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I had a bit of a panic on Monday. I found out we were gonna, um, had two venues for the transfer. It was free to anyone who could come along. And we're gonna, um we had the preservative and cafe in Cannery. We had them lined up for the morning. We're gonna go to Thistle Hall in the afternoon. Got told on monday about lunch time. Um, no, you can't have this. The floor has been damaged and it needs to be fixed, and they're going to do the work on Wednesday. Yeah. [00:00:30] So I rang the observatory and they said, No, no problem. You can have that have that auditorium for the whole day. So, you know, you have these little panics when you're preparing conferences and and this one, we solved it really simple and really quickly, but I'm worth it. When I was organising because it was free and we didn't have registration, I didn't know how many people were gonna turn up. And on the day, we had probably about 40 people over the course of the day, 50 because some people came and went, and the thing that struck [00:01:00] me was our diversity. Our diversity across age. We had the youth, the vitality and the enthusiasm of the youth, and we had the wisdom and the knowledge and the experience and the skills of so we had the diversity across age. We had the diversity across cultures, and [00:01:30] we head to do a welcome for us. And as part of our Maori welcome. There's always a and thank you. And what really struck me is something really beautiful. Is the Pacific people that were at the at that said, Hey, we've got to sing back And I had all these young trans people, [00:02:00] intersex people and queer people, all young actors in New Zealand standing up and trying to sing how great they are. I don't know the words, but it's just that intersection across cultures. And the other thing was the other intersection, age, culture and identity. [00:02:30] We talk about being Trans, but in actual fact, language is dynamic. And the thing that strikes me is the language that is changing continues to change. Um, maybe trans is not inclusive enough anymore. We need a new language and we're reinventing the language. How do we include intersex people who are part of our community and make them visible. How do we include black people who are part of our community and make them visible? [00:03:00] And our strength is actually not in our what brings us together in our sameness. It's actually our diversity. That's our strength. So we talked about some, We had some issues. We talked about trans rights. And the thing that struck me in New Zealand was celebrating marriage Equality. Yeah. Great talk. Got some feedback from our, um, from the Pacific. Hey, when we go to talk to our government and we [00:03:30] want to, um, talk about an issue, maybe it's, um, promoting condom use and safe sex. Um, maybe it's about setting up some resources in schools that they're kind of telling. Why circle back as what you really want Is marriage equality? No. We want educational schools. Know what you want is marriage. What you really want is marriage equality. Forgive you. This you're gonna keep going until you get marriage equality. So it's kind of a a slippery slope, and it's kind of we're celebrating marriage equality, [00:04:00] but we actually created a problem in the Pacific. Um, you've heard us talk about some of the health issues yesterday at the at the so I'm not gonna go over that same ground again. Um, we had presentations from youth again. Um, that's ground we've covered already. So I'm not going to go over it. Um, something else that we sort of didn't have a chance to talk about is trans families. [00:04:30] And this is, you think transgender we're talking about. We're talking about transparent, who have young Children who go to school like I do and interacting as a trans adult as a parent with the school and making sure my kids are not bullied, they're not beaten up, But, um, they get a fair chance to an education and that I'm here. We have now have parents who are raising trans Children. So [00:05:00] in the primary school system in the secondary school system, how do we ensure that those kids are safe? And then the other aspect of trans families is my family of origin? How do I deal with issues that I have been trans with my family of origin and we talk about families? It's not. It's not one thing. It's a diversity. And again I come back to the health. The health is a diverse. We talk specifically about our needs trans [00:05:30] health needs. But there's also, um when we go to the doctor, Um, just for general medical care. Are you Trans? Oh, sorry. I'm not gonna see you, but this kind of being taken seriously as a trans person and having my needs taken seriously, um, so that's kind of my brief take on the on the So I'd like to open the floor to questions, and what I'm gonna do, as I said, is, [00:06:00] um, pass the microphone to people I think are better able to answer than I am. So does anyone have any questions? Oh, no. OK, well, instead of maybe if you're shy for asking questions, I'm actually gonna pick out some people and ask them to speak briefly about their experience of the so anyone else at the Trans who they'd like [00:06:30] to speak. And they put their hand up. I think one of the one of the experience, um, from first of all was the outcome of the actual, um uh I know everybody's turning their heads and it's very uncomfortable. They need to try and get down with his heels. It's so hard to [00:07:00] see a woman, and it's so easy to get dry clean. All right. Um, I think the first thing that that got my attention was the outcome, Uh, the ability to, um of the hosts of the Trans. Um, uh, because [00:07:30] before we even came here and with all the emails that went through, I could feel the frustrations that was going on. And, um and I kept saying to myself, This has to happen because this is the first Pacific, uh, Trans, uh, pre conference pre Trans, who that that has ever been held for a specific in the Oceania field. [00:08:00] And, um and I was impressed with the outcome because we got to, um, share