Grant Robertson Says Being Gay "Was a Factor"

 The outgoing MP put his name forward for the Labour leadership in 2013 and 2014 and was narrowly defeated. While he had won the majority of support from his caucus colleagues both times, he lost once other votes from the wider party membership and union affiliates were counted.

When asked whether his sexuality had affected the result, Robertson said it was a tough question to answer. 

"It was a factor. I know that. But I'm not sure it was everything."

He said there were lots of other things that could have had an impact at the time.

"I think in 2013, that was an issue in the campaign internally within the Labour Party," he said. 

"I do think it probably affected that. Although whether I would have been able to win, even without that [being gay], I'm not sure.

"By the time we got to 2014, it was less of an issue the second time around. But it continued to be there."

Robertson said he didn't want to dwell on it. 

"I think New Zealand's changed a lot in the decade since then, which is great. 

"I still think there's some distance to go for us to get to a place where people can be who they want to be, live their lives freely, and be appreciated for who they are in New Zealand."

In his maiden speech in 2008, Robertson spoke about his sexuality. 

"I am proud and comfortable with who I am. Being gay is part of who I am… my political view is defined by my sexuality only in as much as it has given me an insight into how people can be marginalized and discriminated against, and how much I abhor that. 

"I am lucky that I have largely grown up in a generation that is not fixated on issues such as sexual orientation. I am not — and neither should others be," he said at the time.

After Robertson lost the second leadership race, he said he decided not to run again because he prioritized policy achievements over the position.

Once he had the "amazing opportunity" to become the finance spokesperson, Robertson said he had "genuinely put it [becoming leader] out of my mind". 

"When Jacinda [Ardern] took the leadership in 2017, I was able to be there and support my friend in doing that. That was all enormously fulfilling." 

He said he did think about stepping up again when Ardern announced in early 2023 that she was stepping down as Prime Minister.

"I'd been up close to that job and I knew exactly what it took to do it. I knew I didn't have that. 

"I wanted to contribute, still. But I knew what the job meant for me and my family, for the commitment that was required. I knew I didn't have it," Robertson said. 

'I think I'm gonna cry'

Robertson is expected to deliver his last address in Parliament this week. He will soon become the vice-chancellor of Otago University, his alma mater.

He said he was busy drafting up his valedictory speech. He said parts of it "are going to be interesting to deliver".

"I think I'm gonna cry. Yeah, I do."

Robertson continued: "I've been in and around this building for two decades. I've been thinking about the political world for a long time. 

"I care about what we do here. I'm ready to go. But that doesn't mean it doesn't make me emotional thinking about leaving." 

Before being elected, Robertson worked as a ministerial advisor in the office of then-prime minister Helen Clark. He was one of the masterminds of Labour's interest-free student loans policy, which was credited for helping the party get back into Government in the 2005 election.

Robertson won the seat of Wellington Central in 2008 and was its MP until 2023.

The New York Times as Source