editorial
Welcome
to 2008 and to the first issue of the Otago
Gaily Times for the year.
The start of the academic year usually brings a significant number of new
people to Dunedin, so if you’re new to the city I hope that you enjoy
your time here and that you also enjoy reading this paper. The OGT is a community newspaper
and as such relies on YOU for copy. There’s a core group of individuals
who generally contribute to each issue of the paper, but we also welcome
new contributors at any time – and it doesn’t matter if you want to offer
something as a one-off or if you’d like to become a regular contributor.
If
you’re interested, then the contact details are provided towards the
bottom of
this page. Copy is not limited to articles or reviews, but can also include cartoons
or other art work, creative writing, photos (provided permission has been
obtained from those pictured), interviews, opinion pieces, letters to the editor,
notices about upcoming events or new groups, etc.
As
we sometimes do at the beginning of a year, we have featured here many
of the local groups currently available to the LGBT/queer community, friends
and allies (see pages 4-5). There’s quite a range of activities and support
on offer at the moment, so take advantage of what’s out there and enjoy
the events and activities being organised. If you’re going to be around during
Easter you should consider attending the Rainbow Easter Camp at the
Aramoana Hall from 21-23 March (see page 11 for more details and the organisers’
contact details in case you have any questions). There are also monthly
dance parties being organised by UniQ and Spectrum and social drinks
at Pequeno every Tuesday evening, so plenty of opportunities for socialising!
(More details on pages 4 and 6.)
This
issue of the OGT also features a very exciting new development in regard
to support for the LGBT/queer community, namely the introduction of a
free national phone counselling line – 0800 OUTLINE. This is an
extension of
the phone line service offered by OUTLine NZ, based in Auckland. The counselling
phone service will operate 10am-10pm on weekdays and 5pm- 10pm
on weekends. This phone line will certainly fill a large gap not only in rural
locations, but also in Dunedin since it is now many years since Lesbian Line
and Gay Line were running here. I’m sure that this service will be well utilised
and that those who use it will appreciate the understanding listener at
the other end of the phone. Support such as this can often be crucial to a
positive
outcome for those questioning their sexuality and/or gender identity or
those in the process of coming out. (See page 6 for more details.)
The
last thing I’d like to draw your attention to is the Transgender Inquiry
report
from the Human Rights Commission that was released in January 2007 and
is now available online at www.hrc.co.nz/transgenderinquiry
. A hard copy
of the report can also be requested - see page 9 for more information.
I
believe that this is a very important document not only for our
transgender community
but for all New Zealanders because it paints a picture of what life is
like for a number of trans people and offers some suggestions about how to
improve things. It’s now up to all of us to advocate for and support any
changes
that would be positive for our trans brothers and sisters.
Tor
Devereux, Editor
TIM
& RAMON ARE CIVILLY
UNITED
by
Tor Devereux
On
15 November last year the Devereux/Long/McPherson whanau set off on an
adventure to attend the civil union of Tim Barnett and Ramon Maniapoto at
Waitetoko Marae, just south of Taupo. Because travelling with children
changes everything, this was not simply a trip to Taupo and back with a civil union in between.
Instead, it was a 5 day expedition that involved staying the night at the holiday park in Taihape, a
couple
of nights at a farm lodge just out of Taupo complete with feeding animals,
including baby goats and a lamb, a night in Wellington and a trip to Te
Papa – oh, and there was a civil union thrown in as well!
On
the way we had the experience of being asked by the guy from the rental
car company if we were off for the weekend without our husbands! This
exact same thing happened to us in Melbourne earlier in the year with a
taxi driver. On both occasions the men in question reacted pretty
well to the revelation that Barb and I are, in fact, a couple and that we
are all one family (not parts of two), but it continues to amaze me that
such a possibility never enters some people’s minds – even when
presented with some very obvious clues!
The
day of the civil union was awesome weather-wise and the sun shone
brilliantly
throughout
the whole day. The marae setting on the shores of Lake Taupo was
absolutely beautiful and provided a magnificent backdrop for this special
occasion. About 300 guests gathered mid morning outside the marae - which
was clearly marked
by a large rainbow flag - and the event started with an official powhiri.
After the powhiri there was a break for refreshments and then the civil
union ceremony itself started about 12pm. This was followed by drinks and
nibbles and then later there was a wonderful meal including a hangi.
Since
Tim is an MP the event was a bit of a Labour Party who’s who (Michael
Cullen, Nanaia Mahuta, Maryan Street, Ruth Dyson, Margaret Wilson, Steve
Chadwick and Mark Burton were among the guests), but this was certainly
not the focus of the day. This day was very definitely Tim and Ramon’s,
their special day when before friends, whanau and colleagues they declared
their love for one another, their commitment to
one another and their desire to have their relationship formalised and
legally recognised.
But,
as you’d expect, there was also an element of the political mixed in
with the personal here since Tim and Ramon were so involved with the
campaign to bring in civil unions with Tim being one of the main advocates
of the legislation in Parliament. This occasion provided the opportunity
to celebrate the success of the civil union campaign and to thank these
two for all the time and energy that they gave to it and their commitment
to social justice in general.
Tim
and Ramon had three celebrants at their civil union – Fuimaono Karl
Pulotu-Endemann and Anglican priests Reverend Sande Ramage and Reverend
Bob Scott. There were a number of readings during the ceremony
(including a poem read by Georgina Beyer and a piece from Witi Ihimaera
read by Nanaia Mahuta), as well as
live music from Moana Maniapoto.
