Issue
45 August-October 2005
This issue of the OGT was paid for by advertising from the following
businesses:
Gabby
Morris,
Dunedin
First National Real Estate
284
Stuart Street
,
Dunedin
467-7277
(wk), 456-2566 (hm), 025-228-7900
R&R
Sport
70
Stuart Street
Dunedin
474-1211,
www.rrsport.co.nz
Anja
Klinkert Lawyer
83
Moray Place
, 2nd
Floor
477-7267
or 027-497-2337
Public
Health South
57
Hanover Street
,
Dunedin
474-1700
Bodyworks
Club
127
Stuart Street
,
Dunedin
477-8228
University
Book Shop
378
Great King Street
,
Dunedin
477-6976,
www.unibooks.co.nz
The
Bronx Bagel Co
134 Stuart Street
,
Dunedin
479-0209
Sea
Kayaking Company
PO Box
94
Havelock
, Pelorus Sounds
021-796-770
[email protected]
www.havelockseakayak.co.nz
Gray’s
Studio
201 North Road
,
Dunedin
473-7774
NZAF
South – Te Toka
269
Hereford Street
,
Christchurch
03-379-1953
[email protected]
www.nzaf.org.nz
Mark
Bridgmount Optometrist
183
King Edward Street, South
Dunedin
455-3459,
www.eyeballsdunedin.co.nz
John
Robinson – JZR Jewellery for Men
Available
from Lure
130
Stuart Street
,
Dunedin
Philippa
Jamieson, Ritual Maker & Civil Union Celebrant
473-9293
[email protected]
Shag
River
Rhododendrons
SH1,
3kms north of Palmerston, off
Chisholm
Rd
03-465-1278
Geoffrey
Vine, Civil Union & Marriage Celebrant
[email protected]
473-1434
or 021-043-8320
www.otagocelebrant.co.nz
Denise
Shackleton
PO Box 190
,
Dunedin
[email protected]
021-408-261
or after hours 471-0409
Anglican
Methodist Family Care
477-
0801
Editorial
by
Tor Devereux, Editor
Welcome
to the third issue of the OGT for 2005. The year is certainly racing away
again. So, what’s been happening in the LGBT/queer community in
Dunedin
since the last OGT? Well, Civil
Unions are now part of
New Zealand
’s
social landscape and some couples have already entered into these
partnerships. We feature three unions in this issue of the paper and would
welcome articles and/or photos from other Civil Unions to include in
future issues. It’s really important for us as a community to celebrate
who we are and our relationships, and this is one way that we can do that,
so please contact us about local Civil Unions that have happened recently
or are happening in the near future. Likewise, we would welcome feedback
from Civil Union Celebrants. In this issue we have an article from a
Celebrant as he prepares to conduct his first Civil Union Ceremony.
Since the last issue of the paper we’ve also had
Dunedin
’s
Pride Week. Thanks to Alan Marshall who was the co-ordinator of the Pride
Week events this year, and to all those who assisted him. Without
wonderful volunteers there wouldn’t be much happening in our community!
Barb and I really enjoyed being able to attend the Pride Exhibition
Opening with the whole family – a big thank you to the organisers of
this event for scheduling the opening on a weekend afternoon so that
children could attend too. We are also really enjoying the Janet de Wagt
piece that we purchased at the exhibition. I was planning on including
photos from various Pride Week events in this issue of the paper, but
unfortunately they didn’t come through – we’ll try and make sure
that this happens next year!
I’ve had an interesting “problem” with this issue of
the OGT – tons of copy! In fact, so much copy that I haven’t been able
to print all of it and I’ve had to hold over some contributions until
the following issue. This is a great position to be in from an editor’s
perspective – it’s wonderful that so many people are wanting to submit
material for the OGT and it makes me feel quite secure going into an issue
with articles already written – but it can be disappointing for those
writers whose pieces cannot fit in and who have to wait to see their work
in print. My apologies to the people in this situation. This issue has
also seen us having to turn away advertisers because we already had enough
(actually more than enough!). So, I think that we can take from all this
that the Otago Gaily Times is currently in a very healthy position, and
that’s great for our community.
Having said that, however, please continue to send us
contributions for the paper. And remember that this is a community
newspaper and so opinions and ideas are welcome from the whole spectrum of
the LGBT/queer community, as well as from our friends and allies.
There are a couple of announcements in the paper about new
groups that have been set up or are trying to get going. It’s wonderful
that there are people who find the energy and determination to do this
because it makes our community so much more welcoming, inclusive and
vibrant – and that’s good for all of us. There are also various other
groups that are still operating in the city – see the back page for
details. And, October sees Ascent Dunedin celebrating 20 years of
existence. Congratulations Ascent and all those involved – 20 years is a
fabulous achievement.
Top of Page
1.
Who was the British author who won the Man Booker Prize last year for his
gay-themed novel?
2.
Where in
New Zealand
was the
Agender Conference held in June?
3.
What was the name of the recent BBC mini-series based on a novel by Sarah
Waters?
4.
Which traditionally Roman-catholic country’s Parliament has just
legalised same-sex marriage?
5.
What is the name of the gay book shop owner who may have his
New Zealand
business visa
cancelled?
Answers
Top of Page
Wanted
…
Looking for lovely lesbians
interested in coming to a good ol' pot
luck and/or being part of a walking
group.
If you’re interested, phone Amy
on 021-116-7927.
Top
of Page
SHIP
meetings are now being held regularly in
Dunedin
, but there may well be people interested in what we
do who don’t know about us! So, here’s some information.
The SHIP network - or the Sexual Health Information
Providers network - was born in November 2001 as the result of a needs
assessment called for by individuals and organisations working in the
sexual health area in Otago. Public Health South conducted the assessment
with educators, promoters, support services and medical staff and it
showed that people working in the sexual health area in Otago were feeling
very isolated. Everyone approached for the assessment said they would like
to get together to support and update each other regularly.
After a short time in recess during 2004, the SHIP network
is meeting again regularly in 2005 with renewed enthusiasm and energy to
improve the sexual health status of people living in Otago. At present the
SHIP network includes staff from DIVO (Dunedin Needle Exchange
Organisation), Dunedin College of Education, Dunedin Rape Crisis, Family
Planning Association, New Zealand Prostitutes Collective, Otago University
Student Health, PFLAG South, Public Health South, Pride Dunedin Youth,
Arai te Uru Whare Hauora and UniQ.
When the network was first formed in 2001 it was decided
that the group would meet to:
·
share ideas
·
keep up to date with new information and services
·
address common sexual health education and promotion
issues and problems
·
address Maori and
Pacific
Island
issues
·
make comment on sexual health policy submissions as a
group
One of the first projects to be
supported by SHIP in the Otago area was the Dunedin Youth Expo, an annual
event which provides Year 10 students with information about issues,
resources and services for and relevant to youth. Good sexual health
information and resources are extremely important for this sexually
maturing age group, so SHIP agreements were reached as to what resources
should be offered and how providers should present these so that young
people have the best possible access to sexual health resources.
Addressing sexuality and sex-related issues always needs to be handled
with sensitivity, particularly when working with impressionable youth.
Every year there is much debate about providing condoms and ways to
normalise their use with this age group. Some schools are still very
challenged in this regard, which highlights how much work SHIP still has
to do!
Over the years the SHIP network has
raised awareness about and/or developed strategies to address and improve:
·
sexual health clinic STI statistics
·
rates of chlamydia in our under 18
year old population
·
young people’s access to sexual
health services
·
outreach sexual health clinics for
under-served areas
·
sexual health education resources
·
the
Safer
Schools
and Safer Communities project
·
updates and research about
contraceptives and Pharmac subsidy changes
·
New Zealand AIDS foundation
anti-homophobia and HIV/AIDS update and prevention workshops
·
reporting of drug rape complaints
·
improving Maori access to sexual
health resources through bicultural approaches
·
the Candlelight Memorial
·
the Prostitution Reform Bill
·
a Health and PE Education expo for
secondary and primary school teachers
·
Rape Awareness Week
If you would like more information, would like support with
sexual health information issues, would like to share information about
sexual health resources, or would like to get involved with the SHIP
network, then please contact:
Barb Bennett
Sarah Loftus
Public Health South
Family Planning Association
Ph: 474-1700
Ph: 477-5850
Top of Page
World Watch acknowledges the source of these stories as 365Gay.com,
gaylesbiantimes.com, GayLinkContent.com,
GayWired.com and rainbownetwork.com
MAN CHARGED WITH PARADE STABBINGS
Israel
A man has been charged with attempted murder after stabbing
three people during
Jerusalem
’s
Pride Parade. A 30-year-old ultra-Orthodox male broke through a police
cordon, stabbing three participants before being stopped. The three
victims were hospitalised, one with medium injuries and the other two with
light wounds. A record 10,000 people took part in the fourth Jerusalem
Pride Parade thanks to a court ruling ordering the
Jerusalem
mayor to provide all the necessary resources for the event. The mayor had
tried to ban the event, fearing it could provoke disorder. The attack did
not halt the parade.
METHODISTS TO PERFORM GAY BLESSINGS
United Kingdom
The
Methodist
Church
became the first major denomination in
Britain
to endorse same-sex unions when leaders of the church voted to allow
ministers to perform blessing ceremonies for gay couples. This decision is
in stark contrast to the Anglican Church, which is deeply divided over the
role of gays.
