often condoned. In 1964, Charles Aberhart was beaten to death in Christchurch's Hagley Park by a group of men who claimed he had propositioned them. They were tried for murder but found not guilty. As in many countries, homosexuals were often committed to mental institutions and given 'treatment' for what was rendered a mental illness. In 1972, academic Ngahuia Te Awekotuku was denied a visitor permit to the United States on the grounds that she was a homosexual. Publicity around the incident was a catalyst in the formation of gay liberation groups in Wellington, Christchurch and Auckland. Led by Te Awekotuku, "Gay Day", occurred in April 1972 in Auckland, one of the first direct action protests by the newly formed Auckland Gay Liberation Front. Also in 1972, Hedesthia, the first recorded trans organisation in New Zealand, was established. Although primarily a social club, Hedesthia members were pioneering in their advocacy work, reaching out to the media and various community organisations in order to educate the public about trans issues. Noted mycologist Gillian F. Laundon was a member of Hedesthia, and in 1976 she also set up an off-shoot group which focused specifically on supporting transsexuals, called TransFormation. The 1970s saw the growth of the modern feminist and gay movements in New Zealand. The Sisters for Homophile Equality (SHE), a lesbian feminist collective, formed in Wellington in 1973. In December of that year, SHE began to publish Circle, later renamed Lesbian Feminist Circle; the magazine continued to publish until 1986. Trans activism also continued to develop during this period, with pioneers like Rupe breaking boundaries through running for Wellington Mayor in 1977, and Laundon in that same year successfully petitioning for the right to use women's restrooms at her place of work. Trans, gay, and lesbian activist groups were not mutually exclusive, and involved people from a diverse range of backgrounds and identities, as well as significant crossover. For example, Hedesthia was an official Associate Member of the National Gay Rights Coalition, an umbrella organisation created in 1977 which sought to sew unity among the diverse gay activist community. Suzan Xtabay, Hedesthia's national co-ordinator, declared that trans people had: ...a responsibility to all gay people to support them, because any advantages that are finally won, wrested from the establishment WILL benefit all of us...it’s our cause, YOUR cause, and don’t any of you forget it. Hedesthia HAS a place in the