We
spent the whole day at the marae and
only left around 5pm because we had to
get the kids back to Taupo and
settled down for the night. Attending Tim and Ramon’s civil union was a
wonderful experience for our family for a variety of different
reasons. It was lovely that we were all invited and that it was fine
for the boys to run around with the other children and be themselves. Tim
and Ramon both wrote their own vows and hadn’t shown them to each other.
It stirred a lot of emotions listening to them reading their vows, their
declaration of love for and commitment to one another. It was such a
privilege to be part of something so personal and it brought back memories
of our special day two years earlier. These moments happen only occasionally
in one’s life and as such can be very intense and powerful. In addition,
the marae experience was great for the boys – Russell was particularly
impressed by the warrior who issued the challenge before we entered the
marae.
So,
Tim and Ramon, I hope you have a wonderful life together full of fun, joy
and
amazing
shared experiences. May your love for one another grow even deeper over
time and give you strength and courage when life is challenging. May
your life as a couple be happy and blessed.
THE
POWER OF JUAN
by
Anna Chinn
There
must be no such thing as an impatient gay priest in the Anglican church.
Not an openly gay one, anyway. Getting to be ordained takes years of
wrangling and hand-wringing – it is hard to imagine that candidates who
are inclined to demand a smooth process would have the stamina to go as
far as priesthood. But Dunedin priest Juan Kinnear (39), who was ordained
in November last year some 20 years after his first attempt, is a patient
guy. “I just reached a point at which I knew that I couldn’t force
this.”
Not
long before the first attempt, back in his native South Africa, Kinnear,
then a theology student, entered his current relationship. He was accepted
as a candidate for ordination in the Johannesburg diocese, “but at that
stage, my partner and I had formed a strong relationship and we both
believed that, in all fairness, I had to play open
cards with the then bishop, which I did. And his message to me was fairly
straightforward - while he would consider me for ordination, in all truth
it would
probably be better if I just went away.”
Kinnear
did go away, along with his partner, who at that point chose to abandon
his own candidacy. In 1998, while living in Pietermaritzburg, the couple
decided to move to New Zealand. “Really sort of out of the blue, both of
us said, ‘You know what, our jobs
really aren’t going anywhere, and what’s the worst that could happen?’”
They
spent some years in Auckland before Dunedin beckoned. After about a year
of working in administration here, Kinnear made a “cautious” approach
to the city diocese to see about becoming a priest. More years passed. The
bishop was retiring and a new one had to be appointed. Then the new one,
George Connor, became ill and was out of commission for a good while. “But
in the meantime, St Paul’s really took me to heart, in a way which was
quite remarkable and they were as a congregation tremendously supportive
of my endeavours, and David [Cappel Rice] the dean was very encouraging.”
So
it followed that, when all the hand-wringing within the wider church
began, those same parishioners “just sort of rallied around me and said
this was going to be okay and ‘Even if it gets rough, you don’t worry
about it, we’re your family and we’ll stand around you’ which was
quite remarkable really because, well, it has to be acknowledged that in
any parish you have divergence of opinion.”
Before
becoming a priest, candidates usually spend a year doing a priestly
apprenticeship as a deacon and it was at Kinnear’s ordination as a
deacon where matters came to a head. During that ceremony, in 2006, Bishop
George asked the congregation
whether the candidates should be ordained. A real Wally spoke up. So did a
Malcolm and a John. All three had come from Christchurch to object to the
ordination of a gay man.
“I
was facing the other way so I couldn’t see, but later on I read that
these folk had travelled in from Christchurch and at that point in the
ordination service where there is a pause, a bit like the wedding service,
where they sort of say ‘Are you in favour of this person being ordained?’
these folk stood up and they said ‘No, we’re not.’ And they wanted
to make a statement, but the bishop paused for a moment and then just
carried on. They were quite upset about that because I think that they had
hoped the service would grind to a halt. But anyway, the bishop just
paused and he was quite unwell at that stage - he’d just come out of a
bypass and I could see that he was, uh ... It’s still quite emotional
for me ... He just forged ahead. And coming to the end of the ordination,
what happens is the congregation sort of gathers around you and puts their
hands on you and there’s just this tremendous sense of affirmation and belonging. Because that’s what ordination is - it’s about a group, a
community, affirming a person for a particular role. So after that, when
the choir was singing and so on, I didn’t want to make a big emotional
show but I just went and stood quietly in the corner behind the pulpit and
had a quiet cry.”
The
next year saw several moderated discussions as the bishop tried to broker
some understanding
between the diocese’s more conservative and more liberal groups. In the
end, Kinnear’s ordination as a priest last November went without a
hitch and he describes the current situation thus: “There’s no
stone-throwing. I think there’s a real sense in which folk have come to
a point at which they understand, well, many of us
stand
here and many of us stand here,
and we’re not necessarily going to meet in the middle and embrace.”
Kinnear
is now working towards his PhD in theology at the University of Otago
while continuing his ministry at St Paul’s. His PhD is taking a long
time, but then, the dude has patience to spare.
LOCAL
LGBT/QUEER GROUPS
ASCENT
by
Pat, Secretary of Ascent
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
fi rst OGT for 2008 is a time to look forward and a time to look back.
There is still work
to be done for equal treatment not only for all our citizens both gay and straight, but also for different nationalities, cultures and religious
beliefs.
We
have had huge advances in human rights in the last fi fty or sixty years.
I well remember
coming back to New Zealand in the mid 1950s and being appalled at seeing
work vacancies with “no Catholic or Irish need apply“. Shortly after
that, the law forbad those ads.
The
same situation existed for people who were, or were suspected of being,
gay (used
in the wider sense) or the variety of names they were called at that time.