ROW OVER PRIDE PARADE
Northern Ireland
Belfast Pride campaigners are claiming that religious groups
are threatening marchers with oppression and inciting hatred ahead of the
festival. Because Christian groups have labelled the parade
”offensive”, permission for the parade to proceed has now passed to
the Parades Commission, an independent, quasi-judicial body set up in 1997
to decide whether or not restrictions should be imposed on controversial
parades during Northern Ireland’s marching season. Belfast Pride has
been held peacefully in the city for 14 years.
CONSTITUTION AMENDED TO FORBID GAY MARRIAGE
Uganda
The Ugandan Parliament has voted overwhelmingly to amend the
country’s constitution to forbid same-sex couples from marrying. Couples
who do wed face jail time and criminal fines. Overseas observers are
suggesting that the new law may be an attempt to ensure that the
country’s declining HIV-infection rate is maintained. The rate has been
falling since the mid-1990s.
GAY SODA LAUNCHED
Norway
A group of Norwegian gays are set to launch their own soda
brand, “Homo Light”, at an upcoming gastronomic festival in the hope
that it will help promote tolerance. According to one of the organisers,
“The goal is not for us to make money but to make us more visible and
accepted.” The same group will also be selling rainbow-coloured pasta
salads.
Norway
,
which has allowed homosexuals to form marriage-like partnerships since
1993, is one of the world’s most liberal countries when it comes to gay
rights.
MAN FACES STONING FOR GAY SEX
Nigeria
A Sharia court that dispenses hard-line Islamic law has
sentenced a 50-year-old man to death by stoning after he admitted having
gay sex. The United Nations has said the case needs to be reviewed, and
suggested sexuality should not be a reason for execution, even if it is
considered wrong by religious leaders.
COURT APPROVES GAY ADOPTION
Brazil
In what is believed to be a first for
Brazil
,
a judge has ruled that there is no valid reason for denying a same-sex
couple the right to adopt children. The two male appellants, who have been
together for 13 years, met with a psychologist, social assistants and a
public prosecutor before going to court.
ONE IN FIVE HAS HIV/AIDS
South Africa
The South African government has estimated that more than
6.5 million people are now HIV+ or have AIDS, a sharp increase from
previous estimates. While the gains have occurred in almost all groups,
the biggest increase in the number of new cases was among women. Nearly
40% of women aged 25–29 are now HIV+, while the rate for women in their
early 20s and early 30s is about 30%. The current government has been
criticised for its slow response to HIV/AIDS, with activists accusing it
of seeking to play down the crisis and not doing enough to help those
suffering.
NIKE UNDER ATTACK
United States
The conservative Christian political action group American
Family Association, known for its boycotts of LGBT-friendly businesses,
has turned its attention to Nike after the company announced that it was
supporting a bill to allow civil unions in the state of
Washington
.
An email from the AFA urged its members across the country to phone, write
and email Nike telling them to pull their endorsement of the legislation.
Nike is believed to be the first major corporation in the country to
publicly support civil unions, which the AFA calls “a back-door move to
legalise homosexual marriage”.
FIRST INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE IN
ASIA
Thailand
More than 500 delegates (five times the number expected)
recently attended the first ever regional conference on
Asia
’s
gay, lesbian and transgender communities. Women and men from
East
Asia
and other countries, including
Israel
,
Pakistan
and the
United
States
, discussed the social stigma
attached to the communities, as well as legal discrimination and the way
gays and transsexuals are portrayed in Asian cinema and literature. While
gay, lesbian and transgender Asians are becoming increasingly more visual
and gaining some recognition, they are still widely seen as second-class
citizens.
GAY COP LEADS TERROR INVESTIGATION
United Kingdom
The
man leading the investigation into the recent terrorist attack in
London
is Deputy Assistant Police Commissioner Brian Paddick, the highest-ranking
gay police officer anywhere in the world. Paddick joined the Metropolitan
Police (the Met) in 1976 and is now number two at the Met. In 2002 Paddick
led a march of gay police officers through central
London
as part of the Gay Pride Festival.
Top of Page
Dunedin
PHO’s Sexual Health Programme For Under 25s
The Dunedin PHO (Public Health Organisation) has recently
implemented a programme to increase access to sexual health services for
Dunedin
’s
youth. The Dunedin PHO includes most
Dunedin
medical centres except for the Mornington Health Centre, medical centres
on the Taieri, University and Polytech Student Health Centres and the
Dunedin Urgent Doctors.
To take advantage of this new free programme you have to be
under 25 years old, your doctor needs to be a member of the Dunedin PHO
and you need to be visiting the medical centre about a sexual health
matter (for example, advice about and/or treatment of sexually transmitted
infections (STIs), a STI check, sexual health counselling, etc.). You
simply make an appointment with your doctor or nurse and the consultation
is paid for by the Dunedin PHO so you don’t have to pay anything.
You can choose to go to a doctor other than your regular
family doctor (provided she/he is also part of the Dunedin PHO) for issues
related to your sexual health if you’d prefer. However, whatever you
tell your doctor or nurse is confidential and they will not tell your
parents. If your doctor or nurse needs to contact you about test results
you can arrange with the staff the best way to do this. You might want to
call the medical centre when the results become available or you could
give them your cell phone number, if privacy needs to be maintained.
And remember that there’s no cost, so you won’t be
burdened with a bill at the end of the consultation.
Sexual
Health Clinic
The Sexual Health Clinic, located at
57
Hanover Street
, also provides free sexual health
consultations and is open to everyone. The Clinic offers education and
information about STIs, as well as diagnosis and treatment.
Give them a call on 479-9565 for more information or to make
an appointment. Absolute confidentiality is assured.
Top of Page
In June the NZ AIDS Foundation released a resource
specifically for Whakawahine (Maori male to female transgender). This new
resource, entitled “
Ko
Ia
– He or She”, promotes hauora/wellness through story telling, and
incorporates the stories of Whakawahine (including Carmen Rupe and Mama
Tere) to inspire others to make healthy choices, realise that they are not
alone, reduce the risk of becoming HIV positive and know that there is
support available.
Although HIV statistics for Whakawahine and other male to
female transgender are not separated out of national statistics for HIV
among men-who-have-sex-with-men, there is strong anecdotal evidence that a
lack of whanau and community support for transgendered people has
contributed to their being over-represented in self harm behaviours. These
can include drug and alcohol abuse and unsafe sex. Many become isolated
from their whanau through a lack of support and understanding, often
ending up on the streets and surviving through prostitution.
In addition to developing the resource “
Ko
Ia
- He or She”, NZAF has recently appointed Selena Pirika to their
national Whakawahine Health Promoter position. Selena (Ngati Raukawa me Te
Arawa) will be based at the NZAF Awhina Centre in Wellington as part of
the AIDS Foundation’s Hau Ora Takatāpui team, which has the primary
role of HIV prevention education among Maori communities. Her main tasks
will be to promote ai haumaru (safe sex) within Whakawahine communities,
help create supportive environments within Maori whanau for Whakawahine
and to liaise with Maori health services and relevant government agencies
regarding issues of relevance to Whakawahine.
Practical Information About Civil Unions
by Tor Devereux
Anyone planning a civil union should check out the Births,
Deaths & Marriages webpage (www.bdm.govt.nz) which contains lots of
information about the practical aspects of a civil union. For example,
this webpage explains clearly all you need to know about applying for a
civil union licence, the legal implications of entering into a civil
union, a list of the people that you can’t enter into a civil union with
(the same prohibited degrees for those getting married – e.g. you
can’t marry or enter into a civil union with a sibling, parent, aunt,
etc.), and much more.
This webpage also contains a list, arranged by geographical
location, of all the civil union celebrants who have been officially
appointed. In the last issue of the OGT we printed a complete list of the
Dunedin
and Otago civil union celebrants at that time. More celebrants have since
been appointed, but the list is now a bit too long to include here. And,
of course, apart from those celebrants we know and those paying for ads in
the OGT, we don’t know if all of them are gay-friendly or willing to
officiate at civil unions for same-sex couples. So, if you’re looking
for a civil union celebrant and don’t know any of the names on the list,
then ask around – or feel free to contact the OGT.
If you don’t have access to the internet then you can also
contact Births, Deaths & Marriages by calling 0800-22-52-52.
Barb & Tor’s Civil Union,
9 July 2005
by Karen Pringle
We spotted the balloons at the door and thought fun, a
party, a celebration. Heading in we were greeted at the door by friendly
faces and immediately felt welcome and at ease. There was an air of
anticipation and excitement amongst the guests assembled in the reception
room which, with its leadlight windows and wood paneling, lent a
delightful old world charm to the occasion. We placed our affirmations for
Russell and Tobias in a basket and attached our offering to the money
tree. There was a distinct air of nervous excitement on Barb and Tor’s
part (and the photographer was discreetly trying to capture the moment)!
Philippa Jamieson, the celebrant, welcomed us in her gentle
sincere manner. A rainbow arch of balloons was our visual focus and this
gave us a feeling of frivolity, for every time the children jostled or
bounced them the sheer delight of their wobble bounced around the room. We
wanted to bounce against them as well! It was made clear to us all we were
free to be ourselves and the children readily availed themselves of this.
