Tue 18 Jun 2013 In: Our Communities View at Wayback View at NDHA
I have seen it or heard it asked a few times before. I have spent the last week pondering it and a few other things. I attended a meeting a week ago called ‘Not Your Usual Hui’, instigated by the Auckland Council. I can’t say it was great but it was good, so here are some of my thoughts. It was publicised as wanting to find out from the TGLBI, what can make the city the best. Seems Council wanted to engage and work with the GLBTI Community. All seems great. But what Community? It originally was posted as the Rainbow and Queer Community. There are a lot within the BTGLI that don’t like or use those terms so they changed it. But then thought led me to my personal dislike of Auckland Council and their attack on the street based sex workers of south Auckland. Where the Council are supporting a Bill before Parliament directly aimed at targeting the street based sex workers, most of which are likely Trans*. The Council wards, endorsed by Mayor Len Brown and at least two other Councillors, put out a propaganda booklet that was totally offensive and discriminatory to Trans sex workers, with references to ‘Transvestites’ often. We were given an empty apology because that booklet is still available on line. How can you apologise and admit wrong and still use and promote it? There is another Bill before Parliament that I am sure Auckland Council will equally support. What’s my point you ask. Well depending on whose figures you choose to use, there are between 3 or 4 to 200+ of these street based sex workers down there. Guess what, most of them are under the Transgender umbrella and so are part of the ILBTG community whether we like it or not. How can sitting down nicely around a table with Auckland Council, to work out what will make the City the best, be supportive to those under the LBTIG umbrella? Are we prepared to say ‘Oh they are just street whores and so don’t count as part of our umbrella.’ I don’t like being included under the Transgender Umbrella but don’t have a choice. I am and so are those girls working the streets in South Auckland. How can we be so gullible to believe Auckland Council wants to work with the BIGTL Community when they are happy to target a Bill at members of the Transgender Community. Happy to offer false apologies, acknowledging wrong and still endorse and use their booklet. Happy to push for Bills that will make criminals of street based sex workers who are part of the TLIBG community. Then we had the Lesbian facilitator, who did a great job bar one point. She used LGBTTI frequently. Afterwards I asked her what the 2 TT’s stood for and she happily said to me Transgender and Takataapui. I asked her what Takataapui stood for and initially she admitted she didn’t know but then said ‘Gay, Lesbian and Transgender.’ According to the on line Maori dictionary it means ‘close friend (of the same gender), lesbian, gay, homosexual.’ It does not mean transgender at all and I have had Maori transgender agree with me on this. What right does she, or others in the so called community, have to negate the second ‘T’? To just replace it. For years the two ‘T’s have meant Transgender and Transsexual and we all got on but what right does a Lesbian have to just decide to negate Transsexuals. She and other Lesbians would be the first to jump down my throat were I to promote and use GBTI or TBIG, saying ‘Lesbians are just Gay females after all. They don’t matter but we need to honour our Treaty partners while disrespecting others in our community.’ At least I have the respect not to do that. Add a third ‘T’ if you must but you don’t have the authority to exclude people from our communities. So to you, however you want the letters to be arranged or included please take some time to consider is there really a community? If yes then do you want to include all in it? How can you exclude some and why? How about helping and standing up for the T’s in the TLBGI please. Ask the questions of Auckland Council as to what their real intentions are to the Community. Yes, money for Pride events and Hui etc are important but so to should be the members of your community working the streets in south Auckland. Have something you want to get off your chest? We welcome opinion pieces from our readers. Just email news@gaynz.com. Racheal McGonigal - 18th June 2013