That
has changed, and even today changes are still going on. Church
congregations have
become much more accepting of their membership, sometimes ahead of their ministers
of religion or leaders!
Every
religion and belief has been persecuted at some time by those in power,
the people
or “the mob” of the day. We would expect those who for generations
suffered discrimination
for their beliefs to have some attempt at understanding the situation of other
people.
With
the changes in the last few years our organisation gets fewer calls for
help
since
gay people today are not as isolated as we were 25 years ago. The time
will
possibly
come when Ascent is no longer needed for the reasons it was originally
founded
- and this could be a mark of progress! However, we fi nd a get together
in a
completely
friendly atmosphere refreshing and uplifting and it’s looked forward to
by
our
members. The spiritual aspects and aims of Ascent, with support for
members and their families, remain just as important today as when we were
fi rst founded.
Publications
such as the Otago Gaily
Times play an increasingly
important roll in keeping
issues to the forefront for the gay community and help us remember that being
gay does not mean we are all exactly the same; acknowledging our
differences makes
us who we are, an important part of society.
SOCIAL
SOCCER WITH THE
PURPLE
PASSIONS
Another
exciting year has started and the Purple Passions have
new
challenges.
Challenge
1: Retain the wonderful and gorgeous women in the Purple Passions team.
Challenge
2: Continue having fun and encouraging women to join the Purple Passions
team.
Challenge
3: Celebrate the fantastic supporters that watch the Purple Passions team
throughout each year.
Challenge
4: NZ MASTERS 2008 – 7-9 February.
Yes,
the NZ Masters, what an exciting challenge! The Purple Passions for the
3rd year running have entered a team into the NZ Masters women’s social
soccer competition. The women are training hard and looking GREAT!! (Yes
supporters are welcome
to
watch the team train as well if they want!!)
The
Masters Games are being held in Dunedin this year and from 7-9 February
the Logan Park grounds will become the home of much hilarity, colour, heat
and sweat – and that’s just from the supporters on the sideline!!
So
come along, be part of the wonderful spirit that is the Purple Passions,
whether it’s
at the Masters or at our regular season games - all are welcome.
If
you would like any further information about the Purple Passions, then
contact Lisa on 021-279-5374 or 471-8200.
UNIQ
OTAGO
UniQ
Otagowill be maintaining a constant presence
this
O-Week at both Tent City and Clubs Day from
Monday
18th till Wednesday 20th February on the
Union
Lawn. Come and meet one of the friendly
UniQ
representatives, join our mailing list, offer
your
services as one of our valuable volunteers,
pick
up some info on what UniQ has to offer you,
or
just sit down with a cup of tea or coffee on us!
On
Friday 22nd February you will fi nd tea, coffee
and
members of our queer ‘n friendly campus
community
at the “Fruit Salad” queer meet and
greet.
Just pop into the Otago Room in the OUSA
Clubs
and Societies building between 12pm
and
2pm to experience the fi rst “Fruit Salad” of
the
year! (“Fruit Salad” is a social group run by
UniQ
for queers of all persuasions and gender
identities.)
Finally,
UniQ will be wrapping up O-Week festivities
on
Saturday 1st March with “Traffi c Light”, the fi rst
in
a series of monthly queer ‘n friendly parties
held
on the fi rst Saturday of every month. Indicate
your
current position in full colour - GREEN to
go,
RED to say no and ORANGE if you could be
persuaded!
Venue and admission cost for this
event
are yet to be confi rmed.
Plus
- look forward to more great UniQ events
during
the year including the biannual Queerest
Tea
Parties, movie screenings, a contingent to
head
to Gay Ski Week (Aug/Sept), Pride Week
escapades
and the National UniQ Conference
(June)
hosted by UniQ Otago.
RAINBOW
FAMILIES
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
Dunedin Rainbow Families group has been running for many years now and there’s
a range in the ages of the children – babies, toddlers, pre-schoolers
and 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 or the upcoming events, contact Barb or Tor on [email protected]
or 453-1108.
THE
L WALKERS
by
Kate and Leigh
Mud,
sunshine, sprinkles of rain, rivulets of sweat (possibly tainted
with
the previous night’s party fluids), breeze, sand, sea, streams,
boulder
hopping, up and down hills (or was that a mountain?),
wonderful
views, vibrant chatter, reflective silences and satisfied
smiley
faces. Just some of the wonderful experiences that L Walkers
encounter
and enjoy once a month as they move gaily forward with
each
other in the great Otago environment. Oh, and the odd “Are
we
there yet?” along with other unprintable expressions when the
going
gets tough. One may also catch a handy hint or two on our
meanderings,
such as how useful the dishwasher is in returning mud
soaked
white shoes to their original colour.
During
the Pride Week “Climb Every Mountain” walk in 2006, three
women
showed an interest in holding regular walks for Dunedin
lesbian
women. Following this meeting and predominantly through
word
of mouth, ten women met at Allan’s Beach for our inaugural
walk
in October that year, and afterwards met for a drink at
Portobello
to discuss the structure of the walking group. It was
decided
the group would be for queer and questioning women
and
The L Walkers was adopted as the official title for the group.
Variation
in the grade of terrain we would traverse was considered
important
so that a range of capabilities and interests was catered
for.
The first Sunday of the month at 1pm was chosen as the day
and
time to meet. At each walk, those attending would decide where
the
following month’s walk was to be held. A collection of e-mail
addresses
(which now numbers 51) was started, with Kate and Leigh
taking
responsibility for sending out information about upcoming
walks.
This information includes whether the terrain is suitable for
children,
whether or not the location is dog friendly and instructions
on
how to get to the destination.