It was freeing for us as adults to see them accepted and able to do as
they wished. With no holds barred we laughed out loud when Russell refused
to have any photos taken and did not hold back the tears when Tor’s mum
read the Love Sonnets of Elizabeth Barret Browning. The lack of
restriction on the children left us feeling less restricted as well.
There was a sense of bond in that room – a diverse group
of people all there for a common purpose - to share their joy and support
for this commitment Barb and Tor were making. Tor’s brother Rob made his
speech which was sincere and heartfelt. He pointed out we were making
history with no set rules to follow. He discussed the hard journey made to
get to this point delighting in sharing some of the banners used in
response to the Destiny Church’s opposition quoting “Your sister is my
lover“ and “Muff is enough”. Reference was made to Barb and Tor’s
active role in the Civil Union Bill campaign and mention was made of their
media coverage and the reason they do it! They feel photos and articles of
real people give a face to the issues which people will hopefully relate
to.
We enjoyed Rob’s honesty declaring at the start “my
sister is a lesbian”. Apparently he was waiting for years for her to
confide this to him and when she finally did he remarked, “I know.”
Her response was, “How could you possibly know I’ve only just worked
it out!” Maria then read a poem which awed us with its depth and sense
of love and commitment.
Next Barb and Tor shared their vows with us and each other.
The words flowed between them as line by line they each repeated in a
layering of words unbroken. The continuity of their vows was symbolic of
their unity. We were moved to tears again by their huge emotion and the
intensity of love, strength and commitment. Their rings were exchanged
with meaningful promises. Barb’s stepmother Jan shared wise words on
being together and weathering the storms as well as riding the high times.
While the papers were signed we were invited to choose a piece of paua
from the basket as a gift. It was a chance to reflect on this beautiful
ceremony.
What was so strong here was the acceptance of the minority
group and the respect for difference. It was a celebration of difference.
The theme behind the day “It is safe to be yourself” was demonstrated
by the children. Watching them we saw the free spiritedness and self
acceptance that we all aspire to.
A Celebration of Russell and Tobias
Barb and Tor’s civil union was followed by a second
ceremony, a celebration of their children Russell and Tobias. For this
celebration our focus was a rainbow family under a rainbow arch. The
children wriggled and hopped up and down and listened to some things and
not others. They played and Russell even relaxed enough to not notice the
photographer. Representatives of the local Rainbow Families Group shared
thoughts on the importance of being together and supporting each other,
and how the Rainbow Families Group helps them realise their children do
things because they are children not because they have queer parents.
These children are in our hands too and they implored us to take care of
them. “Love makes a family” as the expression goes, and yes this was
indeed affirmed here observing these parents with their children.
Barb and Tor made a special commitment to the boys stating
their intent for now and the future, and they presented each of them with
a pounamu. Both boys were delighted with these. The focus in this
celebration was on loving and respecting no matter what. There was fun for
the children with a poem read by Cindy and Jamin, a picture book shared by
myself and a song “It’s a Rainbow” to which the children danced and
sang with their rainbow ribbons. The ceremony ended with a special poem
written for the boys by Tor’s godmother Bernadette Hall. This was a
light, fun celebration designed with kids in mind but also containing the
seriousness of Barb and Tor’s commitment to Russell and Tobias. A fine
balance.
Drinks and a catch up with friends came next. Barb’s
Auntie blessed the food and then we all enjoyed the most delicious wedding
breakfast including pork and crackling and, of course, the dessert
included chocolates. The tables looked beautiful adorned with flax flowers
in ketes. The dinner included no speeches (a welcome break from
tradition), a brief toast, a “thank you” from Barb and Tor topped off
by Russell singing “Ka Kite” into the microphone and lots of time to
eat, chat and enjoy the wonderful company.
All in all this was a great afternoon and evening, and we
went away feeling good about ourselves and good about the community we
belong to.
Des & John’s Civil Union,
1 May 2005
by Yoka Neuman
You may know me. I’m Yoka, the rowdy, out-lesbian living
in
Dunedin
.
In the rebellious 1980s I “presumptuously” set up an organisation
called the “Lesbian Mothers Defence Fund” to stop the practice of the
Courts routinely taking custody of children away from women who had the
nerve to leave their husbands for another woman.
Things have certainly changed since then. My partner of 24
years and I have never had the faintest interest in the solemnisation of
our relationship – not in 1981 and not in 2005! But, in Wellington there
are a couple of older men who became known affectionately as the “poster
boys” of the civil union campaign and who made numerous appearances on
television to talk about their relationship of 19 years and the proposed
civil union bill.
These men are Des Smith and John Jolliff, and I had to
fortune to be in
Wellington
at the time of their civil union ceremony at the beginning of May. This
was a truly historic occasion for
Wellington
- and
New
Zealand
. Walking across
Civic
Square
we were greeted by the cheerily
welcoming strains and footstomping rhythms of a city brass band which was
just emerging from the Town Hall. A huge white sail was strung between the
Town Hall and the Concert Hall and under it strode the tuneful band in
their red and black uniforms. Then there was a roll of drums and out of
the Town Hall doors stepped two broadly smiling men cheerily waving to and
greeting the crowd waving rainbow flags. These men were Des and John and
they had just had their civil union ceremony in the Town Hall presided
over by Wellington Mayor and Civil Union Celebrant Kerry Prendergast.
The crowd of approximately 200 guests and other well-wishers
then followed Des and John as they made their way across to the waterfront
and along to the Boatshed where they were having their reception. A
colourful line of people of all ages snaked its way around the water along
the boardwalk to the Boatshed. The mood was indeed festive and
celebratory, and this civil union was certainly a wonderful occasion that
will long be remembered by all those who had the good fortune to be part
of it.
Michael & Ewart’s Civil Union,
4 June 2005
I will never forget when I received the text message from my
now civil union partner Ewart, “My destiny is yours. Every waking
sleeping moment we share is true love. You are every dream I’ve ever
dreamed. Every memory we’ve made fills me up with love and passion.
Kisses forever, love Ewey xxx.” That was the moment when I realised I
had to marry that man!
Unfortunately with the powers that were against us, it was
not to be. That’s when it dawned on me – why not have a commitment
ceremony to show all our friends and family that we were serious about
making a life together as a couple.
With that I asked Ewart, “Will you marry me?” He said,
“Yes.” The planning started soon after. Later that year there were
plans for a civil union bill to be passed by the government and so we
decided to go for that instead.
We both think that it’s a great and wonderful thing that
we can now be recognised as a couple in the eyes of the law and the
public, and that we can be seen and respected as a gay couple.
For any couples out there toying with the idea of a civil
union I say, “Go for it!” It’s the best thing I have ever done and
we couldn’t be happier.
Being part of Mikey and Ewart’s civil union was absolutely
“wicked”. Okay it was raining but the day went so well and there was
so much love and happiness! I’d never been a bridesmaid before, let
alone a “gay-maid”, and I was just stoked when Mikey and Ewart asked
me.
I met Mikey and Ewart out together one night and could never
imagine them being apart. Hopefully other gay couples will follow in their
footsteps and have the day that they deserve.
Love always, Bee
A Celebrant Prepares For A Civil
Union
by Aelred Edmunds
Am I nervous? Well, of course! I am preparing for my first
engagement as a Civil Union Celebrant. Really, this article is part of
that preparation; and so I am sharing my preparation with OGT readers.
Instead of “thinking aloud”, I am “thinking in print”.
Fortunately, this first ceremony will be enjoyably low-key.
The big public commitment has already been made. The happy couple will
have their union solemnised in the family home, and there will be a
celebratory meal in town afterwards. It may be that my second celebration
will involve that proverbial “cast of thousands”.
Actually, the situation is interesting and revealing for a
particular reason: I have been advised by at least two experienced
celebrants to be “ready for anything”! Sure enough, my expectation was
that my first celebration would be rather traditional in form. This will
not be the case - and that is good from my point of view because it breaks
the mould of traditional forms. The point is that as a Civil Union
Celebrant I can look forward to some interesting (maybe even outright
challenging) situations or environments.
The prime requirement for a celebrant (in any area of life)
is, I am told, to be “a good listener”. Apart from helping to provide
the legal service of a civil union, my role is to listen carefully to what
my clients are seeking to express in terms of the setting and ceremonial
atmosphere they want, and do all that I can to help create that.
Fortunately, I have had a long professional interest in the area of ritual
and ceremony having written a university thesis on it. I will surely be
able to draw on that expertise in my work as a Civil Union Celebrant,
providing angles and ideas that my clients may not have seen or
considered. Of course, their desires and intentions remain paramount.
Rituals may be individual or communal, traditional or
experimental, carefully planned or impromptu. I will really have to be on
my toes if my clients ever opt for impromptu events!
There is such a great opportunity now for GLBT couples to
show their flair for unusual and creative celebrations. We are not tied
down by centuries of tradition, and so the field of celebration is wide
open - including for the reason, as I once read somewhere, that the gay
person knows what non-gay people know, but also knows what they do not
know, or often cannot allow themselves to know or acknowledge; a gay
person knows from experience that same-sex love is possible. And a gay
person knows from experience that sexual categories are fluid. Perhaps in
our happiness, in our celebrations of civil union, we will be able to show
some of our agitated fellow-citizens that a great good has been achieved
in
New
Zealand
- that GLBT people are looking to
a bright future of stable, satisfying relationships.
