This page features computer generated text of the source audio. It may contain errors or omissions, so always listen back to the original media to confirm content. You can search the text using Ctrl-F, and you can also play the audio by clicking on a desired timestamp.
Kia ora koutou Poneke. Welcome to the public forum in defence of puberty blockers. Um, my name is Tris. I'll be emceeing and my friend Mal will be chairing. Um, so we will open with a karakia. Tū tawa mai runga, tū tawa mai raro, tū tawa mai roto, tū tawa mai e waho. Kia tau ai te mauri tū, te mauri ora ki te [00:00:30] katoa. Tēnā koe. Homi e, hui e, tai e, ki e. Um, and that we're essentially in this karakia calling on people from across the region, um, outside of Pānaki and inside, um, who have come together in support of this cause. Um, what, the way this forum will work is that we will ask people from a range of different categories, um, to come up and speak in the order of those categories. [00:01:00] We don't have time to do introductions for everyone before we start. Um, but when you come up to speak, you can introduce yourself. Um, Amal will go over the categories for the speakers and how the order will work. If anyone feels that they are not represented in one of those categories, um, you're still welcome to come up and speak. Um, So we will ask people, you know, at the end, if you don't feel, if you feel like you have something to say, but you didn't feel like you're part of any of those categories, you can come up and speak. Um, [00:01:30] once Amal has described what those categories are, um, you're welcome to come up and essentially tell her your name, which category you're part of, and that you want to speak. Um, when we start each category, we would ask everyone speaking under that category to sit in these two pews. That just makes it a bit easier for us to know how many people are from that group, um, and for everyone to sort of come up without like having to cross people to get up to the front. [00:02:00] And just one note, um, obviously we want people to speak to the experience. Um, sometimes those experiences have been quite traumatic. Um, if you're speaking about a traumatic experience related to this topic, Um, we would ask you that you don't go into too much harrowing detail just because that can be triggering for other people who have had the same experience. Um, so essentially like talk about what the experience was, um, but don't try and go into too much detail, um, or otherwise, you know, trauma [00:02:30] dump, I guess. Um, that's basically it for me. Um, so I'll ask Amal to come up and, um, describe categories. Thanks so much everyone for coming. Um, so we are going to just go through the order, um, that we'll have speakers in. Um, we'll ask that, yeah, prepared, that people have prepared, uh, something, or we're speaking on behalf of the group, we'll come up to the front, [00:03:00] um, for each of the categories. Then we'll also have a open discussion. Um, so the, the categories that we're, that we've invited, um, speakers from, uh, include, um, trans youth and students, um, who are asked to speak first, um, queer and activist organisations, Healthcare workers, education workers, union and queer union groups, um, parents and churches and religious organisations. Um, so if, if you do, if you're here and you've been, uh, you've, [00:03:30] you've wanted to speak on behalf of a group or you've got something, um, prepared especially, um, please do. And you're not part of one of those, just come and see me now. Um, but for now, if we could, um, ask for any, um, uh, queer youth or, uh, students, um, to, to come up first and, uh, we'll give you the floor. Thank you. [00:04:00] For the past year, I have had the absolute privilege of being a student leader for Belgian Highs USA. Ultraviolet. In that role, I've been the mentor to several young trans people. Um, I unfortunately did not realize that I was trans early enough for pubibockers to make a difference. But with these young trans kids, I've had to coax them through tears, [00:04:30] asking why their body feels wrong, why the changes that are happening hurt. Thank you. And is there anything that, that they can do to make it stop? Pubi blockers are that answer. For trans teams, like many of us in this room once were, pubi blockers are the answer. most effective way to deal with dysphoria, both short and long term. Short term preventing changes [00:05:00] to your body that are disorientating and painful, and long term giving you time to work out who we are. That is the most important thing that puberty blockers can give us, time. And as this government has decided on the basis of the CAS report, a remarkably unscientific piece of context This is garbage that has been thoroughly debunked by so many people, including friends. Do you know how bad a document has [00:05:30] to be to be easily and thoroughly debunked by a 16 -year -old journalism student? Bad. So bad. So, for the government to not listen to any of the many, many people who are saying that this is ridiculous, illogical, and hurtful is When I heard that this decision was announced, all I could feel was pain and rage, not for [00:06:00] myself but for every other trans kid who has now had that path cut off. So, to the government, fuck you guys. And to everyone here, thank you. Thank you for supporting trans teens. We really fucking need it. Thank you. Hello.[00:06:30] Um, I'm not here on behalf of an organisation or anything. I just saw that, um, nobody else really wants to talk. So I thought I'd give my own experience. Um, hello, I'm Kyle. I'm a transgender man, um, young person. I'm 21 years old. Uh, I transitioned at the age of 17 medically, which meant that I didn't have access to puberty blockers. Um, but... When I realized I was transgender, dysphoria sort of started to control my life when I was a teenager. Um, so that meant [00:07:00] things like, I wasn't able to do things like running and swimming. Uh, it impacted my relationship with my friends and family. I became withdrawn, depressed and anxious. Um, it impacted things that I enjoyed doing, like being in school play. Um, so when we talk about PB blockers, we often say they're saving lives, but I want to reiterate that that's not true. All that they do, they also just make children's lives better. So I want kids to be able to go through their life. Um, [00:07:30] I want trans kids to be able to go through their life, you know, as full and beautiful as it can be. Um, I would say that the perspective of the CAST report is that puberty blockers lock you into a path of transition. And I would say that perspective comes from a point of view Ni wanting to protect transgender children but wanting to protect children from becoming transgender. Um, Aand that is a negation of all of our lives as transadults and the joy that we see, [00:08:00] and that we experience in our own lives because if we were interested in protecting transgender children, we would be investigating more of our health care, and into the future, protecting us from bullying and violence at school, in the workplace, from discrimination in the workplace And, um, I would say that when we come from the perspective of wanting to protect children from becoming transgender, it also impacts the trans adults in our lives. So if it's unsafe for children to go onto puberty blockers and think that they can become transgender, [00:08:30] is it unsafe for us to have, for transgender adults to have relationships with young children in our families? Is it dangerous for us to have children when we grow up? Is it dangerous for us to be around children? Is it dangerous for us to become teachers? Is it dangerous for us to show our transgender bodies at the beach in front of kids? I think when we come from this perspective of protecting children from being transgender, we're actually putting children and our entire society at risk. So thank you. [00:09:00] APPLAUSE So next we have um, queer and activist organisations or really any political organisations if you'd like to come up. Kia ora katoa, ko Lauren Craig toku inoa, are you she they pronouns? Um, yeah. Um, sorry, um, if I'm a little slow to speak [00:09:30] today, guys, it's so hot, holy shit. Um, uh, absolutely cooking my brain. I feel like I'd have a good joke in here somewhere about it's really hot and there's a lot of, like, queer people in a church, and, like, there should be a joke in there, but it's actually too hot for me to put that together. Um... Um, so a lot of you will have seen by now our recent petition and our open letter to Minister Simeon Brown to reverse this absolutely abhorrent decision to ban puberty blockers from the use of gender [00:10:00] questioning children. I mean, I don't need to stand up here and speak about how awful and cruel a decision this was. I am a trans woman and I am so deeply proud of that. And the fact that this government would overrule healthcare professionals in providing care for what we go through is beyond abhorrent [00:10:30] and is needlessly cruel. I'm not just here to ask everyone to sign and share our petition with everyone that you can. Mostly because looking around I'm like pretty sure most of you have done that at this point which has been real cool. I'm not just here to ask everyone to sign and share our petition with everyone that you can. But what we have upcoming next week is our handover of the petition, um, which will be taken and therefore, um, received by the House of Representatives to force a debate. That will be received by Kahurangi Kata and what [00:11:00] we want and what we need is as many people as possible to be there and show up for it, um, next Friday on the 19th because this is such a big issue. We need as much support as we can possibly get to show that this isn't cruel and unfair policy and that this is just something that cannot stand. We've been really fortunate in our political support, um, that we've had support from the entirety of the Greens and as well as members of Labour and Te Pati [00:11:30] Māori, um, and certainly no resistance from any of those groups either. Um, In my position as co -convener of the Young Greens, I found the Green Party to be extremely helpful and supportive. So, second org I think I'm representing here tonight. Um, in backing and having nothing but unconditional support for trans, uh, transgender people. I was going to say trans youth, but it's probably just more than youth actually, eh? Um, if anyone would be interested in helping us plan and organise a rally, [00:12:00] particularly people that have, um, a lot of experience in this area, uh, please let me know. Please do come see me afterwards, because we want as many of you as possible out there. Kia ora. Kia ora koutou. My name is Max. I'm a trans woman, a supporter of the International Bolshevik Tendency and its youth wing, the [00:12:30] Bolshevik Club. First I'd like to echo some sentiments I've seen going around. Puberty blockers are already the compromise. Tokio umu panaharapu, Aitangi wakati angen Heiko ziniwakura tukarapa kontehaan. Heaki ayungu hei noke wakati, angin hibaini, aitangi penehakaan, dikwandir haka. Tia gauwa wakati moana, angin haka wakati moana, angin haka [00:13:00] wakati moana, angin haka wakati