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.
Well, I'm Evan Wood, and I've come to the conference this time because I live in a small town of B Ham in the northern part of the South Island. And I worked within human rights, and I still work with, uh, young people coming out, um, in association with, um, a woman at family planning and a woman in public health and a police person. And so we have a little queer group over there, and, um, it's a passion [00:00:30] of mine. What are the main things that you get out of conferences like this? Oh, I felt very emotional this morning, and I felt for Warren Lindberg, who also felt a little emotional because it is so empowering, um, coming from a small town where I don't get together with other gay family very often. And it it's we're such a lovely, wonderfully diverse and supportive family. Were there specific moments [00:01:00] this morning that that you felt stronger than others? Kevin Hague said he'd he'd felt very strongly, and um followed Marin Waring's progress over the years. And when I saw her name on the list, I thought, they have to come because she's been a hero of mine. One of the quotes I often make that, Marilyn is quoted as saying. When she was 25 and in Parliament, she said, she was asked how it felt getting older and she said, Wonderful. The older [00:01:30] I am, the more eccentric I can be. So I've tried to live up to that as I get older, too. It sounds to me like it's been a huge day for you. Oh, yes, it has been. It's been very stimulating and empowering. I just feel like going back and whacking a few people around the ears with a 42. But over the years I've known that that doesn't get anywhere. Really. I am. Yeah. You have to take one little step at a time, and sometimes you have to take a step backwards occasionally. Um, is [00:02:00] this because the place where you're where you're living is that Is it homophobic? Is it? Um, No, I I've seem to have been quite accepted. I I'm openly out without having to wave a flag all the time. Um, but there are things that come up there that irritate me too. And I take a stand on political issues, not just on homophobic, homophobic ones as well. Do you have examples of what's come up? Yeah. In one discussion group I was at, [00:02:30] we were We were talking about other current events and and one of the people said and talking about the previous Labour government and saying, you know, far too liberal social attitudes, including, you know, same sex marriages and so forth. And I got on my awards and told him what? I thought about that too. So yeah, And how did that go down? He ignored it. Yeah. So in Do you think gay and lesbian people are tolerated or accepted [00:03:00] it? It very much depends. Really. Um, I came out when I was teaching at school, and in associated with my coming out I I put down to that, my back fell apart. So that was my major medical misadventure at midlife crisis and so forth. And I had cause to wear overalls at school because I couldn't wear belted trousers. Um, and I decided to wear pink ones, and many of the parents accepted that very well. Others chose not to talk [00:03:30] about it and tried to ignore it. Perhaps, um and and and I alternated those pink ones with mauve ones on the off off week. So, yeah, it's tolerated. Perhaps so long as you're not scaring the horses. Yeah, but the last day of my school teaching, I was just given one class more, a young class to look after. Just to keep me off the playground, probably. And, um, I told them that they didn't. They wanted to know [00:04:00] what I was going to do when I retired. And so I said I was going to be a pirate. And so I asked them, as maybe seven year olds to help me know what I had to do as being a pirate. So we all did things around being a pirate all that day. And at a time when the the film of, um, Peter Pan had just come out and I had to If if I was like Captain Hawke, I had to use lose a hand and lose an eye. And so we went through that day and then we had a a final assembly, and [00:04:30] I got up in my pirate outfit and spoke at the assembly and said how much? I enjoyed my teaching there, but I'd learned something from my class that day that I thought I was going to be a pirate in my future retirement. But I've decided it's better to be who I am. I. I think seeing a lot of people from diverse cultures around the Pacific is just so empowering, really. Um, and I've just a little while ago I was working in Asia and and in China, and and [00:05:00] the different pressures that are on Chinese men who happen to identify as gay are really much more difficult than ours because of the expectation to get married. Um, and it's just so lovely that they were able to come. I've spoken to someone from Hong Kong, Um, and also I have friends over in Marlborough who are working with the IRS E scheme from Vanuatu, and there was a Vanuatu man here, too. So it's lovely to talk [00:05:30] with him about how the culture is accepted in Vanuatu, so that cultural diversity is what's appealed to me, too. Have there been any surprises? A couple of emissions on the programme list of of Chris Carter and Georgina Bayer? I've been disappointed that Georgina hasn't been here because I worked with her when I was working with HIV and AIDS, and she's such a charismatic person. One of the things I find amazing about this conference is thinking that 25 years ago [00:06:00] we were just embarking on law reform. Well, law reform had just happened. And now, 25 years later, we've got 300 people as diverse as you can get. Well, I came out just before law reform, um was passed through parliament and and I just was just so amazing at that time. And and and I got to know a lot of people active within the Wellington community and just downstairs I was speaking to a young police person, one of the diversity police person, and And we have one in who's [00:06:30] out as a lesbian within the police force. And that's just such a huge change. In previous decades, I avoided the places. Yeah, because it was just too scary being a being a gay man in a school. And, um, I I felt a lot of pressure within the teaching because I was teaching young Children and came out while I was doing that and felt the pressure of the Peter Ellis affair. And, um, I hoping something might be discussed about that and and [00:07:00] supporting him and trying to get his conviction annulled or whatever you do with convictions like that. But the opportunity hasn't come up for me to erase that as yet, but I certainly felt that pressure and it caused me to retire when I was 50 from school teaching, which I say was a a good career move, really, because it opened other doors. And so living in B ham, which is quite a small population, is isolation. A big issue for you. When I first [00:07:30] came out, I listened to ABC totally religiously every Saturday morning, and I found that was very strengthening and empowering because I didn't know any other gay men. I. I first came out when I went to a men's gathering around the Fox era area, and it was the first time, at my age of 40 that I'd met an out gay man and and the man who helped me through that weekend was a Quaker, and first [00:08:00] time I'd met someone who was out as a Quaker and out as a gay man, and so I went back to Melbourne, and I thought there must be Quakers here. There must be gay men here. And I found the Quakers. And what about now? How do you feel living in Glenham now? Um, I have friends and family in, so I live there mainly. Sometimes I wonder why. Um it's the climate that keeps me there, and it's very accessible. Being central in New Zealand, I can get to Wellington relatively easily. [00:08:30] Um, and and there are other family around too. Most of them stick together and, you know, just blend in with the community. Really? But I like to stand up and wave the flag or kick shins occasionally too. So, yeah, I do both of those. Yeah. So with this conference, what are the things that you really want to take away from it? Um, to be re empowered to go back and do more work in the in the community with the support that I have [00:09:00] And maybe think of Peter Ellis before we go and see if there's something that we can do there and acknowledge the the United Nations paper that we've been asked to look at and and endorse too. I think that would be important, but yes, strengthening my own energies, I guess. Zipping head. 30 years. And if somebody is listening to this tape in 30 years time, what do you think you would want to say to them? [00:09:30] I think it's important to acknowledge who you are. Um, despite everything. Really? Yeah. Just acknowledge who you are.
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