From
the time we began in October 2006 we have had a monthly
walk,
with varying numbers of walkers attending. Some attend
regularly,
but first time faces are warmly welcomed. Warrington
and
Ocean View beach walks have attracted the largest numbers of
women.
Twenty-two women and ten dogs attended the latter walk
in
July last year - maybe it was something to do with the afternoon
tea
that followed at a local house for a birthday girl (with another
birthday
girl discovered amongst the group!).
Amongst
the most interesting gatherings was that at Sullivan’s Dam
where
we climbed the muddy Cloud Forest track to a lookout -
interesting
because everybody’s shoes and lower trousers were the
same
colour after our expedition! Another was discovering in
December
last year that Trotters Gorge walk is not a flat one and
there
just may be a photo around somewhere of a most adventurous
Rachel
doing an Edmund Hillary to the top of a high, steep rock
outcrop.
Following this, many of us enjoyed kai and a drink at Fleur’s
in
Moeraki to finish the year’s journeying.
The
adventures that The L Walkers have in the bushes and on
the
beaches, the pleasurable company, the number of women
attending,
the smiley faces and the cheery goodbyes to be seen at
the
completion of another great walk give a good indication of The L
Walkers’
success.
Any
further information concerning the walks can be obtained
from
Kate at [email protected]
or Leigh at
[email protected]
THE
L CLUB
The
L Club has been running for about 2 years now, and we enjoy it. Lesbians
over
45
meet up once a month for a catch up with friends, to meet new friends,
find out
what
is happening in the lesbian community and have a coffee or a meal.
Numbers
vary from about three to seventeen. This is a good way to meet other
lesbians
for those who have just arrived in Dunedin or those who are just coming
out
or those who have lived here for ages and want to extend their lesbian
contacts.
We
meet on the second Thursday of every month now. We send out a reminder
email
beforehand so if you want to have your name added to the list just email
[email protected]
- and if you don’t have email, then call 478-0560 and leave
your
phone number.
Our
next get together will be at Potpourri (Lower Stuart St) at 5.30pm on
Thursday
14 February. This venue is likely to change from March onwards - so
come
with your ideas for alternatives, and get your name on the email list so
that
you
don’t miss out on any changes that happen during the year.
For
more information contact Orma on 478-0560 or email [email protected]
LESBIAN
SOFTBALL TEAM
In
case you haven’t heard of us … the Cardinal Sinners is the local
lesbian
softball team. We play in a social league from October
through
to March.
This
season has seen many new players come
through
as well as the usual regulars. This has meant
that
the team has done quite well with many games
won
as well as the odd butt-kicking thrown in. This
hasn’t
dampened the spirits of the team though with
plenty
of players and supporters coming back each
weekend.
Injuries
have been kept to a minimum so far this season with a lot of
bruises
and only the odd torn cartilage.
If
anyone is interested in playing or supporting, then please email
Lee
and Sarah on [email protected]
for more information.
TEAMWORK
- PFLAG & THE
YOUTH
GROUP
Recent
tributes to Sir Edmund Hillary who died on 10 January have highlighted
the
achievements of this remarkable New Zealander yet, as one documentary
portrayed,
when he started secondary school as a small boy he was classified by
the
gym teacher as “a misfit”, an event that was, he said, the beginning
of feelings
of
inferiority which were to remain with him for the rest of his life.
Gay,
lesbian and transgender children can often feel they too don’t measure
up
and are similarly categorised by a society that assumes that everyone is
heterosexual.
This can be at least as damaging for them as it was for Sir Ed.
The
journey to self acceptance, to “coming out” to ourselves and then our
family
and
friends, can seem as difficult as the ascent of Everest must have seemed
from
base
camp back in 1953. What made it possible for Hillary and Tensing to reach
the
summit was a team that provided the resources they needed for the climb
and
that
was committed to their eventual success.
PFLAG
South (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) is a Dunedin
organisation
committed to supporting young GLBT people on their journey into
adulthood.
We provide personal support, information and resources that can point
you
in the right direction and help you over the crevasses and rocky parts
along
the
way.
Reaching
the summit of Everest changed Hillary’s life and enabled him to embark
on
many ambitious projects that were a mark of his greatness. Many GLBT
people
see
their coming out experience as an equally important event in their lives.
PFLAG
South organises monthly meetings for teenagers aged 18 or under. These
are
social occasions where young GLBT people can meet and have fun together.
We
also run support meetings for people of all ages and sexual orientations
and
these
are held on the fourth Monday of each month. Information is available
online
at http://au.geocities.com/pflagsouth, on our help line 027-686-9304, from
the
leaflet rack beside the returns window at the Dunedin Public Library, from
school
counsellors or by emailing [email protected]. All contacts are treated in
confidence.
Resource
For Working
With
Queer Youth
Family
Planning has recently released an
updated
version of “Affirming Diversity - An
Educational
Resource On Sexual Orientation
And
Gender Identity”. The resource is
for
secondary school teachers and youth
workers
to use with young people and aims
to
create safer environments for LGBTT/
queer
people.
The
resource contains background
material
on the nature of human sexuality
and
gender identity. It examines the impact
of
discrimination and prejudice on young
LGBTT/queer
people and unpacks common
myths.
Tips
on teaching comprehensive sexuality
education
and ensuring safer school and
learning
environments are included, along
with
fourteen lesson plans and activities.
“Affirming
Diversity” (2007) is a revised
and
updated version of the resource of the
same
name first printed in 1993.
Frances
Bird, Director Health Promotion
of
Family Planning, says the resource had
been
in constant demand since 1993, but
needed
updating to reflect changes in
legislation
and societal attitudes, as well as
to
be inclusive of the needs of transgendered
people.