moana, mongol, mongol, mongol. The fight for the unconditional right for every trans person to shape or not shape their body as they please, without it being anyone else's damn business, will continue. Furthermore, I believe the organized working class is the only real force capable of defending trans people against the growing reaction. At the very least,[00:13:30] unions should be prepared to defend those that continue to prescribe puberty blockers and contravention to this ban. But I don't need everyone in this room to agree with all that right now, although maybe more people did than I anticipated. I'd love it if you did, but there's more going on here. This is an imposition on the medical field. As part of a petty game of politics, and collectively we can fight it as such. [00:14:00] Nowhere else in the medical regulations has any Minister of Health used an order in Council to tweak a singular class of medication in the scope of its prescriptions. The medical profession has not gone so reckless in its own self -management about this one medication in particular that it necessitated Cabinet stepping in. I expect most of the trans people in this room only have stories of abundant caution in regards to their doctors. Thank you very much. This is a swipe at trans youth to score some goodwill with New Zealand [00:14:30] First and other transphobic lunatics and has nothing to do with evidence or best practice. To this extent I think it's damn good that we've got medical unions and associations and medical professionals on board with us right now. We want this ban repealed and we've got a shot at getting that. We can lobby, get opposition parties to firm up their promises. I expect we have the capability to put together a group. of leaders from unions and medical associations, faith community groups, which have a [00:15:00] tight team of highly respectable people that will be hard to ignore. Get a meeting with Simeon Brown at parliament, make sure that the media is present and demand he repeal this disgrace of a regulation, embarrass him and his party leadership. And the rest of us could throw a damn fine protest outside while we're at it, free to make it known just how inadequate the status quo has been for us.[00:15:30] As before, is there anyone that would like to speak from the floor before we move on to the next category, which is healthcare workers? Tūra koutou ahinea tō. Wānanga ngā te pū, wānanga ngā te kauri, kia pahito o te tua i tua. Ritena koutou, ku tae mai te tūrui tōpaka [00:16:00] o hare nei. Kaita mihi atu kia koutou, kia sāsakotoa. It's only recently. Because of my husband no longer, have I come to meet and appreciate trans people who are in our home, who talk. And I have to say, up until that time I really didn't understand what it was about. [00:16:30] I didn't understand what the difficulties were. I didn't understand. Well, the medical problems were with our government. I don't know why, because they've actually trolled everyone else during that time. As a people, you have every right to have the best lives that you can. And no one, no one has the [00:17:00] right to give you the life that not only you want, but you need. I am very grateful to people like Amal who have become, she has become a friend and has helped me to understand by listening, by listening to what needs to be done. All [00:17:30] the best with this government. They have taken everything away from Māori. And if they can stop you, they will. However, we do have some people in the Parliament who will support everything you're going through. Everything. So with that, I shall speak my name to Ko Hekurangi te Mauna, Ko Waiata Te Awa, Ko Mati Rau te Iwi, [00:18:00] Korani Moana, um, He kura li is my mountain, my sea is, my, my sea is firm as a movement. Waiaputaua. Ngati Porou are my people and I am only one. When I was small, even if you were gay, you had to be married very early. Very early. From the time that you were twelve, the woman or the [00:18:30] man had been decided for you. Ngati Porou are my people. And that's why when so many people who wanted to be trans or who wanted to say that they are gay, it was only when they came to the city that they realised they weren't alone. So to every one of you, tēnā koutou. Tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa. May we all be here to support this kaupapa. Kia ora [00:19:00] tātou. Um, I, uh, call on any, any, uh, healthcare workers, uh, who are here, uh, who we might have invited. Uh, to, to come up now to speak. Um, thank you so much.[00:19:30] Kia ora tātou. Ko Rohini te Maunga, ko Manotu te Awa, no Papaiāui ahau. Ko Lise tāku ingoa. Kia ora everyone. My name's Lise, and I'm a health care professional working in Aotearoa's medical system. I'm not going to tell you anything more than that. Just in case. I'm a cisgender woman, and I use she, her pronouns. Also, in case it's... I'm not clear, I'm speaking here in a personal [00:20:00] capacity. My ideas and my opinions are my own. I am not representative of Health New Zealand. I am a staunch supporter of the rainbow community. And I have been since probably even before my older brother came out as trans. He's been a guy for 11 years now, so in some ways, I'm now the older sister. Ha! Take that! He's, he's just over there. Hehehehe It also means that I'm fiercely protective in [00:20:30] more than just a sisterly way and you bet your arse I've definitely threatened to kick at least one guy in the balls for transphobic nonsense. One of the things that I'm super passionate about is the idea of being an ally. It's not something that you just get to call yourself. Someone in the community has to think that you're cool enough to give you that label. Which means you have to keep working and keep calling out any bullshit that you see or you lose the title. I like being an ally, so here [00:21:00] I am, again. Sorry. Um, as my nana says, I'm vaguely medical. I'm not actually a doctor, but I'm vaguely medical. So I figured I'd talk about the vaguely medical things. going on in the government's announcement to ban puberty blockers. Uh, here's a spoiler alert, they're not very medical. Uh, with the way the announcements have been worded, you'd be forgiven if you thought that there was something a bit dodgy going on with blockers and wondering if it was safe to give them to [00:21:30] our tamariki and our rangatahi. So, I thought we'd just have a little bit of a look and see what the medical community is actually saying. So to start off with, Dr Ben Albert is a consultant paediatrician and a paediatric endocrinologist working at the Liggins Institute at Auckland University. And he said in response to this ban, we already know a huge amount about the effects of puberty blockers, we know how to use them safely, an outright ban is not justified by [00:22:00] the use, by the state of the science. Your hands are going to get really sore if you keep doing that, just saying. Okay, well that's, that's fairly staunch. He's just one person, what about some other people? What about Dr. Anna Ponampalan? She's a reproductive biologist and a specialist in endometriosis care. She tells us, over a decade of research has shown that puberty blockers are safe and effective.[00:22:30] Withholding puberty blockers to treat gender dysphoria will very likely have serious adverse effects on the health and wellbeing of young people. Well, maybe they're a new medication? We should be careful of those, right? Professor Paul Hoffman, who's also a paediatric endocrinologist at the Liggins Institute, in Starship, you know, just the premier hospital in the country working with young people, he summed it up saying, pubertal blockage has been used in medicine for [00:23:00] over 40 years. Since 1979. That's older than me. By a lot. And the Paediatric Society of New Zealand, just as a side note, I contributed to this statement, and I'm proud to be a paediatric endocrinologist. Says, puberty blockers are an established, safe, reversible, and life -saving treatment option. Life -saving. One of the studies that's been quoted in some of these opinion pieces found using puberty blockers decreased suicidal ideology by [00:23:30] 60%. One of the primary arguments from this announcement is that we don't have enough evidence on using puberty blockers in young people. But it's really hard to get evidence. It's really hard to get evidence. And actually, it's not unusual for meds to be used with less or lower quality evidence than we have for puberty blockers. So Dr. Rona Carroll, who's a GP specialising in youth health and trans health care and lectures at the University of Otago's Pōneke campus, [00:24:00] says, the challenges and ethical considerations of conducting randomised control trials in this field mean that the available evidence has limitations. This is common in many areas of medicine, particularly paediatrics, and is not unique to transgender healthcare. Other medications with similar levels of evidence continue to be prescribed. No other area of paediatric medicine is held to this [00:24:30] standard. Just to let you know, some of those other areas of medicine that have poor evidence bases include our rheumatic fever guidelines, Medications for ADHD, antidepressants and anti -anxietals in child populations, and even our asthma guidelines. Same level of evidence. Is anyone raising a stink about that? No. As Dr. Jamie Veal says, who's the director of the Trans Health Research Lab at Waikato University, [00:25:00] the government has placed a burden of proof on puberty blockers that we do not place on other paediatric care. And what about the other uses of the exact same meds just in non -trans populations? Dr Veale also says, treatments for precocious puberty, which is when you go through puberty too early, like getting your period at eight, which would be a bit freaky, which use the very same puberty blockers, have limited long term [00:25:30] data on psychosocial outcomes. Meunir mau, un ingeredeal rezilla safety is acceptable and no one demands high certainty mental health evidence for their use. So if there is no medical evidence that puberty blockers are unsafe, and we use meds with worse or similar evidence, Why has this announement come at this time? I think professor Hofman, the endocrinologist summed it up nicely when he said this [00:26:00] decision is not based on medical expertise or science. And appears to be a transphobic, politically driven response. And trust me team, we are not the only ones who are angry about this. Dr Katie Benn, who's the president of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, those are the fancy consultants, said it is completely inappropriate for the government of the day to be determining treatment outcomes, options, for our [00:26:30] patients. Dr Emma Jackson, who's the Vice President of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, says this decision appears to be made based on ideology, not evidence, and could have a devastating impact on the well -being of vulnerable young people. Michael Brendorfer, who's the spokesperson for the New Zealand Nurses' Organisation's College of Child and Youth Nurses, Said this decision has been made [00:27:00] purely on political grounds. It is an imported culture war, founded on politics from