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How do you describe your identity? Um, I don't think I really describe it, but I've only been attracted to one person in my life, and that's been a woman. Um, and so I guess that means I'm gay, But I'm not sure. When did you first become aware, um, that you were addicted for, uh, when I was 20. So three years ago? Yeah. What was that like? Um, [00:00:30] I didn't really think about it that much to start with, Um, because I thought my parents would be fine with it. Um, but then suddenly, I realised that they were not cool with that. And, um, that some other people weren't cool with it either. Um, I didn't really realise that would happen because I'd never had an issue with other people being gay. So what kind of reactions did they get or how did you realise that they weren't up? Um, they didn't invite my girlfriend around for dinner or [00:01:00] anything like that. Um, and they never talked about it. Um, And when I told them, they just said, Oh, whatever you want, what's best for you or something like that. But, um, I could tell they weren't very happy. Yeah. So have you never kind of thought that you, um, might be attracted to someone, or have you thought much about kind of sexual or romantic attraction before, Um, I thought about a little bit, but because I hadn't [00:01:30] been attracted to anyone I didn't really know, I just kind of assumed that I just hadn't met the right person yet. Yeah. Do you remember kind of getting any, like messages about, um, girl, Trans people when you were younger, from people or society? Um, I remember once when I was younger. Some of my parents' friends, um, the they split up and the woman had decided she was gay, and, um, [00:02:00] my mom and dad didn't really socialise with them anymore. But I didn't really kind of think about it or realise what that might have meant. Um, I can't really think of anything else when I was younger. I don't think I really knew much about any of it. Yeah. Do you think you were kind of, like aware that it was an option to be? Not for me? Not until probably seventh form at school. And, um, I saw the Q Youth group there um, or [00:02:30] the Nags Group. Um and I don't know. I just I didn't really know what it was at first, but I guess I found out later. Yeah. Do you remember kind of any education about sexual orientation or gender identity when you were at school, like in health class or anything like that? Absolutely none. I wasn't really aware that it was an option other than to be straight. I didn't kind of I didn't really know about anything [00:03:00] else. What other kinds of reactions have you had coming out to people? Have you come out to people? Um, yes, I have. Most people have been totally fine with it. Um, or I have just not even commented. Um, there's been occasional people who have said, Oh, if that's what you want to choose for yourself, then that's your choice. Um, and [00:03:30] there's been a couple of people who have had issues with it. Um, but they are now OK with it. So that's good. Yeah. What do you think? It's like being, um, a young, queer person in Nelson. Do you think it's different to other parts of New Zealand? Um, I think it might be because there's there isn't a university in Nelson. So, um, a lot [00:04:00] of the young people, once they finish school, they leave Nelson. Um, so I think there's not a huge population of people between about 18 and 27. So I think being young and Clara and Nelson during that age bracket, there's not many people that you can kind of identify with or yeah, talk about your experience with. So is there much of a queer community here? Um, [00:04:30] not really sure. Um, I think the groups for the people at school and stuff like that is really awesome. Um, and I've met heaps of wonderful people through people that I've met in Nelson, which has been really nice. Um, and I think there are some people in Nelson, but I don't know if they act as a community. I think that it's, um, a little bit more separated than that. [00:05:00] Yeah. What's your involvement been like in the if you call it the Community? Um, I've been to one of the key youth camps, which was really awesome. The, um, and just meeting some people who are queer. And Nelson has been really nice being able to talk about stuff with them and just be an environment, especially when I was starting to come to terms with it where I didn't feel like if I let something slip. I was scared. [00:05:30] It was nice. So I've really appreciated that kind of stuff. Yeah, just having that sense of, um, community or being in a space like that Important to you, I think it's massively important to have people around you who you can talk with who know what it's like to be queer rather than just understanding because they know someone who's queer kind of thing. I think it's it's really important to be able to connect in that way with someone [00:06:00] who kind of yeah knows what it's like. Do you think Nelson is kind of Is it a safe place to be clear? Like, Is it kind of the place where you could, like, walk down the hand and walk down the street holding hands with your partner? Um, I think so. But I'm not sure about in the schools. Um, I haven't had any problems in Nelson. The only thing that I've ever had was really, really