“It has been incredibly well received
and
is proving to be popular. The Education
Review
Office report noting that diversity is
dealt
with badly in the majority of schools
has
meant schools are increasingly looking
for
good resources and training supports.”
“Affirming
Diversity” is available from
Family
Planning at www.familyplanning.co.nz
for
$40.00 or by phoning 04-384-4349.
Spectrum
What
is Spectrum?
Spectrum
has been in existence in Dunedin since July 2007. Spectrum events feature
Dunedin’s
best drag artists, singers, dancers and actors and include games,
competitions, lucky door prizes and birthday surprises. Spectrum has great
music and it changes all the time as they use different DJs. A goody bag
is given to the first 100 people through the door and
there
are discounted drinks and cocktails as well as freebies throughout the
night (thanks to the various sponsors).
Each
month’s event has a different theme and the organisers try to always put
something different into the events. In the past these have included a spa
in the bar, topless back-up dancers at the x-rated event, jelly wrestling,
tarot and palm readers, kissing booths. To check out past events,
including pictures, go to www.myspace/oeddunedin.com
Who
is Spectrum for?
Spectrum
events are LGBT/queer events but they’re open to friends, family and
anyone who’s supportive of the LGBT/queer community. They’re for
couples and singles. They’re a place for accepting people for who they
are and a respectful place for all.
Spectrum
Dates, Venue & Themes for 2008
All
of these Spectrum events will take place at Arc Café (lower High Street)
starting at 9pm.
16
Feb - Pirates of the gay-a-be-in; 15 March - Fairytopia; 19 April -
Brokeback Mountain; 17
May
- Queer Olympics; 14 June - Futurerama; 12 July – Spectrum’s 1st
Birthday; 16 Aug - The
Punk
Party; 20 Sept - Pride Party; 18 Oct - An Early Halloween; 15 Nov - A
Masked Ball
The
Spectrum Club
You
can join the Spectrum Club at a cost of $20. What does membership give
you? Reduced
door
charge at Spectrum events (just $5), prizes, discounts from sponsors, a
Spectrum
monthly
email newsletter and a members only night once a year. If you’re
interested in joining
the
Spectrum Club, then send an email to South at [email protected]
Adventure
Days
Last
year quite a few people indicated that they wanted to party fortnightly.
So, this year
Spectrum
is also hoping to introduce QPID (Queer Pride in Dunedin) Adventure Days.
The first
QPID
event is planned for 1 March 2008. It will start at the Dunedin
Observatory at 9pm for
looking
at the stars in a way you never have before and then on to a bonfire to
cook some
sausages
and marshmallows. The cost will be $10. Bookings will need to be made in
advance
for
this event. To make a booking email [email protected]
poetry
If
Love Were A Flower
by
Jane E Libeau
Through
the winter months
A
bud does show
And
longs for sun
To
bring warmth to grow
Wait
she must
For
spring to nurture
The
sleeping ground
And
nudge the bud
With
her soft sweet sound
Spring
has spoken
Her
voice gentle yet louder
The
bud does bloom
Into
a beautiful flower.
Mates
And Lovers: A History Of Gay New Zealand
will
be
published by Random House this year. It looks at the
development
of gay identity in New Zealand from about the 1830s until 1980, and has a
large illustrated component. Its author, Chris Brickell, an Otago
University lecturer, discussed this exciting new book with Anna Chinn.
You’ve
probably got now an overview of 150 years of gay history in
New
Zealand. What words would you use to describe that history
overall?
It’s
surprisingly complex, I think. It’s got both ends of the spectrum, so
there
is
quite a lot of really tragic stuff in there, particularly around the use
of the
law
and also, later on, the use of medicine and psychiatry, but that’s
mostly
the
’50s and ’60s ... You see some lives that have been quite badly
ruined,
but
you also see close groups, close bonds, close friendships. A sense of
being
together against a society that’s not particularly forgiving.
In
our earlier conversation you mentioned you’d deliberately
included
a lot of Otago content and the early court records here were
particularly
well kept. What are some of the more interesting things
you
found out about our region?
Well,
one of the things about the 19th century court records is that the police
really
only acted on the basis of complaints, so you’re dealing with cases
where
men approached other men and got rebuffed and some guy got
terribly
upset and went to the police. Perhaps my favourite case is involving
a
policeman who followed two men out of a hotel in Oamaru in 1888 and
stood
on one side of a hedge and took down in his notebook what they were
talking
about when they were having sex on the other side of the hedge. And
I
won’t say what they said because you can find that out later, but that
sort
of
thing was quite delightful, because you can get men’s actual
dialogue.
Other
than the court records in Otago, what other source material
does
one use for getting a sense of what was going on in the gay
world
in the 19th century?
Some
sources are clearer – there’s quite a rich photographic record and
photographs
are really useful as sources, not just as subsidiary illustrations.
One
of the other kind of interesting cases is the case of William Yate, who
was
the missionary who ran into a spot of bother. That produced a volume of
paperwork
within that church missionary society. And we also have his diary.
When
you say a spot of bother, you mean because he was gay?
Yeah.
He became involved with a sailor and he was also involved with young
Maori
youths and both of those things led him into some difficulty with the
church
authorities, basically. So we’ve got that. There’s also a couple of
ships’
journals. The 19th century’s been interesting because it’s a matter of
piecing
together from tiny, tiny little
fragments of information ... Once we
think
we know what’s going on, we can then reconstruct from diaries, notices
in
the newspaper, working out who men’s friends were, from electoral rolls
and
street directories and those kind of databases. You can use those sorts
of
sources to reconstruct a bit about their lives.