overseas, and has nothing to do with healthcare best practice for children and young people. Dr Jamie Veal agrees, saying these decisions have occurred in a context of political pressure and culture war dynamics, rather than by any new medical evidence. And just like Max said earlier, by the way, this is an unprecedented decision by a New Zealand government. [00:27:30] Te Ohurata o Aotearoa, or the Māori Medical Practitioners Association said, It is astounding that a government should make such a direct decision about the regulation of a specific medicine. It has never occurred that a cabinet itself take on the role of medicines regulator. It is completely at odds with the normal processes involved in reviewing medications. So who should be in the hot seat when making choices around [00:28:00] puberty blockers? Well, the Pediatric Society summed it up nicely, saying prescribing decisions should remain between clinicians, patients and their whānau. Everyone else can stay out of it. They didn't say that, that's me. The New Zealand Society of Endocrinologists, who you'd have to argue probably know their stuff, you know what I mean? Also said, clinical decisions should always be made by clinicians, patients and their whānau, not politicians on ideological grounds. You're seeing a trend. It's also usually nice to actually include the [00:28:30] population that's being discussed. Sometimes, you know. The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists Chair, Dr Hiren Thabru, said transgender and gender diverse people and their whānau must be meaningfully consulted before policies that directly impact their healthcare are put in place. And what consultation has happened? Well, there's this comment by Dr Massimo Ghiola, who's a sexual health medicine specialist and holds a PhD in clinical and experimental [00:29:00] pharmacology. Again, you'd think he probably knows his stuff. He says, there was a technical report provided by the Ministry of Health to the Minister. The recommendation was that the prescription of puberty blockers should happen in a multidisciplinary context. Note, should happen. They should be prescribed, there's no reason not to, and as long as it happens in a multidisciplinary environment, which is just safe medicine, to be honest, that should be fine. And clinicians are almost as [00:29:30] hurt as our young people will be under this ban. The Royal Australasian College of Paediatrics stated, We are concerned that the current move does not consider clinical approaches and will negatively impact on clinicians' ability to provide appropriate healthcare for young people. Because there's almost nothing more hurtful than seeing a young person in distress and knowing you could help, but having your hands tied and your tools to relieve that distress taken away from you. [00:30:00] I think the only thing more hurtful is to be the young person in that situation. What's even more concerning about this ban is that the Human Rights Commission have seen fit to weigh in on this debate. Prudence Walker, the spokesperson for rainbow rights at the commission, said the right to health is protected under multiple international human rights treaties and includes non -discriminatory access to medical treatment. Or in other words, she also says, this represents a serious infringement on human rights and medical [00:30:30] autonomy. You know you're probably on the wrong track when the Human Rights Commission is saying that you're probably not allowed to do that? Just, just maybe? Jackie Edmund, who's the Chief Executive of Sexual Wellbeing Aotearoa, agrees, saying the sudden removal of this medication is a violation of these young people's human rights. Or, as Te Ohurata o Aotearoa says, gender affirming care is a human right. You can't get clearer than that. I[00:31:00] was told five to ten minutes, I'm taking liberty. I go back to the New Zealand Society of Endocrinologists, who again, really should know what they're talking about, and they are very clear. They say, this is a completely inappropriate and unjustified response and will lead to harm. We support the repeal of this unethical ban at the earliest opportunity. And Jackie Edmonds sums it up nicely when talking about the impact of this [00:31:30] imported ideology. We cannot afford to backslide into social norms and policies which discriminate against transgender people because that's not who we are, that's not who we, that's not who we are, and it's not who we want to be. So in summary, that's pretty conclusive, and that's pretty damning. I didn't have to cherry -pick much. My brother can confirm, we just sat at the dining table and went through the statements. Pretty much every single [00:32:00] professional organisation that has anything to do with youth, endocrinology, mental health, sexual health and even the bloody Human Rights Commission have come out and condemned this decision. This decision is wrong. I want to talk now to any young person who's worried about getting through their day. About having to go through a puberty that makes them feel sick and wrong. About having their choices taken away and feeling helpless. I am really angry for you. [00:32:30] And I feel your frustration, your hurt and your fear. You are not alone. We are all feeling this. And we are as shocked and horrified by this decision as you are. I watched my colleague, who is the most calm, gentle, unassuming person that I know, stamp their feet and swear and promise to do anything they could to get young people, the puberty blockers that they needed before the deadline. I've heard the professional [00:33:00] organisations that I'm a part of and I look to, make strong, unapologetic statements supporting you to the hilt and condemning this decision in the strongest possible terms. And I've heard from my whānau, my colleagues and my communities, their passion and their commitment to supporting and protecting our young trans folks in any way they can. We are here, we are angry and we are fighting for you. I want you to take your [00:33:30] disappointment, your disbelief and your frustration and turn it into anger, fury and forward momentum against this decision. Koa ta koutou te manuka. The leaves of the manuka tree have been laid down in challenge. We must decide how to respond to this challenge, and I know that we will not be found wanting. Kia kaha i te whanau. Kia[00:34:00] ora koutou. Um, my name's Kate. I am here, I was not sent by the collective, but I work for the Rainbow Support Collective, which is a group of community health support peer support providers um, nationwide. Um, I think there's a couple of really, really important points I'd like to make today though. One is one of them has been mentioned [00:34:30] already that this is um, An unprecedented political intervention in the provision of healthcare. This hasn't happened before in New Zealand in this way. It is discrimination. That is an unavoidable fact. Um, I think the other one is a narrative that has been built up around this conversation which really needs to be addressed, that has come from internationally. Um, and that is that. [00:35:00] There are a lot of people who are. Not connected to any trans people who don't have good understanding about our lives, who genuinely have believed, because they've been told, that it is in our best interests to detransition, and that it is in the best interests of trans children to be coaxed out of being trans. And there's a word for that. and that ố id is Concision therapy. And that is legal, and it was this community that pushed that [00:35:30] legislation across the line in 2021. So we pulled together then, and I expect we'll do it again. Um, one other thing is worth note. That in the battle smoke of this situation, The Updated Guidelines for Gender -Affirming Care Irena Smith, Te Karere. If you are a young person in distress over the lack of access to puberty blockers, it is potentially worth noting that in those guidelines, an [00:36:00] alternative is available. ...proposed in a pathway to estrogen or testosterone, which is probably not... ...it's probably not good for that to be your only option. But on the down low, that's there. Kia ora, so we've been going [00:36:30] for 45 minutes at this point. Um, and I know that it's hard to, like, keep attention for this long. Um, there was a really wonderful block band rally in Taumaki -Mekaurau. Rapaera Tawhai, Te Karere. On Sunday, um, and they shared five chants from their rally on Instagram. Um, so I thought we could have a go just doing these chants together. Um, so, first one's really simple. Limp wrists, iron fists. Feel free to go with me. Limp wrists, iron fists. Limp wrists, iron [00:37:00] fists. Um, and now some call and response. When trans rights are under attack, stand up, fight back. When trans rights are under attack, stand up, fight back. Winston, Winston, you're a bore, we don't want your culture war. Winston, Winston, you're a bore, we don't want your culture war. David, David, you're a bore, we don't want your culture war. David, David, you're a bore, we don't want your culture war. Tēnā koe! First [00:37:30] they came for young trans lives. This is how your freedom dies. First they came for young trans lives. This is how your freedom hurts. Mana whakawahine. Mana whakatane. Mana irawhiti. Mana tākatāpui. [00:38:00] The next group of people we wanted to call on to speak are, um, education professionals. So, um, anyone in the education sphere who wants to speak, um, we would ask you to come up now. Kia ora. Hei, uh, I'm Sean, uh, I use they -them pronouns, I'm a trans person. Um, I'm also a teacher, [00:38:30] um, I teach high school, um, a science teacher of a weird twist of fate. Um, I work with trans kids every day. For some reason they just gravitate towards me. I don't know quite what it is. It's bizarre. Um, and... Hei, hei, trans kids exist. This is something that the government tries to erase. They try to say, you know, [00:39:00] trans kids don't exist. They do. They know who they are. They're confident in who they are. And to watch them go through a puberty that is not what they want to go through is torture. That's what they've done. They're set in for torture. If puberty blockers are taken away, they're looking [00:39:30] ahead at their bodies changing in a way that they do not recognise as themselves. I know what it's like. I went through it. I didn't have the language at the time to explain what I was going through. But I'm really glad of the society we have today where kids do have that language and are able to express that. Um, One of the things [00:40:00] I teach as a science teacher is about puberty. And I can make all the jokes that I, I can of like, oh yeah, you know, there's pros and cons to both. And like, yeah, I did the completionist achievement and I did both, you know. Um, But seeing the horror on some of the trans kids' faces of what they are signed up to, um, unless they can get access to puberty blockers, is, is horrifying. Um, [00:40:30] puberty blockers save lives, they are so important and taking away their access will kill trans kids. Transcribed by https://otter .ai We need to do something. We need to stand up and we need to fight back. Thank you. Kia[00:41:00] ora koutou katoa. My name is Josephine. Uh, my