funny. Was a drunk person yelling out Are you [00:06:30] two lesbian and then him saying I'm a lobster, so I don't think that counts as abuse. What do you think about the marriage equality bill that passed recently? I think it is massively important for, um, queer people to have the same rights as straight people. Because if they don't, that's basically a signal for the government to allow discrimination. So [00:07:00] as that philtres down, it just allows discrimination in personal lives. So I think it's massively important that the government of New Zealand is supportive of equality. And hopefully that, um, makes things a lot better on a personal level. Yeah. Does it have any personal meaning to you? Um, yes. I'd like to get married one day. Um, so, yeah, it does have quite a big personal meaning. Yeah. Um, are you interested in the kind of adoption side of that and the [00:07:30] adoption act stuff as well? Yeah, I think that's massively important for, um, gay people to be able to adopt kids together. Um, because it will be important for the people who want to adopt kids together. And also, it's important for discrimination stuff as well. Yeah. Were you involved in any of the activism around. Like, did you write a submission? Um, I wrote a submission, and I also, [00:08:00] um, tried to get some signatures, but when I put a paper out to gain some signatures, it was taken away. So I'm not quite sure what that was about, but yeah, where was the paper? Um, it was it was put in the library, and I thought that was a pretty safe place, but obviously not. Yeah, so that maybe show something about Nelson. Um, what do you think are some of the most important issues that are facing east in New Zealand at the moment? [00:08:30] Mm. I can only speak for myself because I'm not really sure about the whole community. Um, but I definitely think that one of the things that goes on is that the generation that's a bit older than the youth, um, having issues with it, um, the generations that are younger generally I've seen are much more cool with it because they've grown up [00:09:00] with it being ok. Um, but it's kind of like the parents and the grandparents, and it still creates awkwardness. Um, when you hang out with people who are of that generation or especially within families. I think that families, the older generation have grown up with this idea that if their Children are gay, that's gonna be a really hard life for them. And so it's almost like they're perpetuating that by not being OK with their Children being gay, Um, [00:09:30] even though it is probably a lot easier now than it was when they were younger. Yeah. What do you think the issues are going to be in the future? 50 years time? I'm hoping none. Which would be awesome. Um, yeah, I'm really hoping nothing. I can't see any issues. If it keeps going, how it's going, then hopefully not too much. I think we've got a long way to go with the rights [00:10:00] of trans people and discrimination and that. And I think that's a that's a massive thing that's lagging way behind it. It really needs to be dealt with. Um, so I think I'm hoping none. But I think if anything, it's probably that sort of area. Yeah. Have you kind of seen things progress much in your lifetime, or do you know much about like, um, the history of currents? Um, particularly in New Zealand? And what kind of things were, um, more permanent [00:10:30] issues in the past? Um, I don't know, a huge amount. Um, but I know that, like in the last I'm not really sure actually know that. It's got better a lot lately. Um, especially since 2005. I think it was when the civil rights Union stuff went through. May have been a different date. I'm not quite sure, but, um, yeah, [00:11:00] how important. Um, is kind of quite a railroad politics, um, stuff to you. Um, I think it's important in that. If queer and queer people, um, do not have the same rights as heterosexual people, then there's gonna be discrimination. And that's kind of where it comes from with me is that, um I think things are [00:11:30] important in that way, but I I'm not a very political person, so I'm not very involved in a lot of it. Yeah, what do you think about, um, the way queer and Trans people are represented in the media? Um, there's not much of it at all. There might be a couple of lesbians or gays, but, um, there's not. Not really. I haven't seen many trans people in the media, Um, [00:12:00] and not many queer people, either. So I think that it makes a huge difference when you can, especially if you don't have people who you can connect with and things like that. It makes a huge difference when you can see that in the media. And also that you know that straight people are watching it as well, and they will be informed. Um, especially when it's a good representation, Um, which I think is really important, especially [00:12:30] with things. How they are. Um yeah, and I think it's really important to have that. And I think there needs to be more of it. Can you think of any, um, things in the media where you have seen queer characters represented? Well, um, in some movies and some TV shows, But I don't really watch TV very much so. Mostly, there have been, um, recommendations from other queer people. I'll go get this [00:13:00] movie out. It's got a queer character in it