Who
their companions might have been and so on, ahh okay. Was
there
a lot of cohabitation among men?
I
don’t know that, but I suspect there probably was. One of the things
that
turns
up is that the boarding house and the hotel were really popular, and
it
does seem that men weren’t too concerned about what other men were
doing
in those kind of settings. So it looks like it would’ve been quite
possible
for
men to live together. I think something that’s quite important about the
19th
century is that it was actually only sodomy that was illegal until 1893,
so
most sexual activities between men weren’t illegal at all for most of
the
century,
and I think that put a different cast on what was possible, too.
You
say that illustrations are a really good reference and you’ve got
280
odd illustrations in there – well, not all of them odd...
Some
of them are odd.
I
was assuming they would not be overtly homoerotic, but were
there
some quite overtly gay images from the 19th century? Or how
were
you able to identify them as such if they were subtle?
There’s
a body of work from one particular photographer which is quite
striking
... The men are expressing a particular kind of sentimental
friendship.
The other thing that’s important about the 19th century is,
because
that idea of the intimate, even passionate male friendship was one
that
was quite prevalent, part of the question I’ve been asking is what was
the
relationship of that kind of idealised sentimental friendship to an
overtly
erotic
kind of relationship? And so that question itself forms part of the
history.
Now,
you’ve written this huge comprehensive history of New
Zealand.
What has led you to become the gay Michael King, if you
like?
Well,
it was really kind of funny because I was going to write just a little
book
and then a little book turned into some kind of bigger thing. My
background’s in sociology and in geography and in history and so those
things lend themselves to it quite nicely because you can look at
identity, you can look at space and you can look at the past. The other
thing is that there was a huge, huge gap, because no one had really
systematically looked at the topic. And it was too tantalising a
topic in the end to let slip by as an opportunity.
WORLD
WATCH
Sources:
www.gaydarnation.com , www.365Gay.com
,
www.pinknews.co.uk
TERRORISTS
TARGET GAY MAYOR
France
Police
are increasing security around Paris Mayor Bertrand
Delanoe
after a website identified him as a target for Al-Qaeda
terrorists.
Messages on the site said that terrorists had
pinpointed
Delanoe and the city of Paris in an attempt to bring
down
the French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, who supported the
war
in Iraq, but who has extremely tight security. While popular
in
Paris, Tunisian-born Delanoe has come under fire from the
capital’s
Muslim community because he is openly gay. Delanoe
announced
he was gay during a 1998 television interview
before
being elected mayor. He was stabbed in a Paris street
in
2002 by a man who told police “he hated politicians, the
Socialist
Party, and the homosexuals”.
HATE
CRIMES ON THE RISE
Australia
Hate
crimes against gay men in Sydney are increasing. The
AIDS
Council of NSW (ACON) has received 22 reports of
homophobic
violence in the past six weeks alone, compared
with
30 over the previous five months. In response to the
brutal
and unsolved bashing of a gay couple in Surry Hills
early
in December 2007, the council is planning to lodge a
formal
complaint with the NSW Ombudsman against police
for
allegedly failing to protect the gay community. While
police
were quick to attend the crime scene, the couple feel
their
case was not taken seriously. The bashing of the couple
prompted
Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore to write to NSW
Police
Minister David Campbell for the second time in a month
demanding
police take more action.
BABY
TAKEN FROM COUPLE
Brazil
A
government official who successfully fought to take an
adopted
baby away from a gay couple in Brazil has said that
“gay
couples are abnormal”. The baby had been under the
care
a 30-year-old transsexual hairdresser, Roberta Góes
Luiz,
and her partner for eight months. “I’ve been through
three
psychological evaluations successfully,” Roberta told a
newspaper.
“I have my own home, I’ve been with my partner
for
six years and I have a job. But for others that isn’t “normal”
and
I’m not capable of taking care of a baby. That’s prejudice,
there
is no other explanation. But I’m not going to give up. I
want
my son back.” The official is reported as saying: “I’m not
discriminating.
I simply understand that this child has the right
to
a conventional family, with a mother that is a woman and a
father
that is a man. I don’t think it is correct to give custody to
that
transsexual man.”
PARTY
PLEDGES TO CREATE FAMILY MINISTRY
Spain
The
main opposition party, Partido Popular, has made a bid for
conservative
and Catholic votes by promising to establish a
new
family ministry if they win the elections in March. Leader
Mariano
Rajoy recently suggested that the “traditional family”
needs
extra protection now that the incumbent Socialist
government
has legalised same-sex marriage, eased divorce
laws
and repeatedly clashed with the Catholic Church. Despite
their
appeals to devout Spaniards and their conservative
stance,
PP have not indicated they intend amending or
abolishing
gay marriage should they come to power.
The
Jailhouse Blues
by
Anna Chinn
The
opening of a prison in Milton last year drew more media interest even than
the opening of the town’s other great institution, a sausage museum. So
the time seemed right to find out what happens when members of the queer
community land behind bars, and what are some of the issues specific to
our people inside.
The
recent Transgender Inquiry by the Human Rights Commission brought to light
some of the concerns of trans inmates. The relevant Department of
Corrections policy
goes: “Prisoners who believe that their anatomical or biological gender
is opposite to their birth gender are contained in an environment that
acknowledges and
accepts their gender identification and does not disadvantage or restrict
their opportunities
for successful reintegration into the community.” Yet, in practice,
gender reassignment surgery appears to be required before trans prisoners
can be placed in a facility housing people of their gender identity. In
other words, MtF prisoners usually stay in men’s prisons and FtM
prisoners are usually housed with women.
