It wasn't until 2009 that provocation, a defense killers of gay men used to have the charge downgraded to manslaughter, was struck from New Zealand's law books.
Before then they'd been able to claim that they were motivated to kill because of the unwanted sexual advances from
another man.
Gay Māori writer Aroha Awarau found reading about these cases terrifying.
He's addressing the unjust gay panic defense in his third play, Provocation, that will premiere as part of Auckland's Pride Festival.
Photo: Supplied