If
you or people you know are planning a Civil Union and would be happy to
have a write-up and/or photo(s) published in the OGT, then please contact
us and let us know. We would love to continue to have a “civil union
page” in the paper and announce your happy union to the community.
Top of Page
by
Tor Devereux
Human Rights (Gender Identity)
Amendment Bill
Early
in February Georgina Beyer MP introduced to Parliament the Human Rights
(Gender Identity) Amendment Bill. This is a Private Member’s Bill and
was drawn out of the ballot late last year. What this Bill does is to add
gender identity to the grounds in the Human Rights Act on which people
cannot discriminate. Some of the other grounds that are already included
in the Human Rights Act include marital status, sexual orientation, sex
and race. Essentially, therefore, this Bill would prohibit discrimination
against those who identify as transgender (transsexuals, transvestites,
cross-dressers, etc.) and intersex people.
According
to Beyer this Bill is about protecting transgender people, but MPs
opposing it have slammed it as gender-bending legislation (whatever that
means!) and come out with statements such as the following from Dail Jones
(NZ First): “If
you’re born a male, you stay a male. If you’re born a female, you stay
a female. If you want to start fiddling around and changing your body,
that’s a decision you make and you must bear the consequences that
follow from it.” Richard Worth (National) described it as “foolish
legislation”, while Stephen Franks (Act) condemned the Human Rights Act
in general and claimed that “It says there are some category of human
behaviour or relationship that it is illegal to laugh at, or criticise, or
decide not to associate with”.
The
progression of the Bill has been postponed now until after the election
while Georgina Beyer gathers more information to ensure that MPs
understand the Bill properly. Beyer explains, “Many MPs have expressed
support in principle for the Bill but it is clear they also have a lot of
questions.” So, we’ll have to wait for the debate on this Bill until
later in the year – and, given what was said during the debates on the
Civil Union Bill and the Relationships (Statutory References) Bill
recently, I can imagine just how insulting and insensitive some of the
discussion will be. We can only hope, though, that it will be worth it in
the end when the Bill is successful and transgender and intersex people
are granted the same protections under the law in this country as other
groups.
Parental Rights Under The Care Of
Children Act
The Care of Children Act comes into effect on 1 July
this year and it is my understanding that under this Act lesbian mothers
whose partners have conceived and given birth to children using assisted
reproductive procedures will be granted parental rights retrospectively
(since all women in this situation after 1 July will automatically be
granted such rights).
I am
currently seeking information in regard to the process for obtaining these
rights, but I am still awaiting a reply from Marion Hobbs MP, Associate
Minister of Justice and the person responsible for this issue. I will
include the information she provides me with in the next issue of the OGT,
but if you would like this information as soon as it’s available then
please contact me by email ([email protected]) or phone (453-1108).
Funding For Sex-Change Operations
A new government policy means that funding is being
provided for four sex-change operations over two years. The amount being
made available for these surgeries is about $170,000. The money will pay
for three male-to-female operations (which cost about $30,000 each) and
one female-to-male operation (which costs about $80,000). The
male-to-female operations will be carried out by Peter Walker, a cosmetic
and reconstructive surgeon in
Christchurch
, while the
female-to-male operation will need to take place in overseas (probably in
Australia
).
Transgender
groups and individuals have been lobbying for some time now for public
funding to be made available for these operations. The Ministry of Health
has said that the policy will be assessed in a year or two.
Relationships (Statutory References)
Bill
The
Relationships (Statutory References) Bill was introduced at the same time
as the Civil Union Bill and they were considered together during the
submission process, but the Justice and Electoral Select Committee
reported back on the two Bills separately. While the Committee reported
back on the Civil Union Bill last year and then the Bill’s 2nd and 3rd
readings took place towards the end of 2004, the Committee only reported
back on the Relationships Bill in March 1 of this year.
The
Relationships Bill proposed amending all existing laws to eliminate
discrimination on the basis of marital status or sexual orientation and to
recognise civil unions by changing laws to provide civil union couples
with the same rights, protections and responsibilities as married couples.
The Relationships Bill needed to become law by April 26 so that the civil
unions that took place from that time onwards had meaning within the law.
The
2nd reading of the Relationships Bill took place on March 8 and the Bill
passed this reading by a significant majority. The following day MPs
debated the committee stage of the Bill until the debate was interrupted
at
10pm
. The Bill’s committee
stage was continued and completed on March 10. March 15 saw the 3rd
reading of the Relationships Bill and its passage into law by roughly a
two thirds majority.
As
happened when the Civil Union Bill was debated, the 2nd and 3rd readings
of the Relationships Bill meant a deluge of nasty, offensive and
prejudiced rhetoric within Parliament (and outside it) from those opposed
to the Bill and the granting of equal rights to LGBT people. Once again we
were vilified, our lives and loves denigrated and our realities maligned.
Even though we were victorious at the end of the day, we still have to
live with knowing what some MPs said and how vehement they were in their
efforts to deny us our human rights. It’s been a scary process, and the
struggles are by no means over. But, we also found some wonderful allies
and, despite everything, I still believe that the average New Zealander
supports the concept that everyone should be treated equally under the law
and that legally recognising same-sex relationships is okay!
There’s Going To Be An Election This
Year …
by
Tor Devereux
There
will be a general election in
New Zealand
later this
year. Although a date has not yet been set, it’s definitely not too
early to start thinking about it and to seriously consider getting
involved in some way.
The
past couple of years have been very interesting ones for the LGBT/queer
community on a political level and we need to be proactive when it comes
to voting if we don’t want to see the progress that we’ve made in
terms of rights and recognition halted – or, even worse, reversed.
Of
all the Parties that are represented in Parliament at the moment, there
are just two that have Rainbow Policies within their manifestoes – these
are the Labour Party and the Green Party. While some individuals from
other parties are sympathetic to our issues and may even support them,
these parties do not include policies specific to our community in their
platform, and some of them are even quite hostile towards us as a minority
group. And then there are other parties, such as Destiny New
Zealand
and the Christian Heritage Party, who will be seeking seats
in Parliament and who would like to make homosexuality illegal again.
We
can’t afford to be apathetic when it comes to this year’s election
because there’s actually a lot at stake. During the Civil Union debate
and throughout the last few years as issues crucial to the LGBT/queer
community have become more public and prominent and as we’ve struggle to
be accepted as full citizens with equal rights and responsibilities
we’ve had to endure a lot of homophobia and prejudice. This highlights
that we have to make our voices heard at the polls – we simply cannot
afford a “she’ll be right” or “my vote won’t make a
difference” attitude. You can bet that the
Destiny
Church
and other churches too
will be working hard to ensure that their members and anyone else who will
listen to them gets out and votes for traditional, conservative candidates
and parties, so we have to be just as assertive and take this election
very seriously.
So,
a few things to keep in mind as we progress toward the election:
Make sure you’re
enrolled to vote.
Make sure you vote on
election day. Your vote does count.
Take responsibility
for finding out about candidates and parties and make an informed decision
about who you’re going to vote for. Remember that you get two votes -
one for a candidate in your electorate and one for a party.
Think about getting
involved with a political party and assisting with their election
campaign. (If you’d like to support the local Greens campaign then
contact Philippa on 473-9293 and if you’d like to support the local
Labour campaign then contact Barb on 453-1108.)
Top
of Page
The
Rainbow Families group exists for all those in the LGBT/queer community
who have, want or are trying to have children to get together for support
and social activities.
The
Rainbow Families group has been running for over two years now and
there’s a range in the ages of the children – babies, toddlers and
older school-aged children. The group runs very informally, but provides
those who are part of a rainbow family with the opportunity to talk about
issues and share ideas and information. It’s also great for the children
to grow up knowing that there are other families like theirs.
The
group meets monthly, generally on the first Saturday of the month. Below
are listed the events that have been planned for the next few months. For
more information about the group, contact Barb on 453-1108 or [email protected]
or Jacinda on 471-9495.
Saturday
September 3
Arts & Crafts Session - Starting at
2pm
, contact Barb (see above) for venue details. Bring
along any arts and crafts materials you have and the kids can spend some
time painting, drawing, gluing, etc. to make all sorts of creations.
Please also bring a something to share for afternoon tea.
Saturday
October 1
Potluck
Lunch - Starting at
12pm
, contact Barb (see
above) for venue details. Please bring along some food to share.
Saturday
November 5
Walk
(Upper Leith Walkway) & Afternoon Tea - Meet at
2pm
at the start of the
walk just off
Malvern St
at the bridge,
opposite
Woodhaugh
Gardens
. This is a nice
gentle walk for children (and adults!), and afterwards we’ll have
something to eat at the
Woodhaugh
Gardens
. Please bring some
food to share.
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of Page
Don’t Postpone Joy: A Life Of Purpose and
Passion
by
Peter Taylor
(Random
House, 2005)
Reviewed
by Mike Wooliscroft
This
book is a good read and a fine example of positive thinking in sustained
action. Surrender Dorothy, Peter’s nationally renowned bar in
Ponsonby, was well-known, at least in gay circles, on both sides of The
Ditch, and Le Brie, the restaurant which he helped to establish,
were nationally innovative in terms of a finer dining experience than most
New Zealanders were accustomed to at the time. At both of these
establishments Peter’s presence was a large and a generous one. The
motto of Surrender Dorothy gives the title to this book –
“don’t postpone joy”.
