Production Details: 000822_MIX_kapiti_gay_pridenz_2017.wav

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irn8019
master_filename000822_MIX_kapiti_gay_pridenz_2017.wav
master_md562638A79C1E4A8620DCE5D9189AE968C
master_duration28:48
master_sample_rate44.1 kHz
master_bit_depth16 bit
master_channels1
media_reference000822
media_sourcePrideNZ.com
copyright_positionIn copyright
copyright_ownershipGareth Watkins (PrideNZ.com)
copyright_ownership_note
submitted_to_nlnz
public_urlhttps://www.pridenz.com/kapiti_gay_pridenz_2017.html
meta_urlhttps://www.pridenz.com/data/media/meta/8019.html
plain_text_urlhttps://www.pridenz.com/plaintext/kapiti_gay_pridenz_2017.txt
production_date12-01-2017
production_day12
production_month01
production_year2017
recording_typeBroadcast
seriesKāpiti Gay
sub_series
titleKāpiti Gay PrideNZ 2017
descriptionKāpiti Gay host Tony Reed talks with PrideNZ founder Gareth Watkins about the audio collection and shares a few examples.
summary_computer_generatedThis episode of Kāpiti Gay, recorded at Coast Access Radio in Waikanae on 12 January 2017, features an in-depth conversation between broadcaster Tony Reed and Gareth Watkins, the founder of PrideNZ. The broadcast, which also includes audio recordings from notable figures such as Georgina Beyer and Miriam Saphira, explores the significance of oral histories within Aotearoa New Zealand’s rainbow communities. Watkins begins by sharing his own journey of growing up in Wellington during the 1980s and 1990s. He discusses the internalised stigma around being gay, the societal lack of representation, and his eventual coming out in Masterton - an experience that contrasted with the common trend of urban migration for those seeking acceptance. His parents, unfamiliar with rainbow identities, responded with concern rooted in cultural portrayals from the era, notably fears surrounding AIDS and flamboyant stereotypes. Despite this, Watkins found a gradual sense of self-acceptance by his early twenties. The conversation then shifts to a broader discussion of the changing social landscape for rainbow youth. Watkins highlights how younger generations, as evidenced in one of the featured audio clips from PrideNZ, often experience more supportive environments in which their identities are recognised without the trauma of rejection. This intergenerational shift is a testament to the ongoing efforts of rainbow elders who, despite adversity in the 1970s and 1980s, fought visibly for legal reform and societal change. Watkins references key activists such as the Topp Twins, Alison Laurie, Linda Evans, and Prue Hyman, acknowledging their courage and leadership during times when visibility came with significant risk. Watkins details his background in public radio and his early desire to create rainbow-themed content. Facing institutional resistance in the 1990s, he began producing documentaries independently before becoming programme director at Wellington Access Radio. A Churchill Fellowship to study community media in California provided further inspiration. When a proposal for a national rainbow show was rejected by New Zealand On Air due to its niche focus, Watkins turned disappointment into motivation. In 2009, he launched PrideNZ, a website dedicated to capturing and preserving rainbow voices through interviews and recordings. The goals of PrideNZ are threefold: to document rainbow lives and events through audio, to make this content publicly accessible, and to preserve it for archival use. Watkins emphasises that while PrideNZ is not an archive in the traditional sense, it serves as a crucial pre-archival platform, enabling the timely collection and dissemination of community stories. Several powerful excerpts from the PrideNZ collection are played during the broadcast. The first is from Miriam Saphira, who discusses her father’s same-sex relationship during World War I. This historical narrative, conveyed through a deeply moving poem written by her father’s partner, Roy, illustrates the presence of rainbow relationships even during eras where public acknowledgement was virtually impossible. The second excerpt is a recording of Georgina Beyer addressing the Destiny Church’s “Enough is Enough” rally in 2004. Beyer’s courageous confrontation on the steps of Parliament challenged bigotry and defended the civil rights of rainbow New Zealanders during the heated civil union debate. Watkins expresses admiration for Beyer’s bravery in facing hostility and her broader role in shifting public opinion. The final excerpt features a group of high school students discussing their coming out experiences, offering a candid and hopeful perspective. Their stories highlight the ways in which younger generations navigate identity with greater peer support and acceptance, although systemic issues, such as school policies and familial misunderstanding, remain. Throughout the recording, Watkins reinforces the importance of diverse perspectives, particularly through peer-to-peer interviewing models. By enabling youth to interview youth and elders to speak with one another, PrideNZ fosters authentic storytelling and ensures a wide spectrum of experiences are documented.
interviewer
voicesGareth Watkins; Georgina Beyer; Miriam Saphira; Tony Reed
tagsgay; homosexual; 1990s; 2000s; 2010s; 2020s; pridenz.com; Aotearoa New Zealand; Kapiti Coast District; Waikanae; Wairarapa; Wellington; Coast Access Radio; A Man's Man - a daughter's story (book); Gareth Watkins; Georgina Beyer; Miriam Saphira; Tony Reed
tags_computer_generatedsexuality; profile; Youth; media; television; radio; drag; sex; Homosexual Law Reform; archives; homophobia; family; coming out; Auckland; 1960s; law; Christchurch; relationships; support; Destiny Church; growing up; elders; Texas; privilege; identity; school; parents; friends; interviewing; documentary; Radio New Zealand; community; Coming Up; language; discrimination; children; funding; internet; dating; Taranaki; trust; Masterton; church; love; prejudice; Drag Queen; Christianity; acting; gender; desire; hate; pronouns; difference; questioning; rainbow; technology; twins; Stuff; video; minority; balance; change; opportunity; California; top; Linda Evans; Member of Parliament; Wellington Access Radio; fashion; beauty; arrest; Newtown; march; Nuremberg Rally; other; flaming; engineering; resource; walk tour; rally; listening; teenage; strength; teacher; future; transport; work; democracy; website; face; queen; God; charity; coffee; Miramar; birth name; Tamaki; People; Events; rainbows; birthday; access; audience; time; wind; Joe; podcast; peer interviewing; sad; wish; AIDS
location_nameCoast Access Radio
location
broader_locationWaikanae
location_lat-40.876737711735856
location_long175.06455571707846
precise_localitytrue