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We are currently at the mezzanine room at the Wellington Central Library, Um, and are hosting a called, um, which is I think it's down there as being, um, pride world and beyond. Um, and I'm a I'm a member of the trust, and I guess I come to this as a rainbow community member and wanting to open up a bit of a So how did and why did this come about? Basically, last [00:00:30] year, Um, the Auckland Pride board made a decision. Um, they held seven community who around Auckland, and they found that people were saying that they didn't feel safe. Um, with police having a uniformed presence at the pride. So they made a decision that in order to protect and, um, the most vulnerable, marginalised members of our communities that they would actually ask police if they could march, but maybe not bring the uniforms to come in plain clothes. And this sparked quite a debate within our community. [00:01:00] And I think what I really noticed is that, um, there was a lot of division. There was a lot of people who were really, um, passionate about this this topic, and had really differing views around, I guess what acceptance and pride looks like in 2019, but also the media was really fueling us against each other. And so this is a chance for us to actually come together and speak and listen on the one of the things that really struck me was that the online discussion really quickly turned [00:01:30] into quite divisive comments. And I wonder, having a face to face is that something kind of reacting to the that kind of online world? Definitely, absolutely. It was essential to speak or face to face, because there's just so much that we miss out on when we're speaking across across the Internet as it happens so many times. And so this is a chance for us to actually feel seen and heard by each other, which I don't I think we've all had experiences of not feeling seen or heard in our communities. So I think we want to try and create a space where that's not the norm. So can you just describe [00:02:00] the the format of today's event? Yeah, absolutely. So, um, there was 100 people who said they would come, but we're just gonna see who comes. Um and right now we've got a circle of chairs out, quite a massive circle. We're in a community room that has been used by thousands and thousands of local community people for a lot of different reasons. Um, Marie Mitchell and Sean Torrington and myself have donated items and created a centrepiece in the middle, and the centrepiece is made up of lots of different flags. Intersex flag, rainbow [00:02:30] trains, flags. There's a, um, there's, um there's a piece of fabric that came from the sister girls and the Tiwi Islands, and there's some of our in there as well. For example, Dana de Milo, um, Jean Victoria and Shelley Howard. So just, I guess, a bit of a reminder to those in our community who we are connected to and have passed. What do you what do you want to come out of this? I think I just want to come out of it with us, knowing where [00:03:00] different members of the community are sitting in regards to what is the purpose of gathering publicly in 2019? You know, we've had pride, marches and and there's a reason for why they exist. But in this day and age, I think we just need to stop and reflect and talk to each other and listen to each other and decide as a community, what is the most important thing for us? How do we want to move forward? You know, and I think we have probably more in common than we think. So one of the things that brought this [00:03:30] about was having conversations with both older generations and younger generations, and I was really noticing that there were some differences in opinion. And where are the spaces where we get to meet for the people who came before us and the people who are coming through as well? So I guess to me, this is a real opportunity for us to talk across generations because I think that was one of the big divides that came up in a lot of the online debate. So So this year is an intergenerational welcome space, and I hope that will it will be fruitful. People will come with whatever they come. But, um, myself and the people who have helped [00:04:00] organise this, including Jack Love in particular have, I guess, been really intentional in trying to create a space where people feel like they can bring their best Selves, um, and think of themselves as part of a community because we're often told that we're individuals and we just have to make our way in the world on our own. But actually, there's lots of people that we're connected to. And I think if you're already here in this room, you already probably feel like you're a little bit connected to somewhere. And how do we build on that and strengthen it and hold our divisions? It's OK to disagree. It's OK to hold different opinions. That actually is a really healthy part of a of a living [00:04:30] community. Yeah. So how do you think this will impact on not only the, uh, world conference here in a couple of months time, but also on the, uh, pride, uh, commemoration celebrations that are happening in a month? Honestly, I don't know, because to me the most important thing was just getting people in a room and seeing what happened. Because to me, the magic always comes from people themselves. You never really know. And I just wanted people to be able to be present in the space and as a facilitator. I am also being present in the space to see what unfolds. However, I would like to see us [00:05:00] being more clear about who we are as a community right now, how we acknowledge the work of the past, but how we also recognise the voices of the future and how we can just come together to host people from around the world who will have even more vast different experiences to us and how we can welcome them here. And I