more with not just the trans women. I'm so used to the trans women, you know, but having the trans men with us and some of the ones that that are just experiencing the first time being a trans person, you know, with all the transitions and all that, because [00:08:30] it's a it's It's quite an experience for us from the Pacific, because we don't use that word transgender. You know, we don't really know, um, the differences, because when when you're at home, you're asked what is transgender? You know, when we turn around and say it in public or explain it in public, they all turn around and say What is transgender? What is What's the difference between gay? I thought gay, lesbian Trans is all the same. It's all gay, [00:09:00] you know? And, um and I it's actually it's a good more in education for us to actually learn from each other, especially from the Oceania. Um that we have all the problems and all the issues that the Europeans are going through, you know? And, um, one thing that I that I have learned is being open, being open to each other and being able [00:09:30] to tell our stories comfortably in that arena. And I and I put my head up to Sally everybody that put this together because, um, I keep thinking, OK, should I do this in Tonga? Should to be hosting the next year. But thinking back of what happened in to with our conference with our Pacific Conference, I'm like, OK, OK, what am [00:10:00] I gonna do? Uh, next two years I should be lobbying and talking to more of these church pathetic, shut minded that we have, uh, I should be saying closed minded, but, yeah, it's totally shut, but yeah, I. I think that's all I wanted to say. But thank you very much. I would just like to make a point about language. The word homosexual [00:10:30] first appeared about. I think the first known reference to it in written language is about 18. 60. Trans appeared, I think about 1900. Transsexual 1950. Transgender appeared about 1990. Um, the words are Pacific and Polynesian. Um, community Jews. And I apologise, I. I don't know the rest, but they have been part of those languages for hundreds of years. [00:11:00] So for us to talk about being trans and try and impose it on our community that have their own language, their own culture, their own terms that are much older than what we have as a culture, Um, we actually need to learn from you. Um hi, everyone. Good morning. Um, I know. I'm so sorry. I'm, um [00:11:30] So I just wanted to share a few things with everyone about the trans week that just happened. Or the pre pre conference, um, and some things for for maybe everybody here to think about the next time you engage, um, with LGBTI from the Pacific. The first thing is, um, that that probably didn't get mentioned in the and I want to mention it. Here is the issue of relevance. [00:12:00] Um, we're all kind of like talking about LGBTI rights and what's important. The decriminalisation of homosexuality, which is really, really important in the human rights, um, framework, the, um, issue of marriage equality, which is really important in in in the human rights framework and the and and and the struggle. Um, but for us, what's relevant for us? What's culturally relevant for us is none of those things. In the Pacific, it's none of those [00:12:30] things because when your country is being wiped away by the rising tides of the Pacific, human rights don't really matter to us. They don't really matter. I mean, you're looking at a country like Kiribati which is going to be underwater. In about 20 years, that country has actually bought land in another country, Fiji, to transplant a whole country and its culture into another country. They're now also looking at Saudi Arabia, you know, doing a deal, a deal [00:13:00] in Dubai to try and buy more land to transplant that country. So in in the in the overall spectrum of struggles for human rights, we just want you to be aware that there are more pressing needs for us in terms of our struggle for, for, for, for, for survival in the middle of the Pacific. You know, um, rising tides is a mess. Environment is a massive issue. The other thing that I also want to point to your attention is the new buzzword [00:13:30] in, In, in in LGBTI, um, struggle is the issue of Intersectionality. And let me let me tell you how that's relevant to us in the Pacific. For us in the Pacific, it it is about the or the family. That's the cornerstone of every Pacific Islander. Um, Polynesian, Melania. It's all it all relates back to the family. The concept that we have a family is completely different to the Caucasian or Western concept, which is you have a nuclear family and we have an extended family which basically means your [00:14:00] whole country is your is your family. Um, when one part of that family is hurt and upset, everybody is hurt and upset, and it's really really, really important. I think, um, Elizabeth um, mentioned that yesterday in her presentation about and and the whole framework for in New Zealand. It's really important for you to understand that for us, culture is really, really about who we are. And from a cultural from a cultural perspective, you know, going [00:14:30] out and and upsetting our members of our family to try and get ahead. Um, in terms of it, it it we struggle with that on a daily basis. Human rights, by their very definition, are very selfish. You know, if you think about it, human rights is about you as a human being. But for us, from a cultural perspective. No, it's not about us as human beings. It is about us as a conjoined extended family. And this is really it's a really important concept to grasp. We're [00:15:00] not saying that. No, we're trying to be different now, away from human rights. No, no, no, no. Really important in your environment. But in my environment, when I say to my family, this is for me, Mum, my mum will smack me with a two by four and say, Excuse me. What about your cousin? That's like, just you know what I mean? We worry about everybody else. That's the And I want everybody to be aware of that when you're when you're when you're con contextualising. The