Two great legislative speeches in about two months! (Here’s the other one, from Colorado State Sen. Mike Johnston.)
Maurice Williamson (Photo credit: nznationalparty)
My faith in humanity’s ability to invent rhetoric to cause us to rise to an occasion is in danger of being restored.
Here’s New Zealand Member of Parliament Maurice Williamson, National-Pakuranga, making a case for a national law recognizing gay marriage (on April 17, 2013, I think):
The bill to recognize marriage between homosexual partners passed, 77-44.
New Zealand’s National Party is described as “center-right,” or like a U.S. Republican. Can you imagine any member of the GOP in the U.S. House or the U.S. Senate having both the guts and the wit to make this speech?
Pakuranga is also leading the polls as the most humorous name for a political district, potentially displacing Cleveland for the first time. It’s a Maori word, actually, with a beautiful definition, from Maori lore: “Battle of the Sunlight.”
Tip of the old scrub brush to correspondent Devona Wyant, for finding the thing and sending a link.
More:
- Kiwi MP fights ‘fires of hell’ (theage.com.au)
- Maurice Williamson and His ‘Gay Rainbow’ Speech Go Viral (medindia.net)
- New Zealand MP Delivers Hilarious, Uplifting Speech to Parliament About Gay Marriage: VIDEO (towleroad.com)
- MP’s ‘epic’ same-sex marriage speech praised (nzherald.co.nz)
- “Be Ye Not Afraid” New Zealand Parliament Legalizes Gay Marriage (thisweekinblackness.com)
- Just in case you think MP Williamson’s reference to the rain being a miracle was in jest: England hopes of beating Kiwis blunted by rain in Wellington (metro.co.uk)
- Gay marriage will soon be legal (bigpondnews.com)
Posted by Ed Darrell 
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