Peter,
at 52, is in the midst of life in spite of being HIV positive and having
contracted Leishmaniasis donovani, an incurable parasitical disease.
Amazingly, he seems to be a “medical mystery” as he continues to cope,
albeit with physical constrictions. One suspects that Peter’s continued
determination to live well accounts, at least in part, for this. Clearly,
he is more conscious that many of us of his vulnerability as the severe
treatment for the latter disease has caused him to be partially sighted
and has required, thus far, 8 years of chemotherapy at 9 week intervals.
Yet rather than yield to the diseases fighting within his body, he treats
them as a challenge to be overcome. Determinedly outward looking, he
shares his positive approach to life at motivational sessions for
Celebrity Speakers.
Peter
grew up on a Northland farm, the son of parents whose relationship was far
from happy and with a mother who appears manipulative and bullying. Early
in the book we discover the possible root causes of this as she, too, grew
up in a dysfunctional family and such patterns are all too commonly
repeated.
Following
his time establishing Le Brie Peter picks up again his love of
horses and a large part of the rest of the biography tells us of his
relationships with horses, his participation in dressage and eventing
against many odds, including participating in the Olympic Games.
Interspersed throughout are accounts of Peter’s relationships, those
with women usually receiving more attention than those with his male
lovers and partners. Yet there is nothing salacious. Just an almost blunt
level of honesty, at least as far as the details go. Peter appears, too,
to be very self-aware even if some of this has recently been achieved with
the benefit of that great teacher – hindsight.
Included,
briefly, are comments on his time as a sex worker in Paddington, Sydney
and, in rather more detail, his establishment of Surrender Dorothy.
The
following two quotations from Peter’s story will give you some idea of
the style of the book and of Peter’s life, and help determine whether
you would want to read the book:
“A childhood filled with heartache taught me to
survive. Those lessons, on how to get through when everything looks
hopeless, went with me as I travelled the world. I had adventures and met
amazing – and some terrible – people. I loved with all my heart, I
lost, and twice, I almost got married. I worked hard, I lived hard and I
made things happen.”
“I
stomp on mediocrity with a tall pair of riding boots caked in horse sweat,
and I plan to go out that way too.”
As
someone almost wholly unfamiliar with the world of horses, dressage and
eventing, I found this book a “good read” providing a fast, moving and
honest account of a man of considerable vitality whose tenacious spirit
and refusal to be self-pitying one can only admire.
I read
many years ago that joy cannot be found by searching for it, but it is
likely to steal up and surprise and delight you if you attend to other
things in your life. Peter certainly deserves the joy which has come to
him and even in his more constrained current circumstances it is obvious
that he is open to it still.
From
Freyberg
by
Bill Edginton
(National
Pacific Press, 2004)
Reviewed
by John Z Robinson
It’s
a well known fact that people in
Wellington
can have the most
extraordinary sexual adventures. There’s something in the waters there,
something in the air. So when I picked up From Freyberg and read
the author’s preface warning the squeamish reader, I prepared myself for
the best - sex in the city and all that.
The
plot of this novel isn’t new to literature, or to life, but Bill
Edginton tackles it from a thoughtful gay viewpoint. A happily
“married” couple’s coupledom is challenged and threatened by the
appearance of a third party. In this case, Craig, a trade commissioner
turned gardener, cosily living with General Assembly Librarian Paul, has a
fling with the younger Neil, an ex-naval man he encounters at the swimming
baths.
In a
late 80s
Wellington
, still pretty much free
of cellphones and cyber sex, the three men carefully examine their lives,
loves and expectations. We learn quite a lot about them and their circle
of friends.
Eventually
Craig and Paul and Neil make their choices. I was half anticipating
something more radical, but the long shadows cast by the Kirk and by
Lampton Quay prevail. Craig and Paul stay happily together up in Wadestown
and our Neil moves in with a character we met early on in the story, and I
would bet that he is still doing his laps down at the Freyberg.
Top of Page
The
Upcoming Election
by Tor Devereux
So, it’s finally been announced!
New
Zealand
’s general election will take
place on Saturday September 17. I know that I wrote something about the
election for the last OGT and emphasised the importance of being enrolled
and turning up on the day to vote, but I’m going to reiterate it here
and ask not only that you yourselves vote, but that you encourage all your
friends and family to do likewise. This is the one chance we get to very
directly have an impact on how our country is run and each person’s one
vote can make a difference.
If recent polls prove accurate, then the outcome of the
election is going to be an interesting one, especially if it means that
Winston Peters and NZ First end up in a position where they hold the
balance of power. I don’t know about you, but to me that’s a very
scary proposition and even more reason to get out and vote.
Remember that you get two votes – a party vote and a
candidate vote – and the candidate you vote for can be from a different
party than the party you give your party vote to! Here’s some
LGBT-related information that I thought might be interesting to consider
when deciding who to vote for.
Rainbow Policies
During the last few years there has been a significant
amount of legislation passed into law that has included the LGBT/queer
community. This legislation has been introduced by the Labour Party and
fully supported by the Green Party. Even when it came to legislation such
as the Civil Union Bill which was a conscience vote, it was predominantly
Labour and Green MPs who supported it. Before the last election the Labour
Party put together a specific Rainbow Policy and an updated version of
this will be made public soon. The Green Party has a very positive policy
on sexual orientation and regards the LGBT/queer community as an integral
and valuable group within society. (Details about these policies can be
found on the parties’ webpages at www.greens.org.nz
and www.labour.org.nz)
The National Party does not have a Rainbow Policy and,
indeed, Don Brash has stated publicly that he does not regard gay men and
lesbians as part of “mainstream”
New
Zealand
. He changed his vote between the
first and second readings of the Civil Union Bill and ended up voting
against the Bill claiming that this issue should have been decided by
public referendum, even though human rights issues have never before been
decided in this way in
New Zealand
.
Out LGBT/Queer Candidates
Here’s a list of out LGBT/queer candidates standing in
this year’s election. The information in brackets is the candidate’s
place on their party’s list, followed by their electorate.
Green Party:
Luci Highfield (13, Rongotai)
Jon Carapiet (14, Mt Albert)
Richard Davies (21, West Coast/Tasman)
Jane Pearce (24, Otago)
Philippa Jamieson (30+, Dunedin North) (those above 30 are
not ranked)
Labour Party:
Chris Carter (19, Te Atatu)
Tim Barnett (Christchurch Central - not on the list)
Georgina Beyer (35 - list only)
Louisa Wall (47, Port
Waikato
)
Charles Chauvel (45, Ohariu-Belmont)
Maryan Street
(36, Taranaki-King Country)
Tony Milne (62, Rakaia)
National Party:
Chris Finlayson (27, Mana)
NOTE: While Chris Finlayson is openly gay, it is important
to know that he describes himself as conservative and catholic, he’s
never been involved in the struggle for gay rights and he doesn’t
support civil unions.
Maori Party:
Mama Tere Strickland (16)
NOTE: The Maori Party leader Tariana Turia voted
against the Civil Union Bill and in a recent speech to
Wellington
’s
Gay Business and Professionals Association Dr Pita Sharples explained why.
Here’s a small part of his speech, “It is our firm belief that
recognition and acceptance must come from our whanau, friends, communities
and ourselves ... Tariana did not believe that legislation, such as a
Civil Union Bill, is required to create a means for the state to endorse
or formalise any type of relationship. Her view was that any form of
relationship - whether it be a marriage or a civil union - should not need
to be legitimised through state intervention … For Tariana, a kin right
is a whakapapa right and as such your partner, your husband, wife, defacto
should not fulfil the role of next of kin.”
In conclusion …
Take a little time on Saturday September 17 to go and VOTE.
And, before you vote, think about what’s important to you and which
party best represents this and/or which party can achieve the most in
those areas that affect you or you feel strongly about. Talk to friends,
colleagues, family members about the election and about the issues and why
they’re important to you as a LGBT/queer person. Remember back to the
civil union debate and some of the “choice” statements made by various
MPs in Parliament. Can you vote for a party or an individual who doesn’t
think that you have the right to be treated the same as other New
Zealanders just because you’re lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender?
We
are living in interesting times and, like it or not, the personal is very
definitely political at the moment. But, at the election we can help
decide whether our country continues to enact progressive, human rights
legislation, or whether we put into power parties and individuals who
believe that our relationships and our families aren’t as good or as
worthy of protection and public acknowledgement as others and who would
prefer to avoid making controversial decisions by implementing binding
public referenda in which the majority gets to decide on the rights and
fate of the minority. It’s up to us! Vote wisely.
Care Of Children Act
by Tor Devereux
The Care Of Children Act came into effect on
1 July 2005
. It was with great
excitement that my partner Barb and I approached this date as we believed
that the implementation of this Act would mean that Barb would finally be
legally recognised as a parent of our son to whom I gave birth last
February.
The Act gives automatic parental rights to the
non-biological same-sex partner of a child conceived by assisted human
reproductive (AHR) techniques, providing the woman agreed to the
procedure. This also means that the non-biological mother can be included
on the child’s birth certificate under the heading “Other Parent”.
This is wonderful stuff for those of us who have created families in this
way with our same-sex partners, and it removes all discrimination from the
law because men in heterosexual couples conceiving children using donor
sperm have always been automatically granted parental status.