guess, provide a little bit of a refuge in a sanctuary because the world isn't easy for lots of people. And I just Yeah, I think that this is an opportunity for us to really make people feel at home and help people [00:05:30] feel loved and celebrated. And maybe that's what pride was all about. I'm not sure, but, um, but this is a chance to bring it all back together, So we're not actually recording, uh, the the community who, uh, why is that so? Basically, as I mentioned, I really want people to be able to be as present as possible within this space. And I don't know about anyone else, but if I know I'm recording. I'm like, ah, censoring what I'm saying being careful about what I'm saying, and I think the thing about pride is it's so public, and the media has been so public. But where are [00:06:00] the spaces? We are as communities as a collective of communities, as Kayla, Rian says, um, to actually talk to each other and hear from each other. And so yeah, I, I hope I hope that's what will come out of it. Because we don't get as much time to focus on ourselves, actually, and our relationships to each other. Uh, Kilda, I'm the founder chair of trust. Uh, we're holding our here today that we are hosting for our community. We're at the, uh, library here in Wellington and, [00:06:30] uh, yeah, pride world and beyond. So how did this come about? Uh, this is actually led by our some of our young people, Uh, particularly Cassie, who's on our board and wanting to just come from a strength based, proactive place about looking at the way that we communicate within our community and given so much we have to do in the world and so many things we want to change both within and without our communities [00:07:00] that are just saying. Actually, in Wellington we can do things in a really beautiful and healing and respectful manner enhancing way. And so was Was this partly in response to the the pride issues in Auckland? Yeah, I think that's part of it. The we're concerned about the way that the process, uh, occurred. We're really concerned about the divisions that we could see happening in our community, and we want to make sure that I guess we [00:07:30] get in front of that kind of those kind of conversations. It's important that people have the chance to say, uh, what's really important for them, what's going on for them, and we absolutely want to uphold that. Hence a space to listen space to hear what's going on. So today is not necessarily about solutions to everything. It's about giving the space to actually listen deeply to what's going on for people. One of the things that struck me was that the, um, online comments and discussions [00:08:00] seem to, um, devolve very quickly into just people, um not listening and and just slagging each other off. What's the difference between say, like an online conversation and then doing it face to face here. I mean, it's a core Maori Maori concept of face to face you in in the same space. You're breathing the same ear and you can pick up the nuances of body language. You can see how someone reacts to comments, Uh, but also you can look somebody [00:08:30] in the eye and speak your truth, and that's really, really critical. Can you just describe for me what some of the the big issues that have kind of cropped up over the last months have been? Obviously, there's the issue around police and uniforms. That is an issue that's already been settled here in Wellington. There's other issues that people have about, uh, being trans exclusionary, for example, defining what a woman's [00:09:00] space is. If and and then who's allowed in that? Who gets to control language, actually, and who gets to define things? Uh, that's and I think it's really important when we're having those conversations that those of us for myself say, as a lesbian fem Who is that the certain level of privilege I have achieved over time or the acceptance say of lesbian is a is a word that you know [00:09:30] that we don't try and curtail or reduce or undermine the rights of those people with different identities who are just trying to create space for themselves to live their own lives. What would you like to come out of? The definitely that people feel that they've been hurt, that their views have been respected and I guess an enhanced sense of unity inside our community [00:10:00] because many of us already we work together across many, many issues. I think Wellington does this really well, and I'm actually really proud of that. We've been going now for about 18 years, and we've been I think a part of that that's part of our strategic plan is to help unify and weave in and around our communities. And so I'm really proud that it's a young person on our board who is leading this work. So, um, Manny Mitchell, I'm part of the [00:10:30] host rou for the Elga World Conference, which is going to be here in not quite two months. And we're expecting up to 500 registrations from half of those, probably from around 85 countries around the world. So a huge influx of rainbow activists from around the world basically converging on Wellington, and we're really excited about it. So it's a really historic event. It's historic because the Elga conference [00:11:00] has never, ever. They've been in the Southern Hemisphere before, and it's whole 40 years of existence. So this year is a 40 year anniversary of, and it's the 50th anniversary of Stonewall. So, you know, hugely, two hugely important events for our community. And it's a great opportunity for us within New Zealand, within Wellington and within the Pacific to share some of our stories with people coming from around the world. I think we have a unique [00:11:30] story the way that we've developed it in terms of partnerships with each other, um, in our communities. Which is part of the reason why we've come today, of course, for the event, uh, same sort of