The title of this recording is "Merv Ransom - Out in the Park (2018)". It is described as: Merv Ransom talks about Out in the Park and some of the current issues facing LGBTI rainbow communities. It was recorded in Waitangi Park, Te Aro, Wellington on the 24th February 2018. Merv Ransom is being interviewed by Gareth Watkins.  Their names are spelt correctly but may appear incorrectly spelt later in the document. The duration of the recording is 7 minutes. A list of correctly spelt content keywords and tags can be found at the end of this document. A brief description of the recording is: In this podcast Merv Ransom talks about Out in the Park and some of the current issues facing LGBTI rainbow communities. The content in the recording covers the 2010s decade. A brief summary of the recording is: The podcast recording titled "Merv Ransom - Out in the Park (2018)" features an interview with Merv Ransom, conducted by Gareth Watkins at Waitangi Park, Te Aro, Wellington, on the 24th of February, 2018. The duration of this recording is 7 minutes, and it touches upon various issues pertinent to the LGBTI rainbow communities during the 2010s, as well as the significance of events like Out in the Park for visibility and community solidarity. Merv Ransom observes that the festival attendees seem younger and notes a good turnout, influenced by the pleasant weather. The interviewer and Ransom then discuss various vendors and groups present at the event, ranging from political to food to community and rainbow-related stalls. This diversity exemplifies the intersection of political, social, and communal facets within LGBTI rainbow communities. A critical point of discussion centers around the challenges faced by these communities, particularly in terms of representation in governmental data like the census. Ransom points out the issues encountered with the data collection process and the subsequent difficulty in representing rainbow communities effectively. Nevertheless, a tone of optimism is conveyed regarding the progress, with government ministers like James Shaw working to rectify these issues for future improvements in census representation. Furthermore, the conversation addresses legislative progress, such as the Historical Conviction Bill going through parliament that would affect LGBTI communities. Another significant topic is the impact of having LGBTI individuals in government positions and the sense of momentum and support felt by the community. Additionally, comparisons between New Zealand's advancement in marriage equality and Australia's recent achievement in the same area lead to a discussion about the mood and reaction to legislative changes in Australia. This provides a broader context of international perspectives on LGBTI rights. Ransom also outlines some key issues facing LGBTI rainbow communities, such as the need for more inclusive policies in schools and the return of the "rainbow desk" to ensure that legislation is evaluated for its "rainbow friendliness." The potential placement of such a desk within the Department of Internal Affairs or the Human Rights Commission is suggested as a means to secure influence and promote the welfare of these communities. The personal significance of Out in the Park for Ransom is highlighted by the preference for community-driven events over stereotypical scene-based environments. Ransom comments on persistent stereotypes and emphasizes the importance of inclusive attitudes that invite self-definition and resist labeling by others. To conclude, Ransom addresses the listeners with a message of welcome and encouragement to report any exclusionary behavior, advocating for a community that embraces diversity and acceptance. The full transcription of the recording follows.  It includes timestamps every thirty seconds in the format [HH:MM:SS].  The transcription begins:  So move. Can you just describe what you can see around you? Sure. Uh, Waitangi Park. Actually, I think this year everyone seems to have gotten younger. The crowd seems a lot younger this year. We're just getting older. Yeah. Yeah, that that's right. One or the other. And everyone seems happy. Nice weather. So there's good turnout. What? What are some of the stores you can see? Um, well, I was the first one I went to, because there's that, um, conference next year. PS [00:00:30] A Used to be a member of them, uh, labour party greens. I can see lots of food. Saint Vincent's workshop, I think. With Glenn. So, yeah, a mixture of political community, rainbow kind of stores. So move. Why? Why do you think these kind of events are important? Um, because then you're not hiding in shadows and you're visible in the community. Very important. Yeah, I'm 100% pro being visible because [00:01:00] otherwise, you know, you're kind of, um not seen. Not represented. Kind of like the census stuff that needs to be rectified. So So what is it? What's happening with the census at the moment? So my understanding, because I've been in Aussie is that, um they did some initial testing, and the answers could be either misconstrued or I think the data was going to be hard for them to collect. And, um, James Shaw, the minister, he's, um, fixing [00:01:30] that with the person responsible for the census. I think so. We're not gonna see the results, though, until, um, the next census is my understanding. But it's I, I guess a step forward when you've got the minister saying, Well, actually, we are gonna do this totally. And I think the lady I forget her name acknowledged that, um, yeah, there was some difficulty, but she's pro getting it. She's not one of those, um, obstructive kind of people, so I think that will be sorted eventually. So [00:02:00] there's the, um, census thing going on at the moment. But also, there's the, uh, historic conviction, uh, bill going through parliament. What are some of the other things? Um, kind of in 2018 that are affecting, um, rainbow LGBTI communities that that should be looked at. Oh, well, I think the biggest thing that I have well, I felt since I got back is that las in government. So you got, you know, Grant Robert Jan Lo. Um I think the time is [00:02:30] right, you know, for us to make momentum. I think it's good. I don't have too many worries at the moment about