|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
The lobby organisations Speak Up for Women and Save Women’s Sport Australasia say new polling released today, May 20, shows a clear majority of New Zealanders support legislation defining women as “adult human females” and men as “adult human males” ahead of the first reading of a proposed law before Parliament.
The Curia Market Research poll, conducted between May 14-19, found 51 per cent of respondents support the proposed law, 19 per cent oppose it, and 30 per cent are unsure.
The proposed legislation would define sex in law “on the grounds of fairness and safety in single-sex spaces”.
Support for the law was consistent across age groups and regions, with particularly strong support among the ACT Party, New Zealand First, and National Party voters, the two organisations say.
Compared to polling last year, opposition has fallen from 30 per cent to 19 per cent, potentially indicating a reality-based approach in this area.
Suzanne Levy, spokeswoman for Speak Up for Women, says: “For years New Zealanders have been told acknowledging biological reality is somehow extreme or controversial.
“This polling shows the opposite. Most people understand perfectly well what a woman is and want the law to reflect reality.
“The public also understands why sex matters. Women and girls deserve fairness in sport, privacy in changing rooms, and safeguards based on sex, not identity.”
Ro Edge, spokeswoman for Save Women’s Sport Australasia, adds: “This result should give MPs confidence ahead of the first reading.
“Despite relentless activist pressure, the public has not accepted the erasure of sex-based protections.
“Around the world we are seeing a return to evidence, fairness, and common sense in women’s sport.
“New Zealand now has an opportunity to provide legal clarity and restore confidence in sex-based rights and protections.”
Speak Up For Women and Save Women’s Sport Australasia are calling on MPs to approach the legislation with seriousness and courage, and to recognise that defining sex clearly in law is both “reasonable and widely supported by the public”.