pronouns are she, her. I am a trans woman. I am the chairwoman of ASIG, which is the Rainbow Special Interest Group under Engineering New Zealand. I am heartbroken by this disgraceful law change. Trans folk, queer folk in general, are underrepresented in STEM [00:41:30] fields. I could talk about how, as others have mentioned, the Human Rights Act is clearly voided by this, about how our livelihoods are made at risk. If this, then why not that? I could even talk about how, My life was changed forever when my voice broke at 14. What I will talk about is that this sets [00:42:00] a very poor precedent for good law -making. As engineers, our work protects lives. We are the wall at the top of the cliff, not the ambulance at the bottom. This is dangerous. Without robust and evidence -based lawmaking, Our buildings will fall, our roads crumble, and our rivers run dry and dirty. To all those here, [00:42:30] we stand in solidarity. To the Government, especially Matt Doocey, who is unfortunately my MP for Waimakariri, the Associate Minister for Rainbow and the Minister for Mental Health, shame, shame, shame. Thank you. Thank you. I will join the delegation to hold the ministers to account, if you'll let me add a minister to the queue. Please stand with me. [00:43:00] Kia ora. Kia ora. Um, like a lot of trans people, I too have, um, no real hobbies except activism. Um, so I'm, so I'm here to represent the, out at PSA, the PSA's Rainbow Union today, of which I'm on the [00:43:30] committee for. Um, I thought rather I would just read out the statement that we've just put out. Out at PSA strongly condemn the decision made by the government to remove access to puberty blockers for transgender rangatahi. We stand with transgender and gender diverse young people in Aotearoa and affirm their right to access safe, compassionate and evidence -based healthcare. Puberty blockers are a long established medical option used worldwide to give young people time, space and support to understand their identity [00:44:00] without the pressure of irreversible physical changes. Challenging the growing misinformation. We recognize that puberty blockers are fully reversible, are used under medical supervision, reduce distress, improve mental well -being, give rangatahi and their whānau time to make informed decisions. By restricting access, we are creating harm, increasing risk, and undermining the dignity and autonomy of young people seeking support. We call for healthcare policy in Aotearoa that is grounded in science, compassion, [00:44:30] and respect, not fear or stigma. Health care workers are professionals and understand the needs of transgender young people under their care. We are of the opinion that our politicians need to stay out of the clinic and trust our health care workers and their professionalism and their medical knowledge. All rangatahi deserve timely access to care that supports their safety, identity and future. Our message is simple. Let trans and gender diverse young people receive the care they need with the guidance of [00:45:00] professionals. Who understand them and with the unconditional support of their whānau and communities. That is out of PSA's statement that was given with conjunction support of the entirety of the PSA, because unions get it. Uh, someone spoke before about how there are unions and the working class are such a vital way to make change, and I cannot agree with that. Um, uh, despite the political affiliation I was talking about earlier, I cannot undersell that [00:45:30] enough how important everyone joining your union and working in solidarity is. Unions have such a rich history of, well, a lot of them anyway. Uh, particularly the PSA has such a rich history of defending queer rights, of campaigning for homosexual law reform, of having openly transgender members back in the 70s Te Okiwa McLean, Te Karere. Unions are a space for workers to stand up and fight for what's right, and in this case, this is your union [00:46:00] standing up for transgender rights, and I could not be more proud to be a part of it. Thank you all. Oh, nā mihi mai oha, tēnā koutou katoa. My name is Fleur Fitzsimons and I'm the National Secretary of the New Zealand Public Service Association, New Zealand's largest union. I want to start with a message of solidarity and [00:46:30] support to all trans people. The parents and loved ones of trans children, alive and yet to be born, I stand with you and New Zealand's largest union stands with you. I'm a member of Transparent's support group, and I just want to acknowledge people in this room who play an incredible role in those groups. They provide such amazing support, and the internet does a lot of bad things, but the support that it offers, Transparent's, in places like Gore, Where there is no [00:47:00] one else to talk to about these issues is just incredible. I also want to acknowledge, uh, Queer Endurance and Defiance for organising this meeting tonight and inviting so many of us to speak. It's really important that we believe trans children. My son said when he was three, I a boy. He knew he was a boy before he knew the grammar for what it was for how to say, I am a boy. Children know. I want to [00:47:30] just really reflect on the gravity of the current situation for a moment. We have a government that has deliberately, by design, introduced a policy that means children cannot be who they are. In 10 days, in New Zealand, in 2025, children will be banned from receiving life -saving healthcare. Thank you. It's heartbreaking, because with puberty blockers, [00:48:00] every day and every week and every month makes a difference. I want to acknowledge the organisers of this meeting, because what we are doing here tonight is very important. It's absolutely critical work. This moment in history requires resistance and fight, and that resistance and fight will also save lives. Thank you. I also want to reflect on where this plan came from. The plan to put our kids [00:48:30] in harm's way has been cooked up in American focus groups. It's been market tested to algorithmic precision. Their recent political campaign, Manchester seen to end curhops on American social media platforms, who profit from the harm they create, group of right twist complètement que procè font and they have found right wing politicians here in NGOs more than company to edter Education eight, Philosophy Alan Children Safa of mate more clips and more votes for bedroom histories will not [00:49:00] George the in well. I just want to encourage people to keep organising these meetings. We will never look back on this time and say we did too many meetings, we had too many protests, or we did too much activist resistance. We need to do all of it, and I'm so happy that there's going to be a protest coming. It is so important. Thank you so much everyone for being here, and we're with you all the way.[00:49:30] Mauri tū, mauri ora, kia ora katoa. Ko Charlie tōku wangoa. My name is Charlie Meyer. I'm a teacher at Wellington Girls College, um, and I am a proud PPTA member. Um, I also contribute to the Rainbow Task Force, which makes me seem, uh, a little different. Uh, devious, like I'm up to, I'm [00:50:00] up to no good. Uh, I, I promise we, we focus on safer, uh, inclusion for, for all young people. Um, I am also, cause I don't, I don't stop there. I, um, am also the rainbow representative of Wellington, um, for, uh, Our union and, uh, my group, Rainbow Kirakou, Rainbow Teachers, uh, we stand with queer teachers, or with queer students, we obviously stand with queer teachers, uh, queer students and youth, and we, [00:50:30] uh, fully are in support of free and legal access to puberty blockers and gender affirming care for all young people as they see fit. And that shouldn't be a controversial statement, obviously. Uh, these stats speak for themselves and also the testimonials of young people speak for themselves. Um, as a teacher, uh, as a former queer youth, um, I know that representation is really important and we need to see. So I was particularly interested to see these young [00:51:00] people being able to have their voices, to be able to speak up for themselves and it's really, I just want to make it to the organisers as well, um that, it's really important that we have the space for young people, and for you know, the nations, to see that things like these don't happen under the rug, right. Discrimination is something that uh, A lot of people see, and they're annoyed by, and not only annoyed by, but they will have action against. This is not something that happens in [00:51:30] silence. Um, and it is trans discrimination. We can see this through the way that they're pushing through defining gender differences. uh, uh, uh, uh, uhh, uhh, uh, uhhh, uh. Tēnā koe. Like, well, it's always important, but it's especially [00:52:00] important right now. And so, just huge mehi to all of you for coming, and especially to the organisers. Thank you so much. Thank you, everyone. Um, I'm Adeah Hanna. I'm a retired teacher. I taught at Wellington High, um, for a number of years. Um, I'd, I want to make a, a point, um, in addition to what [00:52:30] Fleur was saying about America, American culture. And the thing that is most important for people to realise is that even women's rights in the United States are being destroyed. And that will happen here too if we allow it. It is so important to understand that reforms... don't last. You can win the right to an [00:53:00] abortion. You can win the right to be trans and get medication. But lo and behold, that's temporary. And if we don't change the way society is run and for the purpose that we have a society, then this is going to be repeated again and again. I was part of the women's movement, um, [00:53:30] still am part of the women's movement here in New Zealand, as well as in countries that I lived in overseas. And the fight to actually keep the conditions that we've won alive, It's ongoing and it's, it's so, it's so important we need to learn from one another's fights. One of the things I do want to [00:54:00] speak about is that the unions. I am, I have been a member of the NZEI and the PPTA. Um, and we fought over things that we thought were important when we were told not to fight. Write a letter. Organise a petition. All useful in some circumstances, but don't [00:54:30] actually win much for the amount of energy. So, to me, it's... It's important for us to understand that this is our fight. It's not trans fight. It's our fight. And that we who are members of unions need to fight in our unions, not just for [00:55:00] some words, but for actions. We want them. The unions just stand up and say, this is unacceptable, and if it's not rectified, we're going to stop work.