You know those bad jokes people tell about $InsertRegionHere being backwards? Sadly, some people in the Waikato seem to be doing their best to make them true:
A man says he was denied a Waikato rental property because he loves another man.
Artist Lewis Johnston and his male partner of 15 years were considering renting while they sell their house and look to buy another.
But Johnston is now fuming after being told by a landlord the pair weren't wanted because of their sexuality.
And after the recent Orlando nightclub massacre, Johnston's not prepared to put up with that attitude any more.
It is of course illegal to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation - and that's been the case for over twenty years. Which is more than enough time for people to get used to the law and the fact that society has changed. After twenty years, the Human Rights Act's "softly softly" dispute resolution mechanism isn't enough; we should be prosecuting bigots, or allowing them to be sued into oblivion when they discriminate.