struggle for LGBTI in the Pacific It's about that struggle from us from a cultural [00:15:30] perspective, which is really, really important for us. It's the last thing that I wanted to share is it was really, really important for me to be here to watch all the young trains come up and they struggle. You know, um, especially, uh, like New Zealand trains. Um, for us in the Pacific, we see things differently. You and your struggle. You're walking on a sealed road at 10 a.m. with some shade, you know, and no shoes. It's really [00:16:00] not that bad. It's the surface is even you. You get a few ants crawling on the road and all that kind of stuff A little bit of rain here in some paddles for us. We're walking right alongside you walking the same journey on a coral side road, right, with no shoes in the middle of the day and no shade completely different, different perspective for us. I, I tell you now don't really want hormones. That's not That's the least thing on our priority. We don't we? We maybe for one or two of us, Yeah, but [00:16:30] we're going to now take the whole struggle and fight for that one individual's hormones. No, it's important for us to keep that in perspective. The other thing, that's really, really important for everybody. And I know I've taken up too much time now is is not just it's not just the hormones and I raise this at the about the issue of marriage equality. Now you gotta remember for you here in New Zealand almost 30 years later from from homosexual law reform, you finally got marriage equality sa moa um [00:17:00] legalised same sex relations in 2013. Do not ever bring it up in my presence. Unless 30 years from now, then we can talk about it. You know what I mean? Because we you guys, you guys like, for for us it's like, Well, how come the Kiwis got it 30 30 years later, it took them 30 years to get marriage equality and now they're pushing with the Pacific. Do it now. Do it now. Do it Now you gotta have marriage equality. Now you know it takes time. It takes time for us. We've only just allowed [00:17:30] same sex relations in our Crimes Act. We only have yet Sure, sodomy is still criminalised and that's something that we need to take out. But same sex relations between consenting adults with a male or female in Samoa over the age of 18 is allowed under the Crimes Act. And if you all are interested in that, come and see me and I'll tell you about that also, the other thing I wanted to mention is 2002. We had the, um birth deaths and marriages act in Samoa 2002 way before any other country in the Pacific. And the wording of that act specifically [00:18:00] states that any Samoan, any Samoan citizen that is born, that is married overseas in a jurisdiction that allows and solemnise that marriage can go back to Samoa and have their marriage registered and recognised in Samoa 2002, 2002, there's a piece of legislation in Samoa that's current at the moment. Maybe they never thought that it was going to apply to gay marriage or marriage equality. But it's there. But do you think we jump up and down about it [00:18:30] and say, Oh, yeah, it's gonna get No, no, because of that cultural umbrella that we all live under that we don't really want to piss off your auntie or your grandmother or your uncle who's a priest or something like that. Look, we're happy where we are. Our lived experiences say that we thrive where we are, you know, And let's just all we're doing is we come to these and we take what's important and we say, You know what? That's important. That's relevant. Let's focus on that. Let's go. And you know, like youth like Bella. Oh, my God, like amazing. [00:19:00] You know, I want her to come to to our next human right conference and speak about the young transgender and so that she can share her story like those things are important to us because, you know, ultimately, at the end of the day, it's all about us as individuals. So I just wanted to say Sally, thank you so much. Um, and man who is also in in the in the organisation of the of the pre conference. Thank you so much for providing the opportunity for the Pacific to speak. And on that note, I'm just going to say [00:19:30] Yeah, yeah, yeah. Um, one of the other issues that come up with the transfer was how we intersect with under six people, and we're just going to offer a moment for to speak to them. So it was still importing, [00:20:00] uh, knowledge, our system of inter because we a knowledge and we even now part of the LGBTI think you know. But it's also to acknowledge the intersectionality between all those identities. And I was trying to point out that that there's trans people that they are intersect because it's always been focused in male to female female to male sense. But it's also intersex to female and intersex to male. Or so it's just bringing out [00:20:30] of a new, uh, thing that has been hidden or not accepted. And and it was interesting to find that I'm not only trans intersect, that it was in a of trans intersex person, and it was nice for me just to find out that that we need to appreciate more of this diversity in that the health issues are important to all of us. But every individual has a specific needs, and we as people have more difficult situation. I mean, we have more difficult health issues, uh, to [00:21:00] deal with. So it's it's It's to understand that we are a community not to dis or trying to use labels to place you in like where you have to be. It's just about being a community and fight for the right person. You want not leaving everyone behind. Not no one should be. We all should be in the same level of, you know, of to help. Yeah. Thank you. [00:21:30] Thank you. And I'm so proud. Um, and doesn't have a session itself. This conference we will next time because there's enough of us to do that. So very proud moment. OK, I'm gonna wrap this up to the report back because I'm aware that we've got our Pacific scholars speaking next, and [00:22:00] I would like them to have, um, the full amount of time possible to speak to their issues. So thank you.
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