principles, but spreading that out amongst people around the world. We've got some Pacific Island, uh, activists coming that have been sponsored by, uh, embassies. And, um, they're going to have an opportunity as well as us in the Pacific to talk to the independent expert [00:12:00] on violence and gender from the United Nations and so forth, Um, about our particular issues down here. So a really important occasion for us here in here in the South Pacific, in Oceania and New Zealand, you briefly touched on the event that we're here today at Can you just describe what the event is and and why it came about. So has come about as an opportunity for us as a community to discuss. How do we talk about things within our community? [00:12:30] What values do we appreciate? What values should we hold ourselves to when we have our discussions? Even though some of the topics we may discuss could be, uh, either controversial or quite different differing views amongst ourselves in the community? How do we do that in a safe space? To me, that's what was about how How do you think these issues will impact on the world? Well, we're hoping that they won't impact very much [00:13:00] at all. But it is about remembering how to be with each other, how to be respectful, and I think to always think of the big picture. So you know this. The issues that face our community are many and complex, and some of the things need immediate action, and some of the things we're trying to change a long haul. Some of our activists work at the front and throw rocks, and some of us work in the background. Um, doing that work and it's all [00:13:30] valuable. And it's all important. And just remembering that and remembering how to do that in a gentle, respectful way with each other, what would you like to see come out of? Um, today's event today. I would like to see people talking to each other and talking in a way which builds our community, even even, you know, stronger and so forth. So those are the things I'd like to see coming out of today's event? Yeah, I think [00:14:00] all of those things, um, talking to each other about how we're talking to each other and and that, um, respectful way. And as Kevin said, we we there be lots of views here, and we don't always agree about things, but if we can remember that great big picture, we're all trying to create a better world for our community. And I think you know, that might be the message in itself for Elga. How how we progress. Uh, how we do it here how we might do it and how that might be a [00:14:30] template throughout the world within their own community, of advancing issues within the community and then using community to advance it wider throughout the throughout the country. And just finally, personally, how are you feeling? With Elga World only being what, a month or so away? Um, how's that going? Excited and terrified. So, um, you know, there's a huge amount of work going on both here and and Wellington with the people we're working with, [00:15:00] but we also know our colleagues and friends around the world. So you know, these events happen and people forget about all the work that goes on beforehand. So, yeah, we we're we're excited, Um, just working on tying some things together at the moment. Um, for people who are interested to look at the friends of Elga Page because Jack Lynch built that as a mechanism for the local community to know more about what's going on. [00:15:30] Yes, it's hard work, So it's still a lot of hours to to get through, I think, to to bring together the programme that we want to share with, um both the world and with our own city and communities. Um, so we are responsible for a social programme and some of those events, uh, we definitely want to focus on providing the space for community and delegates to come together and talk and show each other [00:16:00] what they do. [00:16:30] [00:17:00] [00:17:30] So, Kayla, can you describe how the who came about? Um, a friend [00:18:00] of mine, Cassie. Her mother actually lives behind me, and it was by accident. I spotted her out of my window, so I invited her upstairs, and we were talking on very topics. So we got on the conversation of, uh, Auckland, how it's going to all in the news and what have you And then I come up with a bit of an idea about Well, maybe we should have a preemptive down here in Wellington, and from there, it sort of Cassie [00:18:30] ran off there and at a at a certain stage, I in fact, wasn't gonna attend because I thought it would be all one sided, which is not what I really anticipated. I'd rather see individual communities coming together. So it's a collective, um, progression. Not just some people listening to the, uh community and say, Well, we're gonna do this on your behalf? No. But then I sort of [00:19:00] got to understand a bit more about the, um, progression and what people had to say. And I thought, Well, I can't very well come up with an idea like this, not put my two cents in with. So therefore, I did what I do best, and that's catering. And what amazing catering. And And there were so many people that turned up How how many people do you think showed up? Uh, there are about 64 in the Sorry, I It's a I, [00:19:30] um, do a head check of everything. Yeah, and Richard, you were one of the people that that got up and spoke. And what did you speak about? Um, I we were asked to respond to three prompting questions, Um, and the answer, from my point of view to those was and talks about care and hospitality, Um, and I wanna, uh uh, and and particularly, uh, liberation for me is, is is wanting to be part [00:20:00] of communities for which is a a core concept and a fundament fundamental practise. Um and so I want to be part of, um, a a group of communities where we actually look after each other. And so if we're going to have a pride parade, then we need to have