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How are you today? I'm good. Thanks. Benji, How are you? I'm fantastic. Who are you and where are you from? Auckland. Where are you originally from Auckland, as well? Yes, I'm originally from Auckland. How old are you? 17. 17. You're almost 18. Almost 18 and three days. Two days? Two days. Even better. Yeah, exactly. So you're here at the Yes, I am sitting with you on a bed. On a bed. Your bed? Yeah. Morgan's bed. Very descriptive. [00:00:30] How are you feeling? At the pretty good. Nice to be around. Same sort of people. Same interest. You know what? You want to share any of your experience so far? Um, you're sitting on a bed. I'm sitting on a bed doing a really lovely interview. No, Um, I don't know. Just learning heaps of new things, extending my knowledge of Q SAS and how to run them and maintain them and different stuff about political stuff. And it's been really good. So can you tell us about yourself? [00:01:00] Um, well, I'm 17 year old lesbian Lisbon lesbian. Um and I work with rain now and then, Um, it is my goal to work with them full time in the future. Um, I What? I sort of know Lisbon. The new lesbian? Yeah. Lisbon. That's what I am, the Lisbon. Um So what's it like being still in school? Are you still in school? [00:01:30] I am still in school. It's pretty good. Um, my school was really good with, like, the whole, like, queer stuff. Pretty accepting. I had my own QS a, um and we got the school on TV on 60 minutes for it, which was pretty cool. It was, like, two years ago when I set it up. Yeah, it was good. So you're famous now? Yeah. Yeah, Pretty much famous glory. I'm just a big star. Really? Obviously, I had to get your autograph, so [00:02:00] keep that paper I signed. It would be worth it for few years. So So, um, everything's all fine and dandy, then? Pretty much. Yeah. Yeah, it's really good. So, um, what do you identify with as your gender female? And what is your gender expression? Um, no, I'm not going to say because that's that's a derogatory term. Um, I would say quite Ando and, um but you [00:02:30] know just how I express myself. But some people like to categorise that, but I don't I don't see it as a category, but if you're going to give it a name, I'd say Ando. What does Andy mean? Um, it's kind of like you don't really how to explain it. I just express myself how I feel, but it just appears in, like, a gender neutral sort of way. So, you know, for some people, that might mean to me I look more masculine, but some people that might mean I'm a little more feminine. It just depends how I feel. Like expressing myself at the time. [00:03:00] So, yeah, it's a good way to look at it. Um, so your sexuality is Lisbon. Lisbon. Lisbon. So when did you realise that you were a lesbian? I realised I was a lesbian just five seconds ago. Five seconds ago. Yeah. Um, no, I didn't really realise. I just kind of came to terms with it because, like, I, I've been brought up in a really gay friendly environment. I've been brought up by two lesbians, so I've been exposed [00:03:30] to this sort of stuff from pretty much when I was a baby. But, um, so it's never really been a problem for me. I've never actually had to come out to anyone. But I've kind of just come to terms with myself. So I kind of came up to to myself more than anyone else. So that would have been about 13 14. So it was not really about realisation. It was more about accepting, just accepting and just being like, Well, this is who I am. So have you ever thought it was like, Oh, wow, I'm listening. This is new thing [00:04:00] or no, because you were brought out. It's never really been like a new thing to me or a shock or anything, because I've been exposed to it like my whole life. So kind of just came real easy for me, Scott, When you're thinking when you think about if you turned out straight and you had two lesbian parents, they'd be like, Oh, Oh, what the grandparents gonna think? Um, I don't think it would really be a shock because, like, you know, because my Nana and her partner have always said, [00:04:30] you know, we love you no matter what you do like even like, You know, if I wasn't gay, they'd still have the same love for me. We just kind of have, like, a real special kind of connecting bond now because of it. And we kind of, like, make jokes about each other's sexuality and stuff. So it's a really good relationship between us. So, um, how about coming out? How is coming out to them? Um well, I kind of sat down because I kind of told him when I got my my head like a crush on a girl. And I was like, I like this girl and my nan was like, It's about time, Like [00:05:00] we've known it since you were, like, six. And I was like, Oh, well, why didn't you mention it earlier? She's like, Oh, no, I thought we let you, like, figure it out yourself. You know, it's all about fighting it out yourself. So, yeah, they