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.
I'm a And, uh, I'm from Fiji. Uh, I work for Rainbow Women's Network. Uh, Fiji, Um, I'm the women's project officer. And what we do is we work with, um, gay women, uh, bisexual lesbians and also sex workers because, uh, we have some of our members who are gay but are also, uh, you know, self employed through sex work. And there are other women as well. [00:00:30] Who who like our space who are not gay. No sex workers. But, um, for them, they they they say that they are marginalised, but really at grass root root level. And because I think we've created a safe space, This is our third year. They they're also part of our group. So, uh, yeah, we you know, we we welcome them into our group and they gay friendly, and so yeah, because they they're part of our group. Um, I actually do part time [00:01:00] work with Rainbow Women's Network, Fiji. I have a full time job. Um, I must admit I am well educated and I'm here at the art games to to try and meet other women like me well educated women, because in Fiji we do have gay women that, um, do have good jobs, but we feel that, um, they prefer to be invisible. Um, [00:01:30] I think it's time now that we gay women actually start being concerned about women gay rights, which is really nonexistent in Fiji now. So what I want to do is go out into the workplace and try and form a support group and and stand up for our women gay rights. When? When you say they prefer to be invisible, Why? Why is that, um, for fear of losing their job? Um, Fiji [00:02:00] is very small. We're very close knit. Um, some of us, even me, I'm not out yet. And some of us, um, prefer to be like that. You know, Silver? Well, Fiji is such a small place, and to be out and gay is very, you know, it's quite scary because there's a lot of discrimination. There's a lot of bias. And for us women, well, we we prefer to be, you know, [00:02:30] safely tucked away in the closet. But we feel that now it's time for some of us to come out and, you know, be recognised as gay women has that homophobia or or that level of scariness. Has that increased, or has it always been there? Um, it's always been there for us in Fiji. We predominantly a Christian state. Uh, colonialism brought in Christianity, and it's still instilled in our families, [00:03:00] you know? And, um, from my personal point of view, quite a few of the gay women that I have met, um, where their family have found out that they're gay, they've been disowned by their family. So I think what we need to do is create an awareness amongst our community as well as their families that it's really OK to be gay. Um, we've had public demonstrations from one of the main religious groups, [00:03:30] and that doesn't help either. So, yeah, um, surprisingly, even though we've gone through a few military coups, our current military government is quite supportive of gay rights. Last year, they decriminalised homosexuality. So that's a start. Yeah. So I think now, if a few of us start standing up for gay rights, I think the momentum and the you know it will start growing and and our [00:04:00] gay community will start coming out, and yeah, Was that Was that a big fight to get decriminalisation? Uh, No, I don't I don't think so. It was already in the 1997 Constitution, but, um, I think also, I think in terms of human rights, I think they're beginning to to be more aware. And because I think, uh, you know, we have other. We have gay men who are at that level that also has influence. [00:04:30] Um, had some influence on on on it being decriminalised. And also from, uh, past, uh, lobbying and advocacy by other, um, gay, gay, other gay people. You know, in Fiji at that time when it started, the discussion started in in, uh 1997. Yeah. And also, I think, one of the concerns for me too. Personally, I've been coming to, uh uh, a few. Um uh, gay gay meetings in New Zealand. Uh, one of which [00:05:00] was, uh is the love life for which is usually specifically for HIV and a I and targeting MS M. And I remember when I came in 2009, one of the things I realised that there is also not only in Fiji the invisibility of lesbian women, but also in the Pacific, specifically in the South Pacific and one of the things I'd like to see that maybe in the next you know, Asia in the Pacific, that there would be other women from other Pacific Islanders here instead of just women from Fiji. Because there's usually only [00:05:30] women from Fiji or otherwise women from the Pacific who are who are, you know, living overseas, like in New Zealand and Australia. But it would be nice to get someone from the the island, you know, um, you know, maybe they have, you know, because I I know that I'm sure they have issues as well that they'd like to voice. But I suppose it's the you know, those cornerstones of the Pacific, which is cultural religion and all those That's that's the drawback for them to, you know, step up in. But this is a start. Can you [00:06:00] tell me a wee bit about the, um, Rainbow Women's Network? Rainbow Women's Network is actually fairly new. We started in 2009, and the idea came about when we had our first workshop for marginalised women, women, sex workers and gay women at grassroots level. And the women themselves found out well, they really wanted just specifically a women's network, you know, for support and stuff like that. So that's how it came about. We are in the middle of registering, and [00:06:30] our management board consists of our community sex workers and gay women at grassroots level. They make all the decisions. We find the money. We do workshops, we facilitate workshops. We bring in women. The women like our Fiji women's rights movement to give a talk and tell them you know what really their basic rights are. We participate in events. Last week, International Women's Day, we marched for Reclaim the night. But this year we we not only want [00:07:00] to do workshops, we also want to do activities for income generating activities because most of our members really are unemployed. So we want to concentrate on that, um, this year and we we have to say we the first, um, lesbian woman's network and yeah, and yeah, and, um, our success stories, our support, fortnightly support groups, we have We just sit around a bowl of, [00:07:30] uh, have a bowl of and we talk about issues, and that's where all the stories of women and as our members come to the meeting, they also bring in some of their friends as well. So our membership is actually growing as well, too. What size membership do you currently have? Um, at the moment. Now we have, uh, like I said, we're quite small. We have, uh, Regis. Yeah. 50 non registered members. We we have quite a lot. We also [00:08:00] want to move on to women at university. The youth. We want to target the youth. Um, as well, too. So, yeah, it's it's it's growing. I know that the session is about to start, but just one last question. If somebody was listening to this tape in 30 years time, what would you like to say to them? Well, I hope I, I don't want to say if someone was listening to this tape. I'm hoping that, um when we're long gone that there'll be about 10,000 lesbians all [00:08:30] hidden in the closet in Fiji and saying, Wow, so, you know, I mean, I must admit that I'm here. I had actually had to lie to my boss. I mean, I couldn't tell I'm coming to the art game. She wouldn't have given me leave. So yeah, that's that's how it is. now. So in the next 10 years, I hope all you lesbians out there in Fiji and the Pacific, you know, stand up for your rights. Yeah, I would feel the same way as well, maybe in the next 30 years. Or once we [00:09:00] leave this planet that there will be more voices women, lesbians, invisible voices coming to meetings like this and, um, sharing and sharing your stories because I think it's important for for people to know, and it's also building networks.
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