as a as a, um, a primary concern. We need to make sure that we look after each other in the context of that. Um, and one of the fears that I have is that [00:20:30] we don't build communities that look after each other. Is that when we go on the international, national and international stage, um, then the lack of for amongst our communities and for ourselves then spills over and might impact on our ability to offer that to to our international visitors. Um, so it's not just about the pride parade. It's actually about the World Conference and the responsibilities that our people have. [00:21:00] And I'm talking about the the the Maori communities that have for leading the hospitality, leading the welcome, leading the embracing of our international visitors. But if we haven't done that, embrace, uh, internally within our own communities, then then the the fear I have is that then becomes a a theatre for the airing of those internal differences which then, um, tramples on the on the manner of our visitors and of those who are are leading the attempts [00:21:30] to host. And I don't want to see that happen either. I. I want to be part of caring communities. And so what did you think about those questions? Talking about liberation and and and kind of why we do these public events honestly, Like I'm quite straightforward. I'm like, I prefer to be known as a hands on person, not listening to rhetoric and crap or what have you, but yeah. I mean, I fully agree with Richard. Everything Richard said to us, Yeah, that is [00:22:00] true, because if you look down deep into it, it's almost embedded into the Maori culture. It's like with myself. If there's something to be done and I can do something to help the community, I just do it like catering or, uh or what? To help you. Yeah. I mean, I used to be a co-chair for out in the park doing a fundraiser. Not a problem. Yeah, anything to get people involved because to me, it's not [00:22:30] the individual. It's the entire community. And well, hence why? I said before, that's what I try to interpret for tonight. and yeah, apparently it's gone well, and I hope it sort of continues. But what Richard touched on before was a bit like the parade. It should not be like one sided. And people on the outskirts say, Oh, look at those bunch of freaks. If someone you know look at the gay, the lesbian, No, I interpret it as being [00:23:00] Look at the transsexuals. Look at the look at this. It's a celebration of ourselves and what we have achieved all these issues because, I mean, I'm old, and back then things were so hard. But like with the police, I think they should be included, because for many decades we struggled to break the barrier between what we and how we got treated. [00:23:30] And I knew people who actually got kicked out of police force because of their gender or sexuality. But nowadays we've got lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender transsexual, all of them in the in the, um, police. And what people don't seem to realise is when they go to a meeting and start bitching about the police, they should realise they've broke. People in there have broken a barrier which has been there for like 40 odd years. They've [00:24:00] made advancements for the entire community. But, no, they still come back to one person. Single. Yeah, from the discussions today. What what are the kind of key things you would take away? That it's important for us to sit around and listen to each other and to hear those different points of view? Um, it was really important that we understand who was in the room. That process took half the time that we were there, and it was really important for people to say who they were [00:24:30] and, um, a little bit about what's important for them. Um, because then it becomes more difficult to, because without that information, then a whole heap of assumptions can get made and and and people then get pushed into corners that they don't necessarily belong in, Um, and treated, um, like, um, like the They're part of a stereotypical group. And and that doesn't help the communication. And it's not going to help us build build, uh, based communities. [00:25:00] Yeah. What? Richard just said about being put into a stereotypical group, not blink, not blow my own horn. But trans transsexuals and indigenous have had that All these decades. It's like, Oh, no, you're part of the gay community. It's like No, so we don't get identified. But, you know, a person can walk down the street. They may have a slight, a permanent war. Someone walk up, you're [00:25:30] automatically gay. What if they're not? And it's just because, like, I'm from a different community, um, people automatically assume that I'm part of the gay community, and it's like, Well, yeah, I know them. But no, I'm not. Part of them may have been when I was younger, but no. And that's why we have the letters. They stand for individual communities. Yeah, and that's sort of [00:26:00] why this happened. So they can have a voice. They can feel they're a part of it, because otherwise, yeah, but I do say that this is going to be happening again, progression and it's gonna kick some asses around them to show them that Yes, we are. We are the hub, and we show what we mean. We mean to we mean to include we mean this and that, and we'll do [00:26:30] it. I'm Adrian Girl. I came, I guess, as an individual. And we came because I wanted to come together as a community to talk about some of the kind of current issues facing our community. Some of the divisions. Pride. How do we come together in unity, or at least hear from each other? And And the title of the day is and but really spoke to me, Um, and [00:27:00] I felt that it would be held really nicely by. I'm Jesse Porter, and I basically came here because I think I mean, there's so much diversity and difference of opinions in our