Thus,
public submissions to the inquiry highlighted problems ranging from
prisoners being
addressed by their birth name rather than their legal name, through to
difficulties in keeping safe from transphobic harassment by other
prisoners - protective isolation being cited as “a double penalty”.
Disturbingly,
the summary of submissions noted: “Others suggested it was seen as easier
to place trans inmates in segregated wings, often with child sex
offenders, than to provide a safe environment within mainstream prison
wings.” The
findings of that inquiry had not been released at the time of writing, but
they will
be available at www.hrc.co.nz by the time you read this.
Targeted
harassment of gays and lesbians in prison does not seem to be so much of
an issue, but the reason for that is not pretty. The fact is, while sexual
activity is common
in prisons, so is sexual violation thereby making it harder to distinguish
the same-sex
attracted prisoners from the plain bullies and the plain bullied. School
caretaker Shona Cooley is a lesbian who spent time in the remand wing
of
a Christchurch prison while in her 20s. She described the environment like
this: “I do
know that straight women went in there and ended up, y’know, turning
gay, just through
loneliness and just, I presume, wanting to have some love. But there were some
scary women in there that certainly did rape other women.”
When
asked whether she thought those women who “turned” in prison might be recognising
their innate sexuality, Cooley said: “Yeah, well they either do, or it’s
just peer
pressure as well. You know, there are some really fuckin’ staunch women
in jail, and
I think for someone who has just done some silly things but has never had
to really,
like, fight, a lot of them would submit to the bullying and stuff that
goes on in there.
It’s just as bad as what the men jails are, if not worse.”
The
upshot for gays and lesbians, then, appears to be that same-sex attraction
is
not
a major issue in prison. Rather, a major issue for all
prisoners is safety. Those who are
routinely subjected to abuse by other prisoners are damned if they don’t
complain but,
according to Cooley, they are damned if they do. “You know, if you’re
a nark in there
then you get dealt to.”
Compounding
that problem is the risk of getting a sexually transmitted infection in
prison, either through consensual or non-consensual intercourse. In an
email, the manager
of the all-male Otago Corrections Facility at Milton, Jack Harrison, said: “As
part of the department’s harm minimisation initiatives to reduce the
spread of communicable diseases, medical officers are permitted to prescribe condoms to prisoners
based on consideration of clinical factors.” Which sounds suspiciously
like you have to have an
infection before you can access condoms.
In
conclusion, prison sucks. Queer folk who must spend time behind bars can only
hope jail staff will have their heads screwed on right. Said Harrison: “Corrections
staff
are professionals who are responsible for working with prisoners from all
walks of
life whether that be from different cultural, ethnic or religious
backgrounds, ages
or sexuality and our expectation is that everyone is afforded the same
level of professionalism
in their dealings with staff.”
Let’s
Beat Homophobia
To
my understanding, homophobia is not just the fault of
homophobes,
it comes from the past - from great grandfathers
to
grandfathers to fathers to sons. So, when it comes to this
generation
and everything else that has changed - hitting your
kids,
for example - why then does homophobia survive? It survives
through
ignorance. I have had many a discussion over the years
with
the most homophobic and I would ask them: Who would
choose
to be gay? Because that is their fear. Really who would?
Although
homophobia is getting slowly better, there are still gay
bashings,
people are still judged wrongly because of who they are
and
penalised for it. But, as I have seen for myself, these people
can
and in some cases have changed these views.
Years
ago I just hung out with the boys. Having martial art
experience
made this easy and so I got to know many boys with
harsh
views towards gay men. These boys used to go find the gays
and
peel them out with a wrong sense of pride (before they met
me).
Today as these boys are still my friends they have done a
100%
turn around. Now they find their own pride in straight not
narrow
and some of them would admit now to being a little bi.
When
they meet our wonderful gay boys in the street now they
laugh
and talk, accept them and know that power comes from
the
pride and security of their own sexuality (as with us) and not
through
their fists or negative mouths. It’s the person that you fall
in
love with and how they treat you that matters and it’s not a big
deal
what sexuality they are.
I
have had a lot of parties over the years and have had friends
from
many different walks of life. So, I’ve always had gay friends.
And
I have seen people change. To all you guys out there - and
you
know who you are - I’m so proud of you all. You do make a
difference
and it does make me smile that you make an effort to
support
a community of people that may be a little different than
yourself.
Love,
peace, mung beans and death to homophobia.
South
Letter
To The Editor
Dear
Editor
The
cover of the last OGT and the editorial regarding the “cancelled”
stickers and
the
council’s reaction to them is perhaps nothing compared to the inhumane
way
most
gays act toward gays in a silent (and sometimes not so silent) but
destructive
manner.
I
am out, but just a regular guy like any other red-blooded, non-stereotype
gay
guy
and I have found that most straight people are totally fine with me being
gay.
However,
most of those nasties the OGT cover showed as stamped out as “cancelled”
are
anything but from our “own side”!
A
visit to a gay scene venue (be it a bar, a dance or whatever) there’s
the same
sort
of behaviour and, invariably, this happens not only here but in any part
of the
western
world. I guess many that go to such places are there to be seen only. I
have
long
since stopped going - there’d be better chance in a redneck pub in the
wop
wops!
A visit to most gay dating sites is met with the same cold apathy with few
guys
having any sense of manners or ethics whatsoever towards others.
The
laws we have cancelling discrimination and bringing in civil unions are
now
largely
laid waste as few consider a wholesome relationship anyway. Discrimination
for
HIV+ sufferers is rampant from the gay side at a time when anyone with it
perhaps
needs more care than ever before. Thus, as a friend said, with all this
gay
tolerance
law in place it would seem that the “baby got thrown out with the bath
water”.
