A young gay Asian man told the select committee examining the marriage equality bill in New Zealand’s parliament yesterday that not all ethnic minorities in the country are against same-sex marriage.

Asian and Pacific Island communities in New Zealand have expressed opposition to the marriage equality bill. For example, members of a Korean church travelled from Auckland to Wellington to present their opposition to parliament.

David Do, a New-Zealand-born man of Vietnamese-Chinese heritage, spoke for gay members of ethnic minority communities.

‘My perspective here is as a young, gay, Asian man,’ Do said to the committee, New Zealand Herald reports. ‘I still cannot be fully honest with who I am with my family. I still have not told my Dad, who I love very much, that I am gay.

‘If it’s hard enough for me… imagine how hard it would be for people in Asian or Pasifika communities, who are at real risk of being kicked out of home or being ostracised from their friends or family or church, simply for being honest about who they are.’

Last week the New Zealander who won Mr Gay World, Andreas Derleth presented to the committee. He compared treating gay people differently and not allowing them to marry with how the Nazis made gay people wear pink triangles.

A report from the hundreds of verbal and written submissions to the select committee will be released on 28 February.

The Marriage Amendment Bill passed its first reading last September by 80 to 40 votes from MPs. Its second reading will be in New Zealand’s parliament on 20 March.