PNG MP wants gay, lesbian rights

GAZELLE MP Malakai Tabar is considering pushing for the rights of people with different sexual orientations, gays and prostitutes included.

He said there were growing numbers of such people in Papua New Guinea and he was concerned about their rights to live and work in the society.

Tabar told the online forum “East New Britain Today” that he was considering legislative interventions for their rights to be recognised.

He said the issue of same sex marriage was not his concern, while explaining his intention to put forward a paper to the government to make law of the rights.

He said the proposals to allow 

same sex marriage and legalise prostitution had been shelved between the Government Caucus and the National Executive Council after outright rejections of both.

However, Tabar said his specific concern was on the growing number of these people.

“How do we recognise and protect their rights within our society?” he asked.

Many families in PNG now have family members with different sexual orientations and that called for PNG to give such people legal rights to feel safer in the communities they live in, Tabar said.

“They have the right to be accepted into the society and be productive in their participation within the societies they live in,” he said.

He said the issues had been outstanding and ignored, adding that it was about time people talked more openly about them and found positive ways to encourage such people to be active participants in development.