or something like that. Um and yeah, I've read a few books with queer characters, but it's probably very few and far between in the library, So, yeah, Do you have a favourite book or movie? Or has there been any kind of character or storyline that's really resonated with you? Um, [00:13:30] I don't think so. Actually, um, most of the shows that I've seen or the movies or whatever have been queer characters, but quite mainstream queer characters like, apart from the fact that they're queer, they're extremely mainstream and normal. Um, and so you don't see anyone loving an alternative lifestyle or anything like that. The business woman or businessmen or business Trans people. [00:14:00] Not that there's actually I haven't seen any media representation of trans people or not much, actually, a little bit. Um, but, um, yeah, so I haven't really connected with him that that much. Yeah. Do you think, um, have you seen lots of stereotypes of queer characters? Massive. Yep. Um, on the shows that I've seen most of them have been really girly lesbian [00:14:30] characters or really girly gay characters. And the trans people have been either, um, like, really made up with makeup or, um, yeah, it's just it's not a very wide scope of people's experiences. I think I think it's quite a narrow, um, representation. Yeah. Do you think those assumptions and stereotypes are [00:15:00] kind of exist outside of the media as well. Like, um, with maybe, I don't know, family or friends or people, you know, like do they have assumptions about what a group is? I think they do have assumptions, but I think especially with my parents' generation, the assumptions are quite different than what's portrayed. Like, um, with my parents' generation, I think that there's a lot of OK, if you're gay, then you need to wear pants and you will have short hair and you'll look like [00:15:30] a guy. If you're a woman or if you're a man and you're gay, then you're going to look like a woman. It's it's, um yeah, I think my parents anyway were quite scared that I was going to stop wearing dresses, and every time my mom saw me for about two years, she'd say, I really love. If you wore a pink dress, Yeah, so I think there are some stereotypes out there. Yeah, Do you feel like you're challenging those stereotypes? [00:16:00] It's funny because I kind of feel really self-conscious when I do slightly challenge them. Even if it looks normal. Even if a straight person would dress that way, If I dress slightly boyishly, I feel slightly uncomfortable like Oh, no. Will someone know or will they think bad of me or something like that? Yeah. So sometimes I feel like OK, I'm kind of challenging it, but not really. And I'm a little bit scared of challenging it. Actually, [00:16:30] it's interesting. Are you part of any groups Kind of in or outside of the queer community or part of this cultural, um, work and not really anything else? A specific official group, but just groups of friends doing different stuff. And yeah. Are you out at work? Uh, yes, unofficially. Um, but [00:17:00] I'm not sure how everyone feels about that. I think they're fine with it, but, um yeah, and what kind of future do you do? You wanna stay in Nelson? Like, um, you mentioned getting married. What kind of work do you wanna do? Um, I'd like to travel some more. I've just been travelling overseas, and I'd like to do some more travel. Um, I'd like to find a job that I really, really enjoy. Um, I'd like to get married, and I'd also like to have kids and [00:17:30] have a house. Um probably a house truck, though, rather than a house. Yeah. Generally have a lot of fun if you could give one piece of advice to young queer people coming out. And Nelson, um, who might listen to this in the future? What would it be? Connect with other people who are gonna understand you. So come to kill you [00:18:00] and connect with people, even if you only come once and just hang out with people outside of the group or whatever. Just definitely make sure that you have people around you who are supportive and caring and to kind of understand what you're going through and are going to just be there for you. Yeah, I think it's massively important. Especially if you run into anything that makes you feel uncomfortable. Then you know you've got somewhere to go that people are gonna be fine [00:18:30] with. Whatever you are. Yeah. Do you think there is much support for, um, in New Zealand? Um, probably not as much as there needs to be, Um, there probably needs to be a heck of a lot more, um, especially education and schools and, um, sports groups and stuff like that. I think that especially the teachers and the principals and the sport coaches and all that need to get [00:19:00] on board and absolutely have a zero tolerance to anything that's queer or transphobic. Um, it needs to be created from the top down and the bottom up of supportive environments. Basically, because I don't think there's enough of that. Yeah, and maybe to finish up. What's your favourite thing about being a clean person in New Zealand? I get to wear my girlfriend's clothes. No, that's not probably what it is. [00:19:30] Um, uh, yeah. I don't know. I yeah, I don't know. I don't know if there's anything particularly special about it.
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