The nastiness from one gay to another is still very much “active” and
usually
done
just for one’s own self-gratification. Any straight guy who is aware
must see
gays
as incredibly self destructive to their own team.
The
interesting irony is that countries where being gay is repressed still are
the
places
left on earth where there at least is some hope of finding a decent
person.
Yours,
Paul
Jeffery
[Abridged.
It’s unfortunate that your experience of the gay community has been so
negative.
The phrase at the bottom of the cover on the November 2007 issue of the
OGT
– “One Day?” – implied that the concepts that had the cancelled
stickers over
them
have not yet disappeared from society whether the perpetrators be queer or
straight,
institutions or laws, etc. While it is true that within queer communities
there
sometimes
are homophobic behaviours, in my experience negative responses and
actions
towards queer people are also still carried out by straight people. -
Editor]
HRC’s
Transgender
Inquiry
The
final report of the Human Rights Commission’s Transgender Inquiry, To
Be
Who
I Am: Kia
noho au ki tōku anō ao,
was released on Friday 18 January. The
report
is the culmination of an 18 month long public inquiry into the
discrimination
experienced
by transgender people. Over that time the Commission’s Inquiry Team
met
with over 200 people, held hearings in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch
and
Dunedin
and received more than 130 submissions.
The
Transgender Inquiry has looked at three key areas: personal experiences
of
discrimination, difficulties accessing health services and the barriers
transgender
people
face when trying to have their gender status legally recognised on
documents
like
birth certificates and passports. Commissioners heard from a wide range of
transgender
people, from an 11-year-old to a person in her late 70s. Trans people
who
spoke to the Inquiry came from all walks of life, including farmers,
business
people,
health professionals and parents. Some had transitioned many years ago and
simply
live as men and women while others identify, for example, as transsexual,
transgender,
fa’afafine, gender-queer or as cross dressers.
The
Inquiry held hui and fono to ensure that Commissioners heard the
experiences
of
whakawāhine, tangata ira tane, fa’afafine and other Pasifika trans
people. Their
stories
have been crucial in developing recommendations that are relevant to trans
communities
in Aotearoa/New Zealand. The Inquiry’s final report also includes a
specific
chapter on the barriers faced by trans children, young people and their
families.
Health
professionals, family members, community groups, unions and academics
also
made submissions highlighting the changes needed so that trans people
enjoy
the
same human rights as others in New Zealand. While this report details the
levels
of
discrimination and barriers faced by trans people, it is also a
celebration of their
resilience,
dignity and strength and the contributions they make to many communities
throughout
this country.
Four
out of five submissions to the Inquiry described examples of serious
discrimination
from harassment at work to assault and sexual abuse. For some,
discrimination
has become so common that it was expected.
The
Transgender Report highlights four areas for immediate attention:
• Increasing participation of trans
people in decisions that affect them.
• Strengthening the legal protections
making discrimination against trans people
unlawful.
• Improving access to health services,
including gender reassignment services.
• Simplifying requirements for change
of sex on a birth certificate, passport and
other
documents.
While
the Inquiry’s terms of reference were limited to trans people, intersex
people
made
submissions that have raised significant human rights issues. These merit
urgent
consideration and will require further in-depth work by the Commission in
consultation
with intersex people and their families, relevant government agencies and
health
professionals.
A
copy of the report of the Transgender Inquiry can be downloaded from
www.hrc.
co.nz/transgenderinquiry
or a printed copy can be requested by emailing the Project
Manager,
Jack Byrne, on [email protected]
Out
In Africa
Crossing Mali
by
Brent Coutts & Gavin Hurley
(NZ:
Brent Coutts, 2007) - Review by John
Robinson
Crossing
Mali is the latest offering from
Auckland based poet, publisher,
traveller
and history teacher Brent Coutts. He hails from Balclutha and
studied
at Otago University so we can claim him as one of our own. His first
book
of verse, I Know,
appeared in 1994. It is an elegant, hand typeset volume of twelve pieces
with such titles as “The Surprise (Finding John & Mark Kissing)”. I
Know is recognised as New Zealand’s
first book of openly gay verse.
I
would like to quote here in full “My Father’s Eyes”, a later work,
as an
example
of Coutts’ tone and sensitivity:
I
can not remember
the
colour of my
father’s
eyes
blue
I think
blue
and
lost for a
reason
why I
can
not remember
I
telephone him
to
ask.
In
the polite conversation
I
tell him about my
boyfriend
though
he will never
ask
and
never comment on
what
is said.
It
is hard to explain
how
this hurts so much
but
it does.
“the
colour of my
eyes?
blue-grey,”
he says.
“Crossing
Mali”, the poem, was written in 1997 when Coutts and his partner David
Josland travelled eventfully along the Niger River. It is meditative and
romantic:
“There
have been actors before us tales told and movies dreamed.
Who
on this journey will we play?”
Gavin
Hurley, the Auckland artist with a genuine interest in the heroes of the
golden age of exploration, has taken up the challenge. His response was to
create an enchanting suite of 24 coloured paper collages - pictures of
explorers (Mungo Park, Callie, Barth, Laing and David Josland), maps,
postcard glimpses, puzzles and warnings. We don’t know the actual sizes
of these images, but they translate beautifully to the page. His cheeky,
orange schoolbook cover design is a delight too.
Crossing
Mali, the book, is a little
beauty. It is available for $30.00 from the publisher [email protected]
and also from Red Tussock Gallery in Alexandra.
Not
Only “Coupledom”
Gay
And Single … Forever? 10 Things
Every Gay Guy Looking For Love (And
Not
Finding It) Needs To Know
by
Steven
