In this podcast Kestin Stewart from New Zealand talks about attending the human rights conference.
Summary
In an insightful six-minute podcast recorded on March 16, 2011, at the Wellington Town Hall, Kestin Stewart, affiliated with the Rainbow Youth Board and serving as Secretary and transgender representative, recounts their experience at a human rights conference. Interviewed by Gareth Watkins, Stewart shares observations on the varied challenges and issues faced by the trans community both locally and internationally during the 2010s decade.
Stewart describes the empowering feeling of meeting numerous trans individuals from around the world and discusses the central topic of human rights, which remains a significant concern for trans people. The interviewee emphasizes the difficulties trans individuals encounter in many countries, such as the lack of recognition for their gender identity, limited access to medical transition resources, lack of support systems, and pervasive violence, including instances of murder due to gender expression.
Comparing the conditions in New Zealand to those abroad, Stewart considers New Zealand to be reasonably progressive, acknowledging that despite some discrimination and harassment, the human rights laws offer some degree of protection. However, Stewart also notes that New Zealand's laws do not explicitly protect gender identity, an area where advocacy and reform are actively pursued.
Throughout the conversation, Stewart reflects on the shocking personal stories shared by other attendees, which included accounts of assault, abuse, and even murder. The interview also points to a profound problem of law enforcement's involvement in such crimes in certain regions, exacerbating the vulnerability of trans individuals seeking justice.
On a more hopeful note, Stewart mentions the growing sense of international community and the plans to establish a network for trans male activists in the Asia Pacific region, a testament to the desire for enhanced connection and visibility for trans individuals. The interviewer raises the role of technology in fostering these communities, with Stewart recalling using the internet as the primary means to explore their gender identity due to the scarcity of representation in traditional media.
When asked about the future, Stewart expresses hope that societal attitudes and legal frameworks will continue to progress, leading to a time when gender identity issues are a thing of the past, discussed only in a historical context.
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