[00:55:30] I just, one of the things, when I went to one of the first anti -trans meetings here in Wellington, it was in, down, um, Tinikori Road somewhere. Um, and I was amazed. I have been in the women's movement since I was, um, you know, 17, 18. Fought for equal pay since I was 18. Still haven't got it. [00:56:00] Um, and I was astounded to listen to some of the women who were my generation when I was young. Seeing things about trans that I could not believe. We who stood up and fought for jobs, fought to be able to be on the waterfront, fought to be able to be in the freezing works, fought for equal pay, [00:56:30] fought for equality, fought for abortion and contraception. People may not remember. Or even know that when I was a teenager, it was illegal for an unmarried woman to have contraceptives, be given contraceptives. You just became pregnant. You left school and you went and lived with [00:57:00] an auntie or a grandmother or someone out of the city. And you kept your head down. I have some friends who today are still suffering from the fact that, yes, they got pregnant because they couldn't have contraceptives, they're unmarried, they have a child, the child is taken off them, and today the child is no longer a child but an adult [00:57:30] and doesn't want to know the person who abandoned them as a baby. It wasn't the woman's choice to abandon that baby. It was the state, the same state, that today is telling trans people what they can and cannot have. Surely, we and the unions can be strong enough [00:58:00] to say enough is enough. Rapaera Tawhai, Te Karere. And we are not going to allow this to perpetuate. And our parents, the parents of these young people, often are also not supportive. And we need to ensure that they get the information so that they can also be a good parent.[00:58:30] Kia ora, my name is Charlie, my pronouns are he, him, I am a non -binary trans man, and, um, I'm, I've, [00:59:00] I've been thinking about the words we're using, like, allow and, and, you know, fight and resist, and, and what does that actually mean? We have a law that's been written, that's been, you know, drafted and, and, and, and finalised and passed, and then it's handed over to doctors, and they, [00:59:30] where does the buck stop in allowing these things to happen? Um, and, so we, okay, I'm, I am very off the cuff. Thank you. My point is that the legality or illegality of this does not matter to the doctors who are in charge of this care. And I want to make it very explicit of what [01:00:00] I'm asking. I'm asking for doctors, GPs, endocrinologists, everyone in the line of that care to disobey that law and for the disciplinary process of them, the consequences of that, to be a union matter. That if a doctor is fired for disobeying this law, doctors walk out.[01:00:30] Um, that's basically it. And repeat that demand for nurses, repeat that demand for, you know, counsellors, for teachers, for psychologists, for everyone involved in this care. And, you know, that creates a big stink. You know what else is also illegal? Solidarity strikes. It's illegal for another union to strike to support, to support another, a union that is, you know, striking or going through, um, [01:01:00] direct, uh, what's that called, um, action, an action. So, if there aren't enough doctors to be on the picket lines, the nurses go, the bus drivers go. Everyone who is, who is working, who is in a union, needs to take this home because it, it, well, oh, it doesn't matter, we're not in healthcare. Nā, te pōkoa powiku. Oheruina ki, mahenu i orihau i gea usitoki tōpō hei, I am willing to break the law to support a strike [01:01:30] to support not just transkids' right to this health care, but for doctors' rights, for doctors' rights to decide I've lost the thread. Măio tētohere Me wongae eto me ne kŭling tō fee Godzilla makia masangat Of, uh, ideological, political motives overstepping into the scope of practice of doctors. This isn't the last thing that's gonna happen. This isn't this is the first step [01:02:00] into creating an ideological framework for healthcare, a moral framework for healthcare. Um, so it's for the it's for healthcare providers' right to Te Okiwa McLean, Te Karere. Practice evidence -based medicine, and it's for our right to access health care that we know is necessary for us. Thank you.[01:02:30] Kia ora tatou, my name is Jonathan, um, he, him pronouns, and I am speaking as a member of E Tu. Um, our Out at Work Network, Air Two being New Zealand's largest private sector network. We can't quite get as many as the PSA. Um, look, this government is a crock of shit. I've always hated it, I'm sure everyone in this room has as well. [01:03:00] So, look, this decision is not evidence based, it is a solely political decision. It's all been said. Cabinets never before used an order in Council to do something like this. The silver lining there is an order in council which takes about 30 seconds, can undo it just as quickly and we need to be pressuring this government to do it now, because, come on. Um, look, the healthcare workers, we managed 100 ,000 people [01:03:30] on strike, we can do it again. This, this will have long, long term impacts on trans youth and their families. This is not a decision. Taking puberty blockers, it can be undone. Not having them is, can't. So, let's, let's just stick it to it. We gotta, I know, uh, Lawrence, the petition gets delivered next Friday. [01:04:00] And, um, I work on Lambton Quay. There's nothing bigger than a loud march up Lambton Quay. To get all the corporate workers to go stop, oh, what's this? So let's do it. Um, we want a big turnout on that day because the louder our voice, the more likely we are to be heard. Thanks. Applause Okay,[01:04:30] thank you so much for your patience. It's getting to be a long meeting, we've just got a couple more categories and then we'll open it up to the floor. Um, so I'd first like to call on anyone, uh, who'd like to speak to this issue as an inter -sex, from an intersex perspective. It's not just trans people who are, uh, who are affected by this decision. Um, yeah. I was, I was asked to, to put this on, but with, with the knowledge that it might, might not, uh, we might not have anyone, so that's okay. Um, and if you do, if you do want to speak, but just not from the podium, we will, we'll have the [01:05:00] open, uh, open section at the end. Um, I'd also like to, uh, call on anyone, uh, who would like to speak for, uh, speak to this from a takatāpui perspective. Tēnā tātou katoa, um, he uria hau no Ngāi Tahu me Te Atiawa, um, he tangata era tānei ahau, uh, ko Rīwhi Kenny tōku ingoa. Um, my name is Rīwhi, um, I whakapapa to Ngāi Tahu and Te Atiawa on my [01:05:30] mother's side, and to Greece on my father's side. Tēnā koe. Um, I'm here to talk to this specifically from the experience of being takatāpui. Um, this ban is a breach of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It prevents tino rangatiratanga and mana motuhake. We know that Māori are left far behind if we are not included from the very beginning. And the fact that this government exists and was able to make these decisions and this ban is at the expense of Māori and [01:06:00] especially our takatāpui rangatahi. Almost half or 45 percent of Takatāpoi and Māori Rainbow people already have low or no trust in healthcare providers to treat us fairly, which is based on generations of our people being treated with that unfairness in healthcare. As well, for Māori, on average, it takes longer for us to access medications and be able and allowed to make those decisions about our own healthcare. This is an intersectional issue that affects Māori, Takatāpui, and trans people at a higher [01:06:30] rate than just Pākehā trans people. Under Te Tiriti, the government has the duty to give access to equal access and healthcare to Māori, and it is failing. Thank you. Tino rangatiratanga is the right to exist as Māori, and as Māori trans people who exist, refusing any medication and care that affirms our right to exist is a breach of tino rangatiratanga. Mana motuhake is about the right for Māori to be free and independent from the Pākehā government, and this NZ [01:07:00] government shouldn't be able to make decisions about Māori identities and bodies. When you centre Māori trans people, Māori trans people have bad health outcomes. So when we think about Māori healthcare, what is good for Māori trans people will also be good for Pākehā and Toiwi trans people. When we centre Māori queer people, we will be making all the trans people in this country, um, better equipped and be able to live better lives. The stats that we throw out about trans people and trans [01:07:30] healthcare in this country, we all know are bad. And they are bought even lower by the Māori trans people who are included. When we focus only on Pākehā trans barriers and trans healthcare, we are leaving Māori trans people behind. I really want to get across that when we say in these spaces, they came for Māori first, and now they're coming for trans people, that is false. By coming for Māori, they have already come for trans people. They have already come for our takatāpui. So please, when we're discussing this [01:08:00] ban and trans healthcare, Health care and everything for trans people, please include Māori people and Takutāpui people at the very beginning because we are affected too. And we, what is good for us is good for everyone. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa. Um, we just have two, two final categories before we open it up to open discussion. [01:08:30] Um, was anyone from the churches or religious organisations we invited able to make it? I didn't think so. That's okay. Um, any, any parents who would like to speak? Yeah. Kia ora. My name is Kay, and some people who know me will have known me as a bisexual woman for many years, and I have been involved with the Wellington Bisexual Women's Group. [01:09:00] But since the age of 10, to myself, I've been known as non -binary. And I'm queer, but when I was a 10 -year -old, we didn't have that language. So, I'm now in my 60s, and I'm a parent, and I know a lot of other parents. Some of those parents cannot speak openly at meetings like this. I'll only use [01:09:30] generalities, but for example, I know a trans couple who moved to Aotearoa with their gender minority child, seeking a safe space because the country they lived in is not safe. They are now seeking refugee status. They cannot speak publicly because they're waiting for bureaucracy to help them. them be able to protect their child and themselves. [01:10:00] I know parents of children who they are New Zealand born people and their children, some of whom are under 10 and not yet needing support, and others who are older and teenagers. The ones I know really want to support their children and young people to have good lives. And that means working with the system in as much as they can. Now, they may be able to write a letter [01:10:30] to the editor. They may be able to talk to a local MP or politician. They will not be willing to talk to the media if it means exposing their children to the type of potential abuse that puts them at risk. Rapaera Tawhai, Te Karere. So like today getting ready for this, I responded to a letter in the listener, the issue of the 6th and 12th, by somebody who says as a retired anaesthetist, I think the puberty [01:11:00] blocker ban is a good thing. So, my letter in 300 words tried to encapsulate a lot of what Les was sharing about puberty. The Paediatric Society and all the other medical experts that thought, actually, good care should be a matter for doctors with their patients and whānau, not a matter for politicians. But listening [01:11:30] to people, I'm also taken back to the struggles we've had for