community, and we all need to listen to each other so that we can come together as a group without undermining our own individual and diverse opinions and things. Can you describe what the atmosphere was like today? Uh, sure. Yeah, it was, I guess, exactly what I expected from holding the space. [00:27:30] It felt like a really beautiful, um, open space where we were able to. Everyone was able to bring what they could bring. Um, all the diversity that that means, um, share openly. And there was no, you know, repercussion of that. It didn't feel like, um so it just felt like it was a really open and inclusive atmosphere. Even Though people were sharing such diverse and desperate [00:28:00] and divergent opinions and views and experiences, it still felt kind of safe and OK to do that. Yeah, and pretty much what Adrian said. There were people who were talking about some stuff that was obviously very, very difficult for them to express, knowing that there are other people in the room who had opposing views. But they still felt safe to be able to give their opinion. And everybody did seem to listen. So what were the, um, key things that you would take away from this? I guess some of the questions that [00:28:30] were posed to us at the beginning were to think about what? What? What would liberate us? What liberation will look like for us in our community, Um, things that we fear and just what the purpose or why we want to come together and gather publicly in events like pride. I don't think I came away with a definitive view from a community. I think I really I have heard, um, many different perspectives on that, [00:29:00] um, all the way from pride should continue to be a protest, and, um and that should kind of liberate us as I guess we're not all liberated and there are some that are still oppressed. But we need to recognise that and still treat pride that way. All the way to it should be a celebration and I think that has sort of been a bit of a difficult thing in our communities for a while. There was also a lot [00:29:30] of focus on Auckland or at least Auckland was mentioned A lot in terms of the big public discussion that happened there recently is still going on in terms of police involvement and pride. And I heard a few sentiments that Wellington is different from Auckland and that, you know, we shouldn't have the same kind of fight or discussion here and actually being involved in pride for many years in Wellington. We've actually been having these conversations for years [00:30:00] and we have been falling out over these conversations for years to the point where our organisations have split apart. We just managed to keep that away from the public view. The media wasn't that interested in us. We were a smaller city and the community themselves didn't really find out how bad it got in Wellington but for me, I take a lot. You know, there's a lot of personal stuff in it for me, having been the chair of Wellington pride when we [00:30:30] had very, very difficult conversations. And so what I took from today, my long answer is to say that, um I guess it it was just really amazing to see the community have this conversation out loud people I've seen before and people I haven't a very diverse group of people with diverse views, but to actually see the conversation happening, um, out loud in the community and in a safe space was really [00:31:00] positive. And and I'm quite optimistic, and I hope that we have more of them. Um, yeah, for me, I suppose it is just how important it is for people to listen to speak up, to be heard. Um, and I hope to keep doing more of that, you know, not just around the pride festivals, but within the community in general, again acknowledging and understanding and listening to that diversity. Yeah. So I just attended. Uh um, which was put on by the trust here in, um and [00:31:30] that basically entailed just sort of bringing all kinds of, uh, people from, uh, the rainbow community in the region. Um, and having us all come together and having a, um that quite explicitly kind of spoke to, um, the events of that have happened around the politics around Auckland pride in the last couple of months. Um, and how not necessarily how we respond to that as a as a community down here, but, um, just acknowledging how much, um, conversation and debate that that that has spurred up. Basically, Um, [00:32:00] So I showed up, um, both as an individual. But I'm also a member of people against President Al, um, which was a big part of this corridor in 2015, um, as no pride in prisons and protesting the inclusion of, um, corrections and police in the pride parade to the at the expense of and the exclusion of most vulnerable in our community. Um, so it was a really interesting experience being able to, um, have a space where we could be, um that was very consciously and intentionally constructed for, um, having [00:32:30] a corridor and speaking to, um, every side of the debate in a way that could be a little more civilised. Um, knowing that a lot of the things that happened to, um, my like friends and and, um, comrades and papa up in Auckland, um, were quite violent. And so it was really relieving to see a space made possible that acknowledged a lot of the problems that occurred there. Basically. So So how did you get involved? Uh, yes. So, um, I moved back to aotearoa in in 2014. And around that [00:33:00] time, um, I was kind of reconnecting with people and, um, building a new sort of social safety net for myself and, you know, kind of figuring out how to reintegrate myself into rainbow communities. Um, around that time, um, via Twitter, actually, um, and other social media platform I got in contact with kind of who felt like my people, Um, who were, uh, kind of involved in this reading group at the time and that eventually, um, manifested in no pride in prisons and that