GayNZ.com
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Screenshot of GayNZ.com as of 2008
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Type of site
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Online LGBT community lifestyle website |
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| Available in | English |
| Owner | GayNZ.com |
| Revenue | Advertising (though non-profit) |
| Slogan(s) | In touch 24/7 |
| Website | http://www.gaynz.com |
| Commercial | No |
| Registration | Not required |
| Launched | 1997 |
| Current status | Online |
GayNZ.com is a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender community news website for New Zealand.
It posts daily local and international news stories, monitors fundamentalist Christian politics in New Zealand and associated anti-gay pressure groups, reports on political developments related to LGBT New Zealanders, discusses current issues related to HIV/AIDS, holds regular polls on topical LGBT issues, and has previews and reviews of music, theatre, film, television and literature.
GayNZ.com has featured a variety of articles profiling a diverse range of LGBT New Zealanders, including Members of Parliament, people with disabilities, drag queens,Kiwis of various ethnic backgrounds, and local celebrities.
The website also features a selection of blogs, a forum, a national LGBT event guide and a personals section.
New Zealanders are generally accepting of gays and lesbians, although low level homophobia (such as the use of the word 'gay' as an insult) is still common.
The gay social scene in New Zealand is small by international standards, especially outside Auckland. However, many smaller centres have LGBT organisations and social networks that cater to their community.
The internet is heavily used by gay men in New Zealand to meet others, especially in areas which lack specifically gay venues. GayNZ.com is used as a source of information and current affairs for New Zealand's LGBT population to connect with each other and learn about community issues.
Between 2003 and 2006, the senior writer at GayNZ.com was Christopher Banks. His feature articles focused mainly on social and political issues relevant to the gay community, or debunking religious arguments against homosexuality. Some articles were based around in-depth interviews with political or religious leaders.
Banks' writings for GayNZ.com also included a number of film reviews, two of which caused some upset in the conservative Christian community. His review of the controversial 2002 French film Irréversible was cited by the Society for the Promotion of Community Standards in their attempts to have the film banned by the Office of Film and Literature Classification (New Zealand). His positive review of Kinsey, the 2004 biopic of the American sex researcher, drew the ire of Investigate magazine editor Ian Wishart, prompting a further series of articles by Banks on Alfred Kinsey.
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