So, the law is quite clear about children born once the new
Act is in place. But what’s the situation for children already born and
being raised in a rainbow family with two mothers? I emailed Marion Hobbs
MP to ask her about this as it comes under her responsibilities as
Associate Minister of Justice. Her response back to me was detailed and
extremely clear. She outlined the situation for children born after
1 July 2005
and then went on to explain the situation for
children in circumstances such as ours. And, her answer was that the law
is retrospective – that is, Barb is now legally regarded as our son’s
parent and has full parental rights, and we can get her name included on
his birth certificate. We were ecstatic!
BUT … it would seem that things are not going to be quite
as simple as Marion Hobbs suggested because we are unable to obtain the
appropriate form to complete for Barb to apply to be listed on Tobias’
birth certificate. When we requested the form at the Dunedin Family Court,
the worker refused to provide it claiming that we were ineligible because
last year we had initiated an application for Barb to become Tobias’
guardian. This application was withdrawn by us, but the Family Court
official claimed that this still prohibits us from applying and she
advised us to talk to our lawyer! Barb also made a call to Births, Deaths
& Marriages who claimed that the law is NOT retrospective and told her
quite categorically that Marion Hobbs is wrong. However, the chap she
spoke to went on to say that if we sent him a whole pile of details then
he’d see what they could do!!!
Okay, so now things are starting to get really bizarre. Is
the law retrospective or not? If the MP responsible for this new law
thinks so (and was prepared to put that in writing for us), then why do
the officials at Births, Deaths & Marriages think otherwise? And how
on earth can previous guardianship applications to the Family Court
(whether they were followed through or withdrawn) impact on one’s right
to be included within the law? And, the Care Of Children Act is all about
making the welfare and best interests of the child paramount, so how does
that sit with excluding some families from the law?
As you’ve probably guessed, this matter is now with our
lawyer and we’re confident that she will sort it out – but that’s
not the point! We shouldn’t have to pay for this and people less
assertive or familiar with the new legislation may have been put off at
the first hurdle – and that’s simply not okay, not for the parents and
certainly not for the children involved.
We’ll
keep you updated about this issue, but in the meantime come along to the
free seminar on the Care Of Children Act that Anja Klinkert’s running
(see below for more details).
Marriage (Gender
Clarification) Amendment Bill
by Tor Devereux
In May of this year the Marriage (Gender Clarification)
Amendment Bill, a private member’s bill sponsored by Larry Baldock MP
(United Future), was drawn from the ballot. This Bill would amend the
Marriage Act (1955) to define marriage as between a man and a woman only
and explicitly forbid marriage between two people of the same sex.
At this stage marriage in
New
Zealand
is only available to heterosexual
couples and so this amendment seems somewhat unnecessary, but it would
also remove the possibility of gay marriage in the future. The bill as
written would also ensure that civil unions or marriages between same-sex
couples conducted overseas are not recognised as marriages in
New
Zealand
and further it would amend the New
Zealand Bill of Rights Act so that measures intended to promote or advance
marriage will not be considered discriminatory.
At
the time of writing this the Marriage (Gender Clarification) Amendment
Bill had not yet been debated, though, because Larry Baldock delayed it in
order to carry out more lobbying before the Bill was put to a vote. When
the Bill was first drawn from the ballot the Green and Progressive parties
indicated that they would vote against it, National, NZ First and United
Future said they would vote for it, ACT planned a conscience vote and
Labour wouldn’t reveal their position until the Bill was being debated,
but it’s unlikely that they would support it.
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of Page
Of You
by Jane E Libeau
You
look and do not see
Touch yet do not feel
Exist but do not live
Being amidst many
Yet so alone
You appear to know
But know little about self
You hear
And do not listen
You may feel
But do not sense
You have spread your self so thin
Amongst the many
You call friends
Yet nobody knows who you really are
And your lies end
Just
as they begin
Cold hearted
You froze my warmth
Mind games
You twisted my thoughts
I have lost momentum
To try and work you out
So
I gather myself
I realise
There is comfort
In being alone
And what I deserve
Is so much better
Than texts
Of shallow words.
Burning Hands
by Jane E Libeau
She held her hands out to me
Warmth radiated
With visions of purple, yellow and red
Circling vortex of energy
One touch could raise the dead
Concise
depth
Like honey
Her voice wrapped me in her love
Eyes smiling and glistening
Penetrating my very core
Her mouth uttered her existence
Enveloped my wordless awe.
Her
hands that burned with fire
Yet did not burn the flesh
I could not want
Nor desire
I was free
Yet caught in a net
I embraced and reeled
In celestial love
So selflessly given
Hands of fire
Could not burn
Did take me so much higher
If this being
Truly did exist
My ashes I would offer
For all of me I have
And all is all I can give
Fall
Not to the abyss
Yet surrender to
My inner desires.
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Ascent
Celebrates 20 Years
Ascent
Dunedin
will be celebrating its 20 year anniversary at Labour Weekend (Friday
October 21-Sunday October 23). Ascent
Dunedin
is a Catholic-based group of gays and lesbians which has opened its
membership to other gay and lesbian Christians who wish to nourish their
spirituality.
The celebrations will include a champagne breakfast, a
mystery bus tour, barbecue and ecumenical service at Glenaven.
For more information and/or to register for the weekend’s
events, please contact Ascent by writing to
PO
Box 5328
,
Dunedin
.
Hope to see lots of you there!
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by Pamela Dwyer, UniQ Coordinator
Maybe I am just having a rather happy manic Monday, but I
think I can honestly say that things are going well around UniQ Otago!
It’s just been Pride Week and that was fun, wasn’t it?! So we
wouldn’t all exhaust ourselves with too many late nights and pints of
lager UniQ provided the “Elements of Sexuality and Gender” panel
discussion as part of Pride Week and this was well received and attended.
Chris Brickell of the Otago University Gender and Media Department spoke
about sexuality historically and recognised the behaviour of “intimate
friendships” as a historical potential expression of non heterosexual
relationships. Karen Nairn from the Otago University Education Department
spoke (drawing from much of Judith Butler’s studies) about fluid
sexuality and discussed with the group some concepts around performing
one’s identity, sexuality and gender in high school. Then, Peter Gretzer
from express magazine focused on the idea of a post-gay young
person and the consequences of such an identity. All in all it was a good
discussion with classy wine to boot!
Coming up for UniQ is a focus to work with the university
more. We hope that the university will start recognising their queer
students and staff by at least advertising UniQ on its website and in the
student support brochures. You can all expect to listen to the queer radio
show (Round the Bend) at
8pm
instead of
10pm
on Sundays now, and soon we will be exposing its new name, new guests and
lots of prizes to give away! WAQD lunches will be transforming into the
UniQ Social Group with film nights and other types of social get
togethers! So, there have been many things going on and it’s all turned
out well. Congratulations to all those who won a Lavender Globe Award, and
a big thank you to those who voted for UniQ as the Queer Organisation of
the Year!!!
UniQ
continues to offer peer support to students who can get in touch with us
through our email [email protected]
or by phoning 479-5445. UniQ’s website is also up and running – check
it out at www.uniq.ousa.org.nz
Anyone
who would like to be involved in peer support or organising
campaigns/events with UniQ please call or email me!
Top of Page
Anyone interested in starting/joining a writing group (meet
monthly, share work, offer constructive critiques, maybe do practice
exercises, have fun) please contact Laura on [email protected]
or 027-479-8562.
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TransAir
Special to Wellington
The Friday morning of Queen’s
Birthday weekend arrived snow-covered and icy. Remarkably, the airport was
open, but creche was down two teachers and school was closed at the last
minute, all staff stuck on separate hills. With the airport shuttle due to
arrive at quarter to ten, 9.15am found this Papa tramping his oldest child
through the streets in spotty gumboots with snow driving into her small
face trying to locate last minute childcare for the day. So much for
guilt-free parenting. Skidding home in time to throw extra boots, books
and jerseys into a DCC rubbish bag and frocking up with several layers of
thermals and woollies, this was glamour and designer luggage the transman
way.
Wellington
was tropical. It may have been howling a southerly gale, I can’t
remember, but the warmth of friends and gathering transfolk was enough to
thaw any remnant snowflakes.
The official Agender Conference opening and cocktail
evening was bypassed by most of the fellas, who gathered at a friend’s
home to meet, party and celebrate the tranniversary of one of the
Wellington
guys (yeeha!). The official do was an important evening, though, because
it included the recommitment ceremony of Agender’s stalwart organisers
and founders, Janet and Claudia McKay. It was an event worth honouring in
style, for Janet and Claudia’s relationship has survived ten years of
political campaigning, personal transition and a steady stream of us lost
and searching trannies drifting through their home for indefinite stays,
while also raising their own family. On ya, sweeties.
Saturday morning the Conference
Serious began for the Nztransguys with a diversity panel. Our room was
filled with the most stunning bunch of people and the organisers had
obviously had the air specially oxygenated and pumped in for the occasion
cos it was so much easier to breathe than out in that strange world people
call straight. Nztransguys is the web discussion list for anyone assigned
female or intersex at birth and who identifies outside this. It includes,
but is not limited to, those who identify as ftm, genderqueer, herm,
intersex, man, mtm, taane, transman, whakataane or who are questioning …
you get the picture. And the picture was a very handsome sight, too.