just kind of like I was like, Yeah, it was great about time and just made jokes about it, and it was, like, automatically desensitised. So I never had a real issue with it. Well, that's good. How about your friends? Um, my friends have always known like because they say I appear quite masculine and androgynous [00:05:30] and stuff so they've always kind of known, even like my primary school friends, who I haven't talked to since I was, like, 10. I spoken to him recently and they and they were like, Oh, you have a girlfriend, blah, blah, blah. I was like, Yeah, yeah, And like, Oh, we've always known like me and my parents always used to talk about it and be like, Oh, I bet she's going to be a lesbian or, you know, that sort of thing. So, yeah, thanks. Yeah, like I've never actually had an issue with anyone like telling them about my sexuality and stuff. So it's good. So have you ever had, um so being in that [00:06:00] sort of environment, Have you ever had issues in the community? Um, I have had a small amount of issues in the community because there are certain people who used to go to my school who had, you know, quite strong opinions about gays and lesbians and et cetera, et cetera. Um, but they they only kind of raised their issues when I started my QS a and they express it in a way of like violence, like throwing things at the building and like doing a protest against me and all that sort [00:06:30] of thing, but yeah, shit's crazy man. Just the one person doing this. It was sort of lead by one person. But then, of course, you know, in high school, yeah, One person, everyone follows a small pack of guys who are like gay is not the way you pray out the gay, you're disgusting. And I was like, You know what I'm going to take? I'm gonna take this to, like, a senior member of the school and address it properly because it is an issue If it's gonna happen to me, who Because people see me as like a a leader in the school because, you know, and a lot of people [00:07:00] kind of look up to me and how I handle things. So I didn't want to retaliate in a way, um, that would make me look just as bad as them. So I I took it maturely and kind of was just, like, took it to a senior staff member and then addressed it. You know pretty well, And then the situation was handled and, you know, they got what was you know, they got a good talking to about it, so that was really good. But that's the only real issue I've had in the community having only one issue. That's a good thing. Yeah, it is. It's really good. So, um, so your [00:07:30] friends were fine. Um, with you being out, how about, um, people That's not your friends. Apart from the big, random protest that just randomly happened at school. Oh, which, by the way, if the if the teachers didn't even notice that there's a big random protest, it's a bit, yeah. How does random people from the streets take it? Um, I want to say random people on the street. I'd say People are like, you know, at school [00:08:00] who your acquaintances, but you never really hang out with. They kind of see it as like a like a good thing. Like they're like, Oh, like when I'm at a party so like, Oh, this isn't teacher. She's a lesbian. It's like, Oh, OK, automatic label. But that's OK because you know that's how they want to go about it. But they kind of like see it in like an appreciative way because they always come up to me like, oh you're so brave, like you're so confident in who you are, and it's really you know, it's good to see someone so confident, and it kind of like they kind of boost their spirits about it. So, like people who I'm not that close to or like, complete strangers who know of me are real, have [00:08:30] a really good like outlook on me and a good opinion of me, Which is nice to know. Yeah, it's real good. So how did you feel when you came out? Um, relieved, because it was it was more of a thing for myself than anyone else. But yeah, I just finally felt that I could just come to turn to myself and just, like, be able to express myself without being like, What am I doing? Am I doing this right? Like, what am I doing? And then, of course, it helped as well, because, um, I was involved at rain view at the time. And so that meant I had that extra support there. [00:09:00] And people like Priscilla and Tommy and all the other, um, my ex facilitators who were there at the time they really helped me through it, which was really good. And you You've been around with you for like a while now, haven't you? Yeah. I've been doing this since I was just turned 14 and 18. Yeah, four years. Four years? That's really good. Not as long as Tommy. He's been there for ages. Oh, yeah, he works there. There's different. Yeah. So, um, [00:09:30] so you've had a few a lot of positive things as well. So have you been in relationships? I have, Yes. How are the relationships for you? They were great. Like, you know, just loving who I love