Audio from the panel discussion: Exploring Trans Activism and Representation in Media.
The panel was part of Auckland Zinefest 2016, and included panelists Aram Wu - co-founder of EquAsian and a member of the Auckland Council Rainbow Communities Advisory Panel, Emmy Rakete - organiser, spokesperson for No Pride in Prisons and Tangata Whenua representative to the Rainbow Youth board of executives, Cole Meyers - writer, actor, director, artist and activist, involved with Breaking Boundaries and Same Same But Different LGBTI Writer's Festival (and a previous runner up of Auckland Zinefest Best of the Fest!) and Sophie Labelle - trans activist from Montreal and the artist behind the popular and internationally known Assigned Male Comics. The discussion was chaired by Sam Orchard, the creator behind Rooster Tails Comic.
A special thank you to the organisers and participants for allowing us to record and share this event.
Summary
The recording titled "Exploring Trans Activism and Representation in Media - Auckland Zinefest" is a profound discussion on the intricacies and personal experiences of trans activism within New Zealand and broader contexts.
The panelists shared various approaches to activism and the complexities of trans representation in media and society. Sam Orchard, the moderator, emphasized an avoidance of Trans 101 topics, assuming attendees had a foundational understanding of transgender issues and focusing on deeper insights from the speakers. The panel's opening remarks called attention to both challenges and achievements within trans activism, as represented by the participants' various projects and experiences, including the intersection of gender justice and racial activism.
For Aram Wu, activism was about living authentically in spaces that may not understand or embrace non-binary identities, and Emily Rākete, a founding member of People Against Prisons Aotearoa, stressed the importance of engaging on tactical, strategic, and logistical levels to effect change and challenge systemic oppression, including white supremacy and heteronormative values.
Sophie Labelle, creator of the "Assigned Male" comics, shared their experiences with activism through art, demonstrating the power of representation and the challenges faced when confronting transphobia. They shed light on the importance of creating trans characters who resonate with readers without necessitating exhaustive knowledge of trans issues by those portraying or writing about such characters.
Cole Meyers spoke on the nuanced role of creative activism in addressing media representation and the hardship and importance of self-care and community support. Reflecting on their background in acting and writing, they discussed efforts to create authentic trans narratives, as well as the difficulties faced by trans actors in the industry.
The discussion also delved into the importance of inclusive activism that addresses issues such as colonialism, racism, and gender expression. The panelists stressed the necessity of recognizing and honouring the diverse narratives within the LGBTQIA+ spectrum, including those of non-binary, gender nonconforming, and Indigenous individuals.
This summary is created using Generative AI. Although it is based on the recording's transcription, it may contain errors or omissions. Click here to learn more about how this summary was created.
Tags
2010s, activism, anger, anxiety, aotearoa new zealand, aram wu, auckland, binary, brian tamaki, canada, central city library, church, cis, cole meyers, colonialism, colonisation, comics, communism, community, creative activism, deafness, decolonising gender, destiny church, direct action, emilie rākete, energy, fa'afafine, feminism, gay auckland business association (gaba), gender expression, gender identity, gender nonconforming, heather carnegie, hiv / aids, homophobia, homosexual law reform, homosexual law reform act (1986), human rights, human rights act (1993), intersectionality, legacy, legacy project, logistics, manuel delanda, media, mis-pronoun, montreal, māori, narrative, ngahuia te awekotuku, non-binary, normativity, pakeha, people against prisons aotearoa (formerly known as no pride in prisons), people of colour, prison, privilege, race, rainbow auckland (formerly gaba), rainbow youth, representation, sam orchard, self care, shortland street (tv), sophie labelle, spaces, strategy, suicide, summer camp, tactics, teacher, television, the polynesian panthers, tikanga, trans, trans-exclusionary radical feminism (terf), transgender, transmisogyny, transphobia, tūtānekai and hinemoa, university of auckland, white supremacy
Tags (computer generated)
access, activities, advice, ambulance, artist, asian, audience, authenticity, author, board, boundaries, broken, building, camp, campaigns, capitalism, career, casting, celebration, change, children, choice, class, classism, code, consent, conversation, convictions, cooking, council, crying, culture, dance, data, death, disability, diversity, drawing, drugs, dysfunctional, eating, education, elders, emotional, engagement, epidemic, expression, face, family, fear, feelings, fire, french, friends, gay, gender, god, government, hate, hawaii, health, history, hit, homosexual, hope, identity, internet, job, journey, justice, knowledge, labels, language, lesbian, lgbt, library, love, lover, magazines, masculine, military, misogyny, missionary, mistakes, modem, normal, oppression, other, pacific, parents, passing, people, police, policy, politics, posters, power, pronouns, queer, rainbow, review, revolution, romantic, running, scene, school, security, sexuality, shame, shooting, skype, sleep, social, space, straight, study, stuff, support, teaching, time, tradition, training, trans children, trans woman, transport, truth, understanding, university, violence, voice, water, website, wisdom, women, work, writing