Defying
all criticisms of us as men who confirm the worst stereotypes of gender
conformity and masculinity, or as sheilas who can’t handle our own
homosexuality, we included gender expressions from bear to camp, staunch
to froufrou and a particular type of gender expression I can only describe
as “maths teacher”. We were gay, bi, straight, pansexual and celibate.
Bog standard human rainbow. No, on second thoughts, these guys were the
pot of gold. We were mainly trans of one flavour or another, with the herm
presence doing a valiant job of ensuring their own visibility.
Discussion
of diversity and the importance of acknowledging all voices led into talk
of the importance of exclusive spaces, as well as inclusive, and of our
experiences of separatism - good, bad and plain old confusing.
Following
workshops over the weekend covered legal issues, top surgery,
endocrinology, self-injecting, mental health, sexuality and relationships.
Because Aotearoa has no national standards of care or consistent protocols
for trans people, the range of experiences dealing with systems and
professionals was enormous.
A
bloke from the AIDS Foundation attended for some of the guys’ workshop
on relationships and sexuality. Apart from the usual safer sex and
needle-users info (all very handy, too), it was a great opportunity for
some good laughs about the hard stuff between bio-boys and transmen. The
NZAF worker had attended a conference in San Fran where a bunch of
transguys ran a workshop on “Doing the Differently Dicked”. A room
full of ears pricked up, so to speak, but alas, being a bio-boy, this man
had not attended that particular workshop so we were left to limp back to
figuring it all out for ourselves.
On
Saturday afternoon we joined with the women, bigendered and cross-dressing
people to hear speakers from the police, human rights commission,
parliament, researchers and from overseas trans experiences.
Eugene
Moore works with the police and armed forces doing training on homophobia
and transphobia and their effects both within the force and on the public
they are intended to serve. Initially, Eugene’s work was
unaffectionately labelled “hug-a-homo” training, but he reckons that
thinking has moved on as these institutions come to see the impact of
homophobia on straight people, and how much crime it motivates (from
dangerous driving to sexual assaults aimed to “prove” masculinity for
fear of being labelled pooftah). Yay for the day when queer folk will be
free from bigotry just cos it isn’t OK, whether or not it impacts on the
straight world.
Two
Diversity Liaison Officers spoke to us about what we can expect in our
dealings with the police. One of these officers turned out to be a former
flattie, Mo Parsons, who some may remember from her
Dunedin
days as a Purple Passions star. It is important to know that whenever we
have contact with the police, whether reporting an incident, as a witness,
victim, suspect or convicted offender, we can ask for the involvement of
the Diversity Liaison Officers. If required to undergo body searches, we
have the right to be searched by an officer of the gender we name,
regardless of our own gender. The police are required to acknowledge the
gender we present or name at the time of our contact with them - this is
particularly important for bi-gendered and cross-dressers, and men and
women in transition. If we are kept in the cells, it is reasonable to
expect that a transperson will be in a single cell.
Although
there is no law covering the imprisonment of trans people, it is Justice
Department protocol that we are locked up according to the sex recorded on
our birth certificates. This situation is dangerous for many of us.
A
woman from
Massey
University
presented her Master’s thesis research comparing the sexuality of women
who are transsexual with other women. She also gave some hilarious insight
into the psychobabble concocted by professionals over time to describe and
categorise mtf women and determine their access to medical intervention.
The winning word went to “autogynophilia” – a woman fancying
herself. Without autogynophilia, women would be considered authentically
transsexual and “allowed” to transition, but with it would be
considered “only” transvestite fetishists. Which bored medical student
decided human beings are not allowed to like themselves?
Joy
Liddicoat from the Human Rights Commission spoke about the work of the
commission and its role in working towards equitable living. She was very
clear about wanting public input into its working. She talked about the
different approaches used depending on the equity issues involved such as
child poverty, domestic violence, race relations, disability access and
sexual orientation discrimination. The HRC is planning to run regional
workshops on human rights issues for transpeople, so keep all ears to the
gossip vine for upcoming dates.
Georgina
Beyer and Tim Barnett talked about the Gender Identity Bill and why it has
been delayed. The knees-up over the Bill has got muddled in with media
misrepresenting the availability of health care to transsexual and
transgender people. And, bingo, we’re catfood for election year
squabbles. Sigh.
Saturday
evening’s formal do was a dinner at parliament, again missed by many of
the lads cos of cost. I was lucky enough to sneak in as “sound
technician” (play, pause and volume control, thanks mate) for a peak at
performances by Joanne Clarke and Jack Byrne, two of Aotearoa’s most
famous and stunning drag royalty (not that I’m biased). Joanne was doing
a marathon show night, also performing at
Wellington
’s
Black & White Ball at Pipitea Marae and later at Pound, with
Pollyfilla. Jack is most well known as one of
Wellington
’s
drag king troupe, but his piece for the Agender dinner was a poetry-style
reflection on the process of transition delivered with a cuttingness to
wrench the guts and stir the tear ducts of the staunchest gender
conforming men.
Following
Sunday’s Agender AGM and afternoon workshops, the Conference officially
closed with another formal evening, but many of the guys managed to stay
for the Monday Outtakes screening of Funny Kinda Guy, by
transgendered director Travis Reeves. The film tells the story of the
transition of Scottish transgendered singer-songwriter Simon de Voil, who
now lives in
Australia
.
Simon had hoped to make it over for the Conference and film screening, but
missed out at the last minute. The film was groovily crafted to include
lots of Simon’s music throughout his transition as his voice and song
change. It included plenty of input from his partner, parents and
pre-transition singing partner. Funny Kinda Guy won the Audience
Choice Award for Best Documentary at the 2005 Melbourne Queer Film
Festival and Simon’s music is available on CD from Icarus.
The
Dunedin
contingent at the Conference included three men and we returned home well
oxygenated on transair and very grateful to the
Wellington
guys and Agender for the huge amount of work and warmth put into
organising and making the Conference as accessible to as many people as
possible.
I came home loaded with resources I
would be happy to share, including Bending the Mold, an action kit
for transgender youth, spare copies of Torque, the FTM Australia
newsletter and Agender Perspective. I can be contacted through the
OGT or Agender in
Wellington
(0800 AGENDER).
Fluffy ducks and sunshine to all, Dan.
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New
Group with an Old Name
The Crone’s Club
Do you feel you are becoming invisible now you are older?
We are planning a monthly lunch for lesbians over 50, simply
to meet and talk. We may get to celebrate being older too, in our rather
youth-oriented society.
Venue: Mannequin Cafe Bar,
185
North Rd, North
East Valley
Day: Tuesdays
Time:
1pm
Dates: August 16th, September 13th, October 11th, and after
that every second Tuesday of the month
Look for the rainbow flag.
For further information, contact Orma Bradfield on 478-0560.
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PFLAG
Column
Rainbow
Day
It
is to be hoped that those who worked so hard to make the many Pride Week
events a success are enjoying a well earned rest.
The event when the gay community is most visible and
welcoming to the wider community is Rainbow Day. After the darkness and
sleet of the day before, the sun shone and there was wind to keep us all
alert as we lost tents and leaflets!
We felt proud to be part of the colourful gathering - the
flags and balloons, the barbecue and unforgettable hot chocolate stall,
Miss Ruby, a surprise visit from politicians and a group of rainbow
families who sat in the sun while their children danced with balloons.
Five people can do so much more work than two, and this year
PFLAG was able to be on both sides of the road. We handed out about 500
leaflets. Most responses were favourable, though predictably a few were
negative. Some just wanted to stop and talk, or to quietly pick up other
leaflets. (
Erin
took a pocketful and gave them out
at the Catholic Women’s League luncheon!) Some people asked how to
contact the gay community. Next year, we need a leaflet similar to the
list on the back page of the OGT.
We have made progress since an AIDS Day gathering 11 years
ago in the Octagon. Chris Carter remembered how some youths in a car had
driven by several times, shouted “faggots” and thrown eggs at them.
New Structure
In May we held our first elections and the new PFLAG
Committee is as follows:
President: Sue Thompson
Secretary: Jaye Brown
Treasurer: Erin KereKere
Committee: Euan Thomson, Jean Barkman, Michelle Sedelin,
Jill McDonald
We hope that with a new structure in place and lots of ideas
for projects to work on, PFLAG will continue to be a strong and effective
group in the community, and will be able to achieve its goals.
Top
of Page
PFLAG
South has many helpful publications designed to help you, your friends and
your family. You can check them out on our website http://au.geocities.com/pflagsouth
or email [email protected]
PFLAG
(Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) has an office. Here
are the details:
95 Fitzroy St
,
Kew
,
Dunedin
(within the
offices of the Dunedin Methodist Mission)
Office
telephone: 477-2000
Help
line: 025-686-9304
Email:
[email protected],
Postal
address:
PO Box 5266
,
Dunedin
Hours:
10am to 2pm
on Mondays,
Wednesdays and Fridays
Top
of Page
Lesbian
Research
Unfortunately there wasn’t enough space in this issue of
the OGT to print the next installment of Marg Madill and Trisha
Bennett’s research. Their next article, which is entitled “Young
People, Identity and Community”, will be published in the November issue
of the OGT, so look out for it there - and thanks to Marg and Trisha for
sharing the findings of their research with us.
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Has
coming out alienated you from your church family? If so you might feel at
home at Glenaven.
