’s sitting and to speak expressing my clear, unwavering support for our LGBTQ community.
In March, Parliamentarians for Global Action, in collaboration with the Global Equality Caucus, brought four pacific legislators to Sydney WorldPride to engage with civil society activists, governments, parliamentarians, religious leaders and other stakeholders and strategize about a way forward for equality and inclusion in the Pacific region.
Opposition leader Tina Pupeke Browne was one of the delegation members and spoke about applying the good practices and insight from the meetings in Sydney to her efforts to contribute to decriminalization in the Cook Islands.
Parliamentarians for Global Action is proud to work together with legislators and civil society activists making a difference in their respective jurisdictions and congratulates the Parliament of the Cook Islands and all its citizens with this great leap forward.