original protest in Auckland. Pride 2015, um, around the inclusion of [00:33:30] corrects and the police and pride and and how that is, to the detriment of the most vulnerable in the community. Um, yeah. Since then, uh, because you know, we it was informed by a lot of thinking. It was a very intentional action. Kind of like the intention that went into this today. And, um, over time, we kind of realised that a lot of the conditions they know the con, the conditions in prisons, the conditions, um, that lead to being particularly vulnerable to police violence. And all of these things [00:34:00] aren't something we can solve by just focusing on our own. Just focusing on our, um we had we had to expand our scope. Basically, um And so, uh, there was an organised protest at Auckland Pride the second year that had way more people involved. Um, but then the year after that, we actually stepped back because we were focusing our energies in other areas that were far more structural and, like actually approaching and, um, engaging with, um, the institution of the prison rather than the symbol, the symbolism of having it involved in pride. Um, So, [00:34:30] um, and you know, this year, obviously that's changed again, and we're kind of bringing ourselves back into the fold as far as being part of the, um, but with the acknowledgment that we are involved we are engaged with the queer community. But we are also, um, you know, putting our money or not money, maybe our money where our mouth is around doing stuff like, you know, we're doing lots of advocacy for prisoners prisoner correspondence network that we established the largest of its kind [00:35:00] in its country, but hundreds and hundreds of people communicating both the inside and out and how much the how important this is and how integral it is to how we relate to the rainbow community. But also, just how much? Um, yeah, just how connected all of that is and how inseparable it is. Um, to our experience of being part of the rainbow community from the discussions. What what are the kind of key things that you'll take away? Um, I guess the main thing is, uh, [00:35:30] just making sure the whole you know, that we are able to continue coming together. Um, it's very tempting to draw hard lines in the sand. Um, and I you know, I still may may personally still believe that some of those need to be drawn. Um, there is a time and a place where you need to just put your foot down. Um, and I'm not saying that this has necessarily softened any of those edges, but it's also made it possible to do that and continue having these conversations with people. Um, and I think that's the most important part of what was established here. Yeah. So [00:36:00] where do you see this going in the future? Here, Um I mean, personally, I get really tired of saying, Oh, we're starting the conversation because it feels like we're always starting the conversation. We're never getting anywhere with that conversation. Hey, um, but, uh, this feels like the there was a lot of intent went into, um, this, um To start a conversation that could last effectively, um, so that we're not starting things over and over and over again and never getting anywhere, but that we can actually have a sustained corridor around, um, how to actually build [00:36:30] safer communities together. You know how to, um, how we can do that without, um creating these recreating, creating and recreating these sort of the power dynamics with the same privileged people wield that power over the people who can't protect themselves from that. So, yeah, that ongoing dialogue and making sure that we've got, um, a conversation going about how we can navigate that in a day and age where the institutions that have historically oppressed us now also wear our face. Um, and there's a lot [00:37:00] of, you know, a lot of different perspectives on what that means to us today. I think that's the most important thing for me. Uh, or, um, I came along today to share the perspective of, um the I guess the activist communities who are still subjected to a lot of police violence for speaking out and exercising their kind of right to to say [00:37:30] that they would like a better world. And and you actually got up and spoke to the quite large crowd, um, at at the, uh What? What did you say? Um, I spoke about my personal experience with police violence and with PTSD, which post traumatic stress disorder. It's a mental injury that I have because of being subjected to police violence. I was beaten up by the police in 2009, [00:38:00] and I did not regain the use of my right hand, Um, for about three years. Um, so that had affected me greatly. And Then last year, I met the police officer who beat me up, and he identified himself to me. Um, so I've just been trying to deal with living with this mental injury and the effects that it has had on my everyday life. So this is obviously [00:38:30] quite a personal connection in terms of, um, say the police and pride. I mean, what do you What do you think of police? Marching and pride? I think that the police are an inherently oppressive colonial institution. They have always criminalised the poor and, um, indigenous people and those who speak the truth to power and their response to being asked to wear T shirts [00:39:00] in Auckland. Pride is quite telling that they were more interested in withdrawing their support and creating a rift than in listening to the community that they, um, purported to support. Can you describe the the the atmosphere at the Hui today? The atmosphere was amazing. It was a very radical space. Um, it was created by for everyone to bring and share their views and to not see [00:39:30] us as in conflict, necessarily to try and find the common connections between us all. Even though we may disagree. Sometimes we often have similar values that are aligned. Was the the