how we're how we're progressing. You know, if marriage equality just build on the gains since then, No, I think we're in a good place. And And you were saying that you've just come back from Australia? Yeah. Um, so their marriage equality was that a few months now. So yeah. So they finally got their act together and, um, passed that legislation. So yeah, it was good to feel like a Kiwi was, you know, over [00:03:00] there. And we were ahead of the times, Those Aussies. So what was the mood like over there? Oh, like a bit indignant, like, you know, they've been pushing it, and then that plebiscite. So it was, um I think they were suspicious that they were trying to get the public, um, animosity going because of the process over there. But, um, I think they ended up just essentially voting on it. And, you know, finally doing what they were meant to do with their [00:03:30] mandate as, um MP S and yeah, finally happened because it was a long time. It was, like about 10 years, wasn't it? I think so. Yeah. It had taken ages. I don't know what it was, but, you know, finally they got got through it. Yeah. So what do you think are some of the biggest issues um, around today for for for, um, LGBTI Rainbow Communities in New Zealand? Um, I think, um, and I'm thinking of inside out at the moment, So er so [00:04:00] schools being audited better. Is that so? You know, with our coming out stage and all that, so that could be more closely monitored. We could get our rainbow desk back into existence, you know, maybe under the Department of Internal Affairs. God. What? I've got a whole freaking work. Pro programme. I should share with you. What? What? What is the rainbow desk? I've never heard that. Um, so this is what I've heard, so don't quote me. Um, except we're being recorded. [00:04:30] Um, back in the day, all legislation supposedly had to pass through this rainbow desk to check its rainbow friendliness. Yeah, and somehow that died. And now we need to resurrect it, so that will require some lobbying. But we've got a receptive audience now, I think, with with labour and greens, so and and so where would that sit? Would that be like, say, Department of Internal Affairs or something? I think that would be the logical [00:05:00] place. I think it was under that department back in the day. I think that Yeah, to me or maybe the, you know, Human Rights Commission or just anywhere, Really? As long as we have influence, you know? Yeah. It's a great idea. Yeah, that's why we need to bring it back. So, um, tell me what What does a day like today mean to you? Um, I'm just into being out there, being proud of who you are, you know, common [00:05:30] issues coming together. I like this sort of stuff. I prefer this to the scene where you get stereotyped. Yeah, that's why I prefer this kind of thing. Does that still happen? Yeah. Hell, yeah. We can't be complacent. Yeah, we can't be complacent. So if I said to you, what are the kind of stereotypes that are kind of around at the moment? What would they be um, all promiscuous. All go to clubs. All go to saunas, top and bottom polarities. That's just a few [00:06:00] that we all do drag. It's interesting how some things change and then other things don't appear to it Seems you know that that that was something going on 2030 years ago. Yeah. Yeah, like I haven't tested that theory out. I must admit for a while, but I just like to do my own thing. That's why I identify, because it includes my culture as well. You know, we get to define ourselves. Not other people put labels and categories on us. If somebody wasn't able to be here today, what kind of message [00:06:30] would you like to give to them that you should consider yourself welcome? And if any little bitchy scene queen gets clicky on you, you need to report that because what I've found is that sometimes our community can be the most judgmental you should be all embracing. And I don't tolerate that crap. So we need to weed those out in our community and put them in that person. She's like, Would you have liked to have been judged that way? Like you're not XYZ enough for our community. So we need [00:07:00] to be a bit more all embracing. So make sure you feel welcome, and if not, let me know. The full transcription of the recording ends. A list of keywords/tags describing the recording follow. These tags contain the correct spellings of names and places which may have been incorrectly spelt earlier in the document. The tags are seperated by a semi-colon: 2010s ; Aotearoa New Zealand ; Australia ; Census (2018) ; Criminal Records (Expungement of Convictions for Historical Homosexual Offences) Act 2018 ; Department of Internal Affairs ; Education Review Office (ERO) ; Events ; God ; Grant Robertson ; Green Party ; Human Rights Commission ; ILGA World ; ILGA World Conference (2019) ; InsideOUT Kōaro ; International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA) ; James Shaw ; Jan Logie ; LGBT ; Marriage Equality ; Merv Ransom ; New Zealand Labour Party ; Out in the Park (Wellington) ; People ; Public Service Association (PSA) ; St Vincent de Paul Society (Wellington) ; Stuff ; Waitangi Park ; Wellington ; audience ; bottom ; button ; census ; clubs ; coming out ; community ; conference ; culture ; data ; drag ; equality ; food ; government ; hell ; hiding ; hit ; human rights ; judgement ; labels ; legislation ; lobbying ; marriage ; marriage equality ; other ; plebiscite ; polarisation ; polarity ; promiscuity ; rainbow ; rainbow desk ; school ; school safety audit (ERO) ; soccer ; stereotypes ; takatāpui ; time ; top ; understanding ; visibility ; vote ; work ; workshop. The original recording can be heard at this website https://www.pridenz.com/out_in_the_park_2018_merv_ransom.html. The master recording is also archived at the Alexander Turnbull Library in Wellington, New Zealand.  For more details visit their website https://tiaki.natlib.govt.nz/#details=ecatalogue.1089810. Merv Ransom also features audibly in the following recordings: "Session 14 - Beyond conference", "Participant Reaction - Marriage Equality Conference" and "Session 6 - Beyond conference". Please note that this document may contain errors or omissions - you should always refer back to the original recording to confirm content.