previous years. Bill Logan, like myself, will remember the years we fought for homosexual law reform. And one of the factors that made it easier was, in fact, people coming out, if it was safe to do so, and talking to their families, MPs, writing letters, that whole thing of trans and non -binary people are demonised. It [01:12:00] actually takes a lot of work to say, hey, we are human. We deserve good care, we deserve to be loved, we deserve good futures. So that was the case for homosexual law reform back in the, the 80s. And part of the law didn't get through, which was the changes to the Human Rights Act. So in the 1990s we founded a group called Common Ground. Which was to bring together people, unions, disabled [01:12:30] people, people of different faiths, a whole range of people who are HIV positive. And we campaigned by having meetings, but also writing letters and approaching people and just spreading the word out that, you know, nothing about us without us, but also nobody left behind. You know, these are slogans, but we mean it. We need to stick up for each other. We need to stick up for Takatapu. We need to sort of be anti -racist and to speak [01:13:00] against what's happening. Now, the current Minister of Health, Simeon Brown, was one of seven National MPs who voted against banning conversion therapy in Aotearoa. Because, to ban it would mean possibly letting trans youth have puberty blockers. And Simeon Brown, in opposition back in 2021, said that was one of the main reasons he [01:13:30] opposed the bill. And he's the Minister of Health. Shane Reti was another one. All of those national... MPs who are still in Parliament now have got ministerial portfolios. So when we're saying Winston, you know, is wrong, and David Seymour is wrong, don't forget the National Party as well. But they are still a minority within the National Party. And they need to be reminded of... The reputation of Aotearoa New Zealand relies [01:14:00] on people overseas seeing us as better than that. So when the Minister for Tourism wants to invite, um, wealthy queer, uh, Americans to come here, this needs to be a safe space. So whatever... arguments you might want to use in a letter to a paper, um, talking to an MP, anybody in a circle. It doesn't matter whether they're a big one about, yes, this is against the Bill of Rights Act, yes, it's against Human Rights Act, [01:14:30] but it's what works. And also, That whole thing of telling personal stories where they get to you. So, I can talk about as a teenager going to drama classes, and my drama teacher was six foot two, with a deep voice and large feet, and her name was Jane. And it was only years later, I thought, oh, Jane was probably a trans woman. But I didn't know, because like, I was a teenager, and I just accept people for who they are. But I later found out, yes, she was a trans [01:15:00] activist. And this was when I was, you know, as I say in my teens, so we're talking more than 40 years ago. And over the years, I've got to know so many trans non -binary people that I don't have those fears. That somebody who doesn't know them, who's scared that their tomboy, um, child might change gender or whatever. It's like, you love your children and you've got to really emphasise that. What's the best way of loving your children, listening to them and providing them [01:15:30] with time and space and the ability to grow into who they really are. So, I don't care in a way who you talk to, I don't care in a way who you talk to. But if you can, any time, have a word, if you hear something that's a bit concerning, you could just quietly share it. Like, that's not how I see it, and a friend of mine said, you know, however it does. I mean, I talk to strangers at bus stops, I talk to bus drivers, I will talk to anybody, anywhere, [01:16:00] but that's me, and I've had decades of doing it, so like, it doesn't, in fact, people will, you know, it's hard to shut me up. Um. But that's the thing, that like, you're all here tonight, so you're already, even if you weren't already knowledgeable, far more knowledgeable than probably 95 percent of the population. But that thing of like, because... Because I speak up, I have had so many parents say [01:16:30] to me, Oh, actually you didn't know this about me, but my son is trans or my daughter is trans, and do you know of any good support groups or resources? Or sometimes they just say, look, keep on speaking up because I'm not going to because of work, but My kid really appreciates it when people do say, you're not alone, you're supported, and this is something that we, it may take a while to win, but, you know, we'll get there. Oh, and just one last little [01:17:00] thing. Anybody who knows someone who is autistic, ADHD, having mental health issues, Ngāhuako Kōhanga Haul Whatitiri mairi arau ngā hoawai apa? Ngā kōhanga Eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh Ironport oh, oh, oh, ngh left over the CAS review that is going to look at whether the services for autistic and ADHD [01:17:30] teens are too over -prescribing. And if this Government is paying attention to that UK as well as the US. Yes, that's another one that's on the list to be coming for. And we already know that um, autistic people are more likely to be open about their own gender non -conforming status because they're not brainwashed by society. So, that's just a sort of another thing to put in thing. We can win, it's just going [01:18:00] to take a lot of effort and it's okay to tag out if you feel tired. You know, like, it's not a big deal. Just boost something on, on whatever social media platform you're on. Uh, if, if you're over 16 and can prove it, because that's another thing that the government... Yeah, so make sure, the other last one is, make sure that if you're 18 or near 18, enrol to vote, um, be, you know, be politically active and encourage all your friends to. Because, you know, The [01:18:30] alternatives to what's in aren't perfect, but they're a hell of a lot better than what's there. So, thank you. Kia ora koutou. I've been in New Zealand for three months. I'm a trans non -binary American with two queer four -year -olds, or seven -year -olds they came out of four. [01:19:00] Um, one of them happens to be trans, and that's why we're here. Because of people like you. Because this is the most beautiful, amazing, welcoming, warm community in the world. People like you make New Zealand good. People like you are why people like me flee genocide and come here. You guys matter. You will change the [01:19:30] world. This law will not hold. It is illegal. It is unfounded. It is wrong. And fuck them. Also, vote! Um, kia ora koutou. Ko Jess tōku ingoa. Um, I, my pronouns are she, her. I'm a cis woman and I'm a parent of two trans children. Um, I'm [01:20:00] betting a hundred, I think is two from two. Um, yeah, they are the most normal. kids that you can think of, um, they are intensely difficult, as all teenagers should be. Um, our eldest came out long after puberty had ended, but our youngest, uh, turns 13, uh, next week. Um, so she is about to have her third dose of [01:20:30] puberty blockers. Um, this was an incredible experience for her. A long fight, um, a lot of appointments and I just, yeah, want to, I don't know, I, I'm entirely unprepared, but I never want there to be an opportunity to speak for them, uh, and not take it, um, I also cry when I'm mad, so this could end really badly. Um, no, but, uh, it was a [01:21:00] long journey of appointments, and I just want to acknowledge the privilege that my kids have growing up in a house, um, a Pākehā middle -class family with parents who could take time off for all of the appointments and, uh, eventually pay to go private, um, after some disasters, and... I've had a lot of well -meaning friends reach out in my tiny little liberal bubble, um, saying, you know, we're thinking of you and you must be so scared, and, uh, [01:21:30] yeah, I'm no more scared than I ever was as a parent. I'm more scared for the kids that I know aren't as lucky as ours are, um, Ya, it's a diff, it's a difficult time right there but I also feel a lot of hope. Um, we come to queer spaces and we're just welcomed with open arms and um, I have to say that [01:22:00] both of my kids have wonderful supportive Friend Groups, um, teachers, um, our GP is amazing. So I walk around thinking, you know, it's all gonna be OK and then I send them out into a world where they are open to. whatever comes their way, but, um, I just want to finish by, um, saying, when we explained this to our 12 year old, you know what this meant, and that it wouldn't change anything for her, she still thinks about things in terms of fair and unfair, [01:22:30] as you do when you're 12, um, and she said, but that's really unfair, what about my friends, um, who by fate of birth month, um, are now in a completely different situation to her? Um, So, yeah, it's been a weird time. She feels guilty, we feel guilty, we feel lucky, we feel mad, we feel all of the feelings every day. Um, yeah, but we'd just like to thank [01:23:00] everyone for, um, the support, I guess. Um, and we'll be there. We'll be there on Friday and we'll be there every day that we need to be there, so. Thank you very much. Um, thank you so much for everyone who's spoken. Um, can we have another round of applause for everyone who has [01:23:30] spoken? So we're now just going to go to an open, uh, open section. Um, so we'll have the microphone to pass around for anyone who wants to speak, um, from the floor. Um, we would ask that you try and keep it under two minutes. Um, if you could introduce yourself with name and pronouns. Um, I also just want to draw your attention to the, the, the actions that have been suggested so far because it would be great if we can. Um, [01:24:00] focus on the question of strategy. Um, so, so far we've had Lauren talk about the protest on the 19th. We've had Max talk about gathering together a group, uh, to embarrass the, uh, to embarrass the government, uh, by trying to get a meeting, um, with some prominent, uh, some prominent people from our community and from the unions and other groups. Um, and we've also had the question of, of industrial action rates. So these are all things that we can discuss in the open round, but in addition to anything else that you wanted to bring up. Kia ora again. Um, so [01:24:30] just wanted to talk about two brief things as we open this round. Um, firstly, to reiterate, um, what Amal has said about what are we going to do about this, because we all know that this, um, this legislation is wrong. Um, so how can we fight it? One, um, Lauren and Autumn's, um, This petition is being handed over on the 19th of December, so that's Friday next week. Um, secondly, PAATHA, um, the [01:25:00] Professional Association of Transgender Health Aotearoa, are launching a legal challenge toward the legislation. Um, so details of that available on Patha's website, P -A -T -H -A dot N -Z. Um, and you can donate to them to help their challenge and also support them, um, in the ways that they will request. Thirdly, you can join one of the queer or leftist organisations, um, to challenge this, um, organisations such as Queer Endurance and Defiance, um, but there are many [01:25:30] organisations