god that, um, kind of took care of that space. And I think that, um that really showed in the quality of of the conversation and [00:40:00] the fact that everyone was able to Well, not everyone could speak, but that people were able to share their deeply held views from the discussions today. What What are the key things that you will take away? I think I'm just really inspired by, um, by the space that they have created and the way they have brought the queer community together in a really positive way. I think that the last speaker, I can't remember [00:40:30] her name. But she spoke about the need for recognition of the place of, um in this country. And that is the thing that will most stick with me. What do you think we can do better in the future? A lot of things. Yeah, a lot of things. We have a short time on this planet, and we could make it an amazing world if we listened to each other and worked together. And, um, I guess fought for those who are most depressed in society. [00:41:00] My name is Mara, and I came here because I'm in the rainbow community and love being involved with events. My name is Vashti. Um, I came here to participate because it sounded great. My name is Anna, and I work for gender minorities. A. And I came here because we have obviously a visited interest in what happens. And so what did happen? Um, well, obviously there was no resolution [00:41:30] was made about it, but there it was good to hear other people's opinions and their different thoughts and feelings. Um, surrounding the issue. And can you just describe what the issue was? I guess, um, creating, um, re recollecting what pride is about recollecting what the rainbow community is about and making sure that, like when there are issues where around things like trauma and people's safety, Um, as well as you know, in the long term that we can have positive relationships, I guess with [00:42:00] ourselves as well as everyone else and what work is involved, actually to create that safety and to create those long term like there's a lot of money involved in creating that, basically. So what do we need to address in order to make things more safe and to have, like, a healing where there's trauma and things like that and create a pathway for the next step. Can you describe the atmosphere at today's? Um, I felt that it was a very welcoming space. Um, even though people were had some vulnerable moments like it was, I felt quite positive [00:42:30] about how the came across and that there was space for people to be heard and to put the issues and be genuinely listened to, which I think is very important and and understanding. It's a complex issue as well, absolutely like it was definitely good to see all the rainbow community all in one room and not arguing or bickering, but actually listening to each other and taking each other's, um, viewpoints quite seriously and responding appropriately. Yeah, I feel like what everyone had to say was help with a lot of sensitivity, [00:43:00] which was really good to see. Yeah, what are the things that you'll take away from this? Um, I really liked how it was organised, and I don't know, I just liked how generous everyone was and how I I just liked the set up. Really? And that's the main thing that I take away is just like how, um, how the Copa was described at the start and how we're talking about the atmosphere of peace. And we took a long time, like, you know, bringing everyone into the space and making [00:43:30] sure they were all gonna, uh, be respectful. And then we were, which is great. I think what I'm going to take away from this is, um, experience. Like I've just been with gender minorities not very long and clearly I'll be attending more of these meetings regarding, um, Rainbow community issues. And so what's good is that I can, um, be more confident to speak up and say what I need to say and then also understand these issues on a deeper level. So good experience from that I will take I've taken [00:44:00] away the, um there's a lot of positive seeds in there that I'm looking forward to seeing how they grow in the future. Yeah, I would have liked to hear more about elger, though I feel like we talked a lot about whether the police should be participating in pride, and I just Yeah, I feel like it could have been, like, three times as long, and it would have been great. Maybe I was surprised [00:44:30] by that. Actually, I thought it was going to be more focused. But I understand that to have closure on this issue so we can move forward with that. But I think it is a good thing. Yeah, I think that like it, an issue that's on everyone's mind. So we were kind of spending some time settling that, and there just wasn't much time to get on things after settling it. Yeah. So, Cassie, we're in the lift. Um, we've just finished the how did it go for you? That was really great. I really enjoyed it. I felt like people bring a real diversity [00:45:00] of experience into the space and that people took a risk to be able to share things. People share quite personal things. Um um and and, um Yeah, I felt like we were able to sit within that space. It was There was a lot of tension that came up. As you know, even I felt myself disagreeing with some points that were raised, but the fact that we were able [00:45:30] to stay there and not leave and not yell at each other and just exist with within that discomfort, Um, to me was a really positive thing to be able to do. So I'm really happy with that. Yeah. What do you think you'll take away? I'm still going to mull it over. I'm going to be thinking over this for about two weeks, and I'm gonna just absorb up all of the things that was said today. And then I'm gonna Yeah, work out what that means for our communities and how I can support, um us to move forward. [00:46:00] Yeah.
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