Vic Labor to dump gay sex convictions GAY men convicted in Victoria for having consensual sex will have their criminal record deleted if Labor wins the next state election. Opposition leader Daniel Andrews says it's time to right a wrong and remove the black mark of a conviction for a crime taken off the statute books more than 30 years ago. "The pain and stigma of a criminal record has been a burden for many gay men for too long," Mr Andrews said in a statement. The time has come to clean the slate for those who have carried this weight for no other reason than they were gay at a time when this was held to be illegal. Mr Andrews, who is due to address Melbourne's annual Pride March on Sunday, says a conviction may have prevented some gay men from getting employed and making a life for themselves. The Hamer Liberal government decriminalised homosexuality in Victoria in 1981. Opposition attorney-general Martin Pakula called on the Baillieu government to take the next step and delete convictions for these former offences.