who you can join to fight this because there's very little that we can do on our own. Um, but together, we're much stronger. Um, the most important way that we can do, the most important thing that we can do really is kotahitanga, he kotahitanga, he kotahitanga, he kotahitanga, the solidarity of the transes and our allies, our unity, um, that is how we will fight it. Um, and then [01:26:00] fourthly, um, as Kay talked about, really just, just, Educating people. The, the number of people who are educated on trans issues and who support us is a minority. But so is the number of people who are directly opposed to us and who hate us. They're a really small minority as well. They're probably smaller than us. But the vast majority of Aotearoa, of any society, aren't really for or against trans issues. They care, care about the cost of living. They care about, you know, mostly they care about the cost of living [01:26:30] right now. Because like, let's face it, that's the big thing going on. Um, but they don't really understand trans issues, and so they're very easy to target by, like, the meta -algorithm that really just wants to make people angry and argue with each other. Um, so if you, if you're talking to someone who just seems ignorant about trans issues, like, do what you can to explain it to them, try to be graceful about their ignorance, because ignorance and prejudice are not the same thing. Um, [01:27:00] but ignorance can turn to prejudice if it's left untended. Um, this is much easier work for an ally than it is for someone directly affected by the issue. Um, so those are, those are what I would suggest that we do about this. Um, secondly, my name's Tris. I am a 40 -year -old trans woman. Um, I became aware that I wasn't comfortable in the gender I was assigned at birth when I was 12 in 1997. Not only did I not have access to puberty blockers, I didn't have access to [01:27:30] the, the concept of transgender. I didn't have access to the concept of transgender. Um, I just knew that I didn't feel right being a boy, so I prayed to God to make me wake up a girl every day, and it didn't work, so I just started getting high a lot. Um, I finally became aware of the concept of trans in the mid -zeros when a friend of mine from high school, um, Shane, transitioned in the other direction. Um, in Kelburn Campus, there is a historic graveyard, um, [01:28:00] in the, um, So in the bottom left -hand corner, as you're facing towards the city, there is a lancewood tree. Lancewood is often referred to as like the trans tree, because it starts life as one plant, and as it gets older, it grows into another plant. Um, so in, towards the lower left -hand corner of that graveyard, there is a lancewood tree. Um, Shane passed away in 2008, and we planted that tree for him in 2009. So if you're passing through the graveyard, there is a lancewood tree. Um, go say hi to him. [01:28:30] Uh, if you watch Doctor Who, tell him what's been going on, cause I don't know, and I think he would appreciate knowing. Um, I don't know if we had had access to the concept of trans, if we had had access to information about what we were going through, if we had access to the medication that could help us deal with it. Maybe I would still be an addict. Maybe Shane would still not be here. But I think there is a pretty strong likelihood that our lives would both be significantly better than they are. Um, and we're in [01:29:00] a building with really great acoustics. So I just wanted to share a couple of brief songs. Um, firstly, in commemoration of those, um, like Shane, who are no longer with us. I will only hold you for the while that you have left. I will only hold you for the time you have on earth. I will only hold you for the time you have on earth. For what was promised was not given and they took too much away. What was promised [01:29:30] was not given and they took too much from you. So I will only hold you for the time that you have left. I will only hold you while you go. And for those of us who remain and who want to stay here and want to keep fighting, I will only hold you while you go. We don't have to live a lie to keep ourselves alive. We don't have to live a lie to keep ourselves alive, no matter what they tell us. So if [01:30:00] you'd like to speak, feel free to either come up here or I will bring you the mic. Raise up your hand, your paw, or your fist. My name's Bill Logan, and I'm really here simply to say we can change things. I know this because I've been through it. We fought [01:30:30] in the 80s and the 90s, and we changed things. We got laws against male homosexual activity removed. We got changes to the human rights legislation. We got significant reforms. It can be changed, but it won't change just by wishing. It will only change if we create alliances, if we mobilise [01:31:00] different groups of people, if we keep a movement going, if we keep meetings like this going, if we keep, uh, sending speakers to parents' associations and schools, if we, if we use social media, if we systematise it, if we, if we keep an alliance operating and growing. It requires organisation. It requires work. But it can work. We can change things. We have [01:31:30] and we will. So I just wanted to give some forewarning that I'm going to be talking about mental health and the mental health struggles. So my name is Crystal and I'm a transgender woman. Um, I've been medically transitioning for about six months now. I don't know why I've decided to do this on a whim, I literally just wrote this an hour [01:32:00] ago, and I'm shitting myself right now. Yeah. Applause So I wanted to talk from a mental health perspective, as this is something that's affected me my whole life, and is something that's very important to me. Uh, it's gonna be a bit difficult to share some of this, as it's my own personal experience, but I think, um, Sharing this will give an example of what some people are going through [01:32:30] right now. Uh, so to give some context, I am diagnosed with bipolar disorder, BPD, ADHD, and social anxiety, and growing up I have struggled with eating disorders, self -harm, and suicide attempts. Um, I never had the chance to use puberty blockers, but this was, and this was one of the reasons I struggled so much growing up. Uh, seeing my body develop in ways that did not fit to who I was on the inside led me to despise it. It [01:33:00] led me to come up with terrible ideas such as starving myself to stop it growing. This seriously affected my physical and mental health growing up, and this distress led me to some very rash decisions, and had I not been extremely lucky, I would not be standing here today. Now, in my adult life, I struggle with mental illness. Due to this, I've spent time, a lot of time, in emergency rooms and psychiatric wards, which had been extremely stressful. [01:33:30] And on multiple occasions, my gender and identity had not been respected, which only made these situations a lot harder. Dealing with my illnesses is already hard enough, and I just can't help but think that if I was in a body that aligned with who I really was... And then it would have made those experiences a little easier. And it would have been one less thing to worry about. The thought of another child, teenager, or any human being going through what I did terrifies me. We now have a solution to this, [01:34:00] but that is being taken away from us, and that is absolutely disgusting. Puberty blockers do save lives. I'm also kind of shitting it. Um, I thought I was sweating before, but God damn. So [01:34:30] I've decided to kind of speak off the cuff. That's better. Not that tall, period. Um, so I think that like, what we've just heard in stories, Oh, my name's Eden by the way, so, um, I'm undiagnosed. Um, so I think, uh, hearing stories like that, that I feel like a lot of us can really relate to, um, with mental health struggles and being, uh, stuck in a body that is changing, Um, so I think that's a good thing. Um, in many cases, irreparably, um, and not [01:35:00] having access to these, uh, puberty blockers or hormones. It sucks. Um, but I think we need to really take into consideration what we can do, um, as young people and as advocates of our own rights. Um, and kind of what the scope is that we can do ourselves. So, obviously, this is voting, uh, if you're of age. This is going to protest. This is signing bills. signing bills, signing against them, um, writing letters to lawmakers, things like this, we can all do these [01:35:30] things, um, to the scope that we are physically able, um, and I think it's important to think about that, but also to think about what we can be doing in day to day life. And, I think some points before were really important that, um, a lot of the people that support these anti trans bills are just people who are really ignorant. I mean, from personal experience. The people that I've met that have known trans people, or have trans people in their family, or just friends that, uh, know trans people. They [01:36:00] understand and have more compassion towards us than people that don't know that we exist or don't see us as people or we aren't in their lives. So I think that going outside, not trapping ourselves in our bedrooms however much we want to, um, it's really important. Sunshine is great for our mental health regardless, but wear sunscreen please. Um, but like, just getting out there, making ourselves seen as hard as it is, um, if we're able to find employment, um, it's really important. Um fighting for our, our rights in employment. Um I myself have been [01:36:30] studying beauty therapy and in that um, there was a lot of um, lack of education when it came to uh, transgender bodies and um, hormone replacement therapy for trans individuals, um so I actually headed a, like a retraining of the staff on that and I think that like doing things like this is really important in your place of study, in your place of work. Um, So yeah, that's all I really said but um, Hei, hei, hei. Shit sucks, but I can only get better, right? Please, please. [01:37:00] Kia ora, can anyone hear me? Okay, kia ora, my name is Kulwhai, some may know me as Toby. Um, I come here today as both a trans youth and an intersex youth. Um, The ban will not just hurt, you know, trans youth, they will, you know, label it [01:37:30] as banning for those diagnosed with gender dysphoria, if I am correct. Um, but this will, you know, um, uh, immediately, not immediately Um, but this will hurt intrasex youth who may need puberty blockers especially if, again, if they are trans And I was going to hopefully go on puberty blockers but, ah, sorry, um, because of the [01:38:00] government I cannot now, um, because that would be a new, uh, prescription Tēnā koe. I say we should stand up loudly, fight against transphobia and intersexism because I've noticed within the current, not current, but coming years, intersexism has become very noticeable, um, and I think, We should [01:38:30] be loud about, you know, um, our protests. Um, yeah. Uh, thank you. Kia ora, I'm, I'm Aaron. Uh, I'm transmasculine. Um, Ko Pākehā hau, ko tāngata tiriti hau. Um, I, I do have some experience working in government. Um, so I unfortunately have to caveat what I'm saying tonight by saying that my thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you. Um, [01:39:00] uh, and I'm also a union delegate in my, in my workplace. Um, and just wanted to sort of reflect on, uh, Amal's comment about strategy and thinking about what we can do to, um, fight this, this horrendous ban. Um, there seem to be kind of four, four main avenues for responding, um, to this change, um, just sort of based on my thoughts and what I've heard tonight. Um, so obviously the, the change itself was an order in council, um, by council. um, [01:39:30] to change, uh, regulations under the Medicines Act. Um, so as people have mentioned, that, that can be changed back through a cabinet decision. Um, if we have a change in government, that's probably the, um, most obvious thing we could support. Um, uh, if this current government is not going to reverse its change, which, um, but yeah, obviously we've got the petition going up, so. Um, yes, that's the sort of main first thing. Um, but I guess [01:40:00] given that that is, uh, it's, it's not a, it's not in itself a law that is passed through Parliament, um, it is a regulatory change. So we might also want to think about, uh, whether we could strengthen, um, law itself, um, perhaps create new law or something that is, uh, stronger than just reversing itself, um, in the future. The change that has been made. Um, perhaps, uh, introducing new law or strengthening law through Parliament [01:40:30] to ensure that all trans youth have access to the care they need, that decisions about their medical care stay between themselves and their clinicians and their whānau. Um, there's also, uh, obviously as people have mentioned, building public mandate, um, for support for puberty blockers. Um, so this would be more of, you know, as, as we've discussed, more of a grassroots than a, than something that targets Parliament or politicians necessarily. Um, and then protecting youth who are trans, protecting those [01:41:00] potentially who disobey this change. Um, so as, as speakers have discussed, having full union support behind disciplinary processes that prescribers may face and potentially industrial action is part of this. Um, so I guess that's sort of a summary of, of things that people have mentioned. Um, and I, and my comment would be on these that all are probably likely necessary as tactics to pursue. Um, but I just want to tautoko also what I've heard throughout the evening [01:41:30] that, uh, as some people have mentioned, we cannot trust, we cannot trust the state to protect us. Um, and this is also my view as someone who's a postgraduate student of history, um, has studied queer history in Aotearoa. Um, Speakers have mentioned that, you know, laws can be passed, we can have, uh, advances in what we see as human rights and, and rights, uh, you know, laws that seem to protect us and our right to health care. Um, these can be repealed. Um, as people have [01:42:00] mentioned, overseas culture wars can capture the attention of reactionary politicians who only care about appealing to a minority of populist voters, which is very depressing, but it's a reality that we have to face. Um, So I guess, yeah, I just would like to emphasise those strategies of building public support for our cause, um, however that looks, um, alongside, you know, targeting the law, those main sort of changes, um, is vital, um, and, and also, of course, of [01:42:30] mutual aid, things like, um, yes, looking after ourselves, um, one another, um, and, you know, and also as, like, union members and delegates and all that. as members of organisations. Um, those are the sorts of things that we need to pursue to kind of insulate against that conservative backlash, not just targeting, uh, the, you know, the small regulatory change in itself. Um, hopefully that will make sense. There was a bit of a jumble, [01:43:00] my thoughts over the past hour. Um, but yes, just my main point was we cannot take for granted what we have already gained. Um, and we consistently need to defend, um, Yes, against, against the reactionary, populist, awful stuff that's being imported from the US and the UK. Um, so yeah, tōtoko what people have said tonight. Kia ora, thank you. Yeah,[01:43:30] hi, my name's Romani, I'm with the ISO, the International Socialist Organisation, and I just want to tōtoko all the people who have, um, I've talked about getting out into the streets and organising some rallies and marches around this issue. So I'll definitely be there on the 19th. I'm keen to help build for that and to help organise future rallies as well around this issue specifically. But also, I wonder if we should be thinking about, um, the, uh, uh, organising [01:44:00] some rallies, um, against the attacks on trans rights more broadly. So someone mentioned removing transgender issues from the school curriculum. Um, they're also attacking sort of trans inclusion in sports. Um, and I feel like as people have been saying tonight, you know, this is based on ideology, not evidence. And I feel like if we point to all of these different attacks on trans people, I feel like that helps to kind of make that clear that this is a concerted agenda. [01:44:30] And I think another potential ally in this, um, Adia sort of touched on this in her talk. Is there anyone from like the abortion rights movement here? Um, I interviewed, um, Alma de Ander, who's the co -president of ALRANS, the abortion rights group in New Zealand, for the socialist paper, and she was talking about the anti -abortion movement in New Zealand, and they've all got podcasts, and, um, and, uh, Winston Peters was, appeared on one of their podcasts, [01:45:00] and he was talking about, trans people and he was talking about the threat from trans people so the ends you know like these things are all connected and the anti -abortion people see trans rights as a wedge issue where if they can start chipping away at um trans health care they can then start chipping away at abortion rights as well so i think that's another potential um avenue for solidarity yeah thank you to all the speakers it's been really good hello[01:45:30] everyone i am scarlet may many of you may not know me as i've just moved here Now wait a minute. Four days ago. Someone tell me. So I come from South Ireland. Where my experiences might be a little bit different. But I'm also transgender and intersex. And those have both shaped my puberty and my life in many ways. So when [01:46:00] I was I will just say a little bit about my personal experience with puberty blockers and such. When I was born, I was... I was assigned male at birth after a nearly day -long corrective surgery. Corrective. And I never truly found out how I was born until many years later, when I started going through [01:46:30] precocious puberty. Yay. And my GP was like, I don't know, I don't know. Tātou kaipa tātou pākehiai. I was like, and my mum was like, no. And then I was almost prescribed testosterone as my levels were way below male levels. But luckily, my fear of needles saved me from that one as well. But finally, I found my [01:47:00] trans identity and who I was at about 13. Which at some point, puberty blockers were a bit late for me, because of my precariousness of puberty. But, as I've gotten older, I've met more young trans people who have looked up to me as like a leader in the queer club, and it breaks my heart to hear them talk and [01:47:30] confide in me about how they've just lost access to this medication which would have been life -saving for me and them. It's disgraceful what this government has done and all, as all of us have probably seen in America, they take one small right away and then it's nobles. Another right, another right, another right. We need to pick [01:48:00] where to stand, and we should stand here. Be yourself, be proud, stand up for what you believe in. Thank you. Um, alright, so I'm sure what I'm saying is nothing that you haven't heard before by the other speakers, but I just thought that I'd offer my experience, um, [01:48:30] because I am actually on the medication that they're talking about, um, banning right now, because I started as a supplementary medication to the testosterone. That I was taking, I believe I was 14 at the time, so, like, the start of this year. And, um, I know what it's like to be in a position where there is a possibility that you're going to be cut off from the medication. So, I just think that it's unethical that the government is banning this medication just for trans children, and they're cutting off future prescriptions. Like, imagine you have been offered the opportunity to stop, [01:49:00] essentially, your life and body. I don't want to say ruined because that's disrespectful to the people who have, like, obviously been unlucky in this situation. But, for you, from your perspective, your body is essentially being ruined against your will, and you have no choice. And the only way to reverse it is incredibly expensive, and in some cases you just can't. So, how is it fair to promise? There is a possibility that your life can be so much more, you can have a childhood as the um, gender that you're supposed to be. You can have the [01:49:30] appropriate changes happen to your body and then go, Oh wait, you've spent years trying to get this medication, we're just going to cut you off. How is that okay? Although they say, oh you know, it's okay because we're not cutting off prescriptions people already have. They're still cutting off people who've taken so long to work towards getting to this point. It's not fair to take away the hope of a happy future from a child. What do you think that's going to do to them mentally? What do you think that's going to do to them mentally? Because I've been in this position, uh, a while back, before I found my endocrinologist, um, they had promised me that they were prescribing, uh, testosterone at this appointment, [01:50:00] and then they told me, no, you have to wait until you're 18. Obviously that was a lie, because I managed to get it in the end, but in that situation, it was, I want to say, very, uh, traumatic for me, and, oh yeah, uh, warning, uh, I just, like, you know, tried to kill myself, so. Uh, thankfully I did not die, So, yeah. Um, and I managed to get my father to find a good endocrinologist. However, if I was not in that position, I would have died. And this is happening to many children who do not have parents who can go out and find the correct endocrinologist. [01:50:30] And I do worry for myself that this may continue to lead to future regulation that could take away my hormones. Uh, people just forget that puberty is irreversible. Sure, you might lose a little bit of bone density. But like, it's really worth it. The possibility, oh yeah, your bones might be a little tiny bit weaker, so that you can have like a good life. Uh, thank you. I just think that this whole regulation is biased, unfair, and hurts children. Um,[01:51:00] kia ora koutou. Thank you everyone for staying with us for two and a half hours. Um, in closing, unu hea, unu hea. Te pou, te pou. Kia wātea, kia wātea. Ae, kua wātea. Kia ora, thank you.
This page features computer generated text of the source audio. It may contain errors or omissions, so always listen back to the original media to confirm content.
Tags