Sun 26 May 2013 In: Our Communities View at Wayback View at NDHA
After "the best part of a decade" on the Rainbow Wellington Board, mostly as chair, Tony Simpson has stepped down. He reflects on some of his proudest RW moments and the issues he thinks are most important moving ahead. Simpson recalls he became chair when the group, then known as GAP, "had rather run out of puff". "I'm glad to have been able to play a part in getting it up and running again, ably assisted by a very good bunch of colleagues and more particularly by Tony Reed who did most of the hard work as Secretary," he says. "Although RW tends to work under the radar and so its achievements go mostly unnoticed I would count among our successes: getting a major international insurance company to change its application forms to exclude some highly offensive personal questions. "We have also been instrumental in reaching a position at our initiative with the Salvation Army which ensures that for the immediate future they will at worst remain neutral in any controversy over gay rights and at best take an active support role on some other issues if RW wants to build on it. "It was also partly our pressure which narrowed the criteria for excluding gay men from blood donation." Simpson says the group has also successfully prosecuted a couple of cases in the Human Rights Commission, one against the Blood Service, the other against the ANZ Bank, arising from discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation. "We have made our submissions to various Select Committees on legislation of interest to LGBTI people and, I flatter myself, had some effect on the outcomes, most latterly the marriage amendment legislation. "We were able to bring a number of trans issues to the fore also by keeping up the pressure to have the recommendations of 'To Be Who I Am' implemented. "My only regret is that I didn't bring the blood donation matter to a final and successful conclusion although that is under way and there should be a further official review of international best practise this year." Of course Simpson will remain an "enthusiastic" member of Rainbow Wellington, a group he says continues to fill a space that no-one else occupies at the political and administrative level. "But there comes a point to stand down and let someone else have a go. I am pleased to say that there is a strong new generation of GLBTI leadership coming on stream and I believe RW has a great future." On that note, he believes there are a number of outstanding issues which need to be tackled. "The most burning one being in my view the problems associated with young gay and lesbian kids coming out and the frightful and sometimes fatal bullying which ensues. "There are still also a number of issues affecting trans people to be addressed and I am sure that these will be at the centre of RW's concerns for the next few years at least." In all three members of the RW have stood down from the Board, and four new members have joined. Adrian Sainsbury has been made Caretaker Chair for the time being, and Rawa Karetai was elected as Vice-Chair. Karetai is a former President of Massey University's Albany Students' Association who was heavily involved in the marriage equality campaign, Chairing regular community meetings on the issue and organising the National Marriage Equality Conference last year. Jacqui Stanford - 26th May 2013