really, really good with, um, Has you having two lesbian parents affected your relationship at all? Or, um, I'd say it's hasn't affected it, but it's kind of made it a bit easier because, um, [00:10:00] one of the persons people I dated recently her parents at first were not accepting of her sexuality and mine and our relationship in general, like they were just like, this is not this is such a shock to us, you know, we don't understand it. And so the other the other person kind of found comfort within my family because we're so accepting. And there's like, it's pretty much a house full of gays. Really? And so it's actually quite a plus, because a couple of my closest friends are lesbians as well, and their parents don't know about it. And so, you know, it's [00:10:30] kind of like a big shelter, like a house where you can go and just feel safe. So it's been really good. So, yeah, a whole bunch of gays in one house. Yeah, pretty much. That's all it is. Like the re enactment of queers folk. Pretty much the dirtiness, of course. Yeah. Um, So what is your definition of virginity? Virginity? Um wow. Well, he wouldn't [00:11:00] not having sex with someone like I don't know. It's such a strong emotional word. It's a word. Like it's really I Hm? Yeah. I don't really know what to say about that. Other than, like, it's just a word with a meaning, You know? Of course, it means more to a person. It's different to every person, but yeah, you can go to toast for I'm about to say, [00:11:30] um, are you a virgin? I'm not a virgin. You don't have to share the experiences if you don't want to. Cold toast. Oh, this house is freezing, and then the freezer hit cold toasting. OK, um, so do people get jealous of you having a lesbian parents? Um, I think a couple of my friends do because of [00:12:00] their situation. They can't tell their parents. I wouldn't call it jealousy because, like, you know, their parents are their parents, and I'm sure they love them and stuff, but I think like some people see it as a really good thing, but I don't see I just see it as normal. So, you know, But definitely I think it's been helpful for my friends and like everyone around me to know that, you know, if anyone's having trouble or like because one of my best guy friends, he's gay. And he was having real trouble with his parents. His dad was really just cruel about the whole thing when [00:12:30] he came out to him. And so my Nana and I went around and picked him up and stuff, and he and he lived with us for like two weeks, so that was really nice. And he, like we talked about the situation that he was in, and we managed to, like, just kind of solve the problem. And so and now he has a pretty good relationship with his dad. So I think it's it's really good that people know that, like me and my family are there for anyone, so it's really good. Um, So what else? What other support do you have? Um, [00:13:00] aside from Rainbow Youth and my family, I have my friends. They're really supportive. Like we've been friends for ages, so they don't really see my sexuality as anything. Um, yeah, that's why I really have Really? Because, you know, you have a really good alternation. You have a good family, and you have good friends. What else? What do you need? Yeah, and yeah. So you've never had really big, massive issues apart from, um, a random protest. Have you had within the, um, big massive issues within the community, [00:13:30] like big, massive arguments about, um, within the community about the most random subjects or something like that? Um, no, it's actually been really chill. I'm actually really grateful because I've heard, like, horror stories about stuff, and it's like, Oh, I can't imagine what that's like, but I've actually it's been really good. Yeah. Have you, um, apart from the big, massive protest. Have you received any abuse? Um, yeah, I have over the years, but that's just what comes with it. Because, like, I understand that [00:14:00] it is. Even though it is class as homophobia, I kind of respect it as someone else's opinion because, like, I'm not gonna hate them for their opinion, because if they're gonna hate me for mine sort of thing, So I just kind of see it as like a Well, I'm I don't agree with that, but I respect what you're saying. I understand, like, you know, people, certain upbringings, certain sort of stuff that I don't agree with anything, but, you know, but yeah, I just don't see it as an issue. You've never been the reactive person through those abuse, haven't [00:14:30] you? No. I've never really like directly or intentionally retaliated. It could be a moment where I just be like so Yeah, but I've never actually, like, retaliated any hateful or any, like, intentionally harming like actions towards them, because that just makes you just as bad as them. Well, thank you for the interview. That's fine.
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