“All black lives matter”: In solidarity with the black transgender community
Some 200 people – including many from Wellington’s LGBTQI+ community – marched in solidarity with the Black transgender community in the US in Wellington over the weekend. The march was called after Merci Mack, a Black transgender woman, was murdered last week in the US. This brings the total number of reported transgender or gender-non-conforming […]
Our Bodies! Our Choice!
This rainy Tuesday, 250 people marched from Midland Park to Parliament to demand abortion be decriminalised. Around the country hundreds more rallied. Andrew Little’s Abortion Legislation Bill is approaching its second reading, and the pressure is on to get it passed. The bill removes abortion from the crimes act, and scraps the requirement for approval […]
Our March 2: Vindication Boogaloo
Comrade Daisy Ditchburn writes about their experiences participating in Our March, celebrating the kaupapa of OurPride, through liberating and celebrating with Auckland’s rainbow communities. First started in 2019 in response to the acceptance of uniformed police officers in Pride and rejuvenating the long history of struggle for LGBTQ rights. It was with smug satisfaction that […]
Socialists support trans rights
In 2008 the Human Rights Commission (HRC) reported that trans people faced “pervasive and entrenched barriers to the enjoyment of the same rights and responsibilities as other New Zealanders.” What a diverse range of people had had in common was “the struggle to come to terms with who they are, to have others accept them […]
Why we protested Jordan Peterson
The Pōneke branch of the International Socialist last night joined the wave of protests against Jordan Peterson, as he tours New Zealand and Australia promoting 12 Rules for Life. Peterson is not a philosopher-king or an intellectual. He’s an egg spreading reactionary ideas. He is a best-selling misogynist, a transphobe, and is regularly courted by […]
Pride is Politics, Solidarity and Joy
Pride. The atmosphere was absolutely amazing. So many people said so. It was grassroots, there was genuine appreciation that the LGBT community can fight for itself. We don’t need corporations to do it for us. This wasn’t a parade being put on to entertain straight people: it was a march for ourselves and for solidarity. […]
Politics at Pride, not police!
Pride is political again! All wings of the LGBTQ community seem to be in agreement on that. Calls to put debates to one side and delegate decisions to a “board” or to common sense are gone, replaced with hui in which the issue of cops at our parade can be discussed in lively detail. Not […]
Blethering Bishops’s Bigotry Blockaded
Under the second covenant Jesus died for our sins and God would no longer go around smiting people out of wrath until judgement day. Apparently nobody informed Bishop Brian Tamaki of this. His accusations that LGBT people and their sins are responsible for the Kaikōura earthquake has angered many not only in the Queer community […]
Solitary confinement is torture!
The UN agrees, anyone with a conscience agrees, even the scum over at the Department of Corrections agree: solitary confine is torture. But change the name, call it “23-hour lockdown” and suddenly Corrections is perfectly fine with it. Well, we’re not. Corrections can pull whatever linguistic stunt they want; the meanings of words are determined […]
Don’t turn homophobia into Islamophobia
Nicole Colson reports on the outpouring of solidarity for the victims of a horrific mass shooting–and the need to challenge the tide of racist scapegoating of Muslims. HORROR. The word alone isn’t enough to describe the feeling as the country woke up to news of the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history. For three […]