Glenaven
is a
Methodist
Church
with an
ecumenical congregation and a special ministry to the gay and lesbian
community. Even if you don’t think of yourself as Christian you can
belong and be valued. Theologically, Glenaven is at the cutting edge and
our Sunday sermons are followed by some pretty lively dialogue. Be
prepared to be challenged.
Try
us out on Sunday mornings. We have coffee and cookies from
10:40am
and our
service is from
11am
to
12pm
. You’ll find
Glenaven in
Chambers Street
, just two
blocks along
North Road
from the
Garden’s supermarket.
Top of Page
Stella Duffy, who grew up in Tokoroa, was back in
New
Zealand
recently to promote her new novel Parallel
Lies. It was morning when we spoke about the novel, other stuff and
why she thinks everyone should come out. I was still in my dressing gown.
It was a phone interview. Here are some excerpts from it.
Questions by Anna Chinn
Your
new novel, while ostensibly a crime-meets-dark-romantic-comedy novel,
could also be seen as one very big description of the tangled web so many
gay and lesbian people weave in order to, sort of, perpetuate lies. Do you
have personal experience of that?
Absolutely not. I’ve been out totally for years. I
wouldn’t dream of lying about my sexuality and I never have, even,
y’know, when I was very uncertain and having relationships with men and
didn’t really know what I was doing, I was still open about that… You
know, the thing about coming out is that people often ask you to make a
decision about who you are at the age of 16.
Or 12.
Yep, totally. And I think that applies to straight people as
well; it applies to all of us. So I think I’m somebody who believes utterly
in everyone being out because I do think that if all the straight
people who’d had one homosexual relationship came out tomorrow,
homophobia would stop overnight. It would just have to. Of course I do
know people who do lie. Personally I think that I’d rather they
didn’t, but yeah that is their choice. I’m not the sort of person who
would out anybody else.
Some writers try to avoid being, sort of, niche “gay and
lesbian authors”. Do you try to avoid, or try not to avoid, or just
write?
I just write the story that’s in my head, really. I mean,
I didn’t perceive my first three crime novels to be particularly lesbian
novels or crime novels, but that’s what they were sold as. So, you know,
that’s not really up to me; that bit comes from the publishers and
it’s to do with marketing.
Parallel Lies has some great plot twists and some
great creative bits - like the use of internet message boards and
star-biography excerpts to tell the story. How do you think it compares
with your earlier novels and how do you hope readers will take it?
Obviously, I hope they’ll like it. And also, to me, I
think that my work’s developed. I hope I’m a better writer now than I
was 10 years ago. There’s certainly more subtlety in this novel. And I
think it’s better written because I’ve progressed. But that said, I do
really love my first novels. I think they’re really fresh and they’re
really bright, and I’m really proud of them, too.
A large theme of Parallel Lies is the whole celebrity thing
and the
Los Angeles
lifestyle that they live. As a sort of a celebrity, do you buy into that?
I’m certainly not a celebrity of that kind of standing,
not at all.
Do you read glossy magazines?
No. Never. I’ve never bought a copy of Hello in my
life.
OK.
Or OK. [Laughs] I don’t read them at all. Um, Heat,
which is the really big one in
England
, I
despise - although they’ve given me nice book reviews so I mustn’t say
I despise them too much. I’m really not interested in that kind of
celebrity gossip thing. But I do know some people who are extremely famous
performers in
Britain
,
and I do know how difficult some parts of their life have been made by the
media and the media’s desire to know about them. And the kind of weird
thing where we think we know a celebrity… It’s very odd.
NOTE:
We were intending to include a review of Stella Duffy’s
latest novel Parallel Lies in this issue of the OGT, but
unfortunately the review was on Barb’s computer that was destroyed in
the recent fire at
Bracken
Court
!
Barb will rewrite the review for the next issue of the paper.
Top of Page
by Mike Wooliscroft
The
Auckland Writers and Readers Festival is a biennial event alternating with
the literary events at
Wellington
’s Art
Festival. This year there was a strong gay component to the Festival with
the inclusion of Alan Hollinghurst and Augusten Burroughs, prominent gay
authors from overseas.
Augusten Burroughs has recently been a fairly regular
columnist to the English gay magazine Attitude and some OGT readers
may have been introduced to his writing there. He is funny, witty and
completely unassuming in his person and was a very popular presenter in
all of the five sessions in which he shared the stage with other authors.
He has had a rough life having become addicted to alcohol
and other drugs but then managing to kick the habit. He recounted this
experience in his memoir Dry. Burroughs’ first memoir was about
his childhood where his mother “gave him away” to her psychiatrist and
he coped with the hazards of living in the same house as a paedophile
impatient. His latest book Magical Thinking presents us with a
series of diverse essays, many of them autobiographical and thoroughly
amusing. Burroughs manages to draw the humour out of even unfortunate
experiences which makes for entertaining while also thought provoking
reading.
Alan Hollinghurst was another star author at the Festival.
Many readers will know him as the author of The Swimming Pool Library,
The Folding Star, The Spell and the recently published The
Line of Beauty. Whereas some authors like Burroughs can write quickly
and to good effect, Hollinghurst spends years writing a novel. The Line
of Beauty, for instance, took six years to write. With Hollinghurst
every word is weighed and every sentence the result of very clear craft.
Having just won the Man Booker Prize for Fiction he is now looking forward
to writing some short stories and hopes that there won’t be such a long
gestation period before his next book appears.
Douglas Wright also featured on the programme reading an
erotically-charged section about his visits to a
New
York
bath-house from his memoir Ghost Dance. Clearly this is a book to
add to my list. Annamarie Jagose spoke about writing Slow Water, a
book about William Yates, an early Anglican missionary to
New
Zealand
and
Australia
whose homosexuality became the subject of scandal. The hypocrisy and other
churlish and cruel elements of the early colonial settlement and of
ship-board life are incredibly well conveyed.
Witi Ihimaera spoke on the nature of race and gave insights
into colonisation in one session. In another he spoke about his The
Uncle’s Story featuring a gay Maori soldier again focusing on the
experience of being Maori in
Vietnam
.
Peter Wells, one of the Festival organisers, was frequently on stage as
Chair and interviewing authors. He also read of his “sticky delights”
of going to the movies from his recently published essay.
All in all the Festival provided a wonderfully rich
concoction of 62 sessions with 129 authors from
New
Zealand
and overseas presenting. It is too soon to tell how much gay and lesbian
content there will be in the 2007 Auckland Festival, but it will be worth
keeping an eye on the developing programme closer to the time.
Top
of Page
by Rachel Dibble (President Otago
Polytechnic Students’ Association, [email protected])
I will start at the very beginning,
because it’s a very good place to start. There are raindrops on roses
and whiskers on kitties … but queer representation in education is not
everyone’s favourite thing!
It’s hard being a student. Will fees go
up? No living allowance means more debt. Can the childcare be juggled with
that essay/project/sculpture creation? The power bill is huge again. No
petrol. And as if there isn’t enough stress studying, when you are
waiting for a library book to be checked out you hear something that makes
you recoil, and you don’t want anyone to know that your partner Jamie is
… GLBTI. Isn’t it 2005? This shouldn’t be happening. So who can you
talk to?
Here at Otago Polytechnic we have the
Students’ Association (OPSA). It is run by students for students,
advocates for student rights and has zero tolerance of discrimination and
harassment - as you would expect. We have representative places on the
executive for queer students. We work together with UniQ at OUSA and
nationally.
So all is fabulous. Your rights are
sorted. You should be learning in a supportive environment with no fear of
discrimination. So why are you reading this in the OGT?
I am writing partly because OPSA runs
better with student representation in all shapes/sexualities/sizes and
partly out of reflection of involvement in student politics over the last
two and a half years (and also because the switched on woman I sat next to
on an airplane recently made a great suggestion).
In 2003 I got involved in OPSA. We had
been working with UniQ to create an MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) and
had a Queer Rep on the UniQ committee and had involvement in national
conferences. In 2004 UniQ’s Nathan Brown and our Queer Reps helped
organise the first ever WAQD lunch in the Bayrooms. I went to a workshop
entitled “Who Are You Hurting” run by the NZ AIDS Foundation and
realised how much more needed to be done. So, OPSA created an email
address [email protected]. In early 2005 Brent Mitchell from NZAF
came along for the Rainbow Lunch. We had our Queer Rep and four other exec
members … and one student.
Circumstances then left us without a
Queer Rep and me with a big question. How can we best represent or help
queer students with no Queer Rep? Someone said, “Why leave the hard work
up to those who already know the challenges? Is it about educating others
or ‘preaching to the converted’?” This question has been lingering
in my head and, quite simply, I don’t know the answer. OPSA should
certainly be advocating for rights, but who should be organising a queer
lunch? Who should liaise with UniQ? Who best to help during Pride Week?
What can be done to make educational institutions really queer friendly?
Something more than an email address I am thinking.
Perhaps it is a multifaceted answer and
bigger than student representation at a small community Polytechnic in
Dunedin
. I suspect it’s something to do
with involvement. If you are studying at Otago Polytechnic now, or are
thinking about it in the future, and you want to be involved, then Level 1
in the Student Centre in Harbour Tce is where OPSA is. You are where
it’s at. And Queer Reps & kitty whiskers … just a few of my
favourite things!
Top
of Page
1. Alan
Hollinghurst
2.
Wellington
3. Fingersmith
4.
Spain
5. Jim
Peron
Top
of Page
