Fri 20 Jun 2014 In: Our Communities View at Wayback View at NDHA
Toni's 100% OK selfie Rainbow Youth’s Toni Duder hopes the 100% OK campaign will help make an impact on things like being able to go to the doctor without it being assumed she is straight and needs condoms. Like 100% OK on Facebook here The initiative is a result of Auckland Council-backed hui in Auckland, to see how the Council could support the lgbti community as part of the Auckland Plan, designed to make the city a great one to live in. The community spoke up and suggested a campaign urging straight Aucklanders to support lgbti people be themselves. OUTLine was contracted to put it together, and Duder was among those asked to help, as someone who is young and, as she jokingly puts it, “knows how to work the internet”. As soon as she went to the first meeting and met the dynamic group of people who had been gathered, she was keen. “It’s been a really exciting journey,” she says of helping pull 100% OK together. Duder loves that the campaign cuts out flowery language and just says ‘we’re ok, we’re sweet as, cool’. “It’s getting people to take the first steps, and then encouraging education.” The campaign is personal too. “People think if they don’t say anything, if they’re not mean to you, then that’s them being supportive. We’ve got this real culture where people don’t want to rock the boat, so don’t speak up. That was very much present in where I grew up, in small town New Zealand. “So it meant so much, when my stepbrother, I invited him to like the 100% OK page and he did. He’s a typical straight guy and he’s never really said anything to me supportive. It’s not that he hasn’t been supportive, but he hasn’t ever said ‘hey it’s cool, sweet as,’ but him liking that page and me seeing that made me realise how much I actually appreciated that. And how much it mattered to me that him liking that page, his friends could see he liked that page, and they could click into it and see it.” Ultimately, she says she’d love the campaign to help sort out some of the ‘little things’ which can have a big impact. “Like going to the doctors and not having to worry about explaining that I don’t need condoms. Everyday situations where my sexuality isn’t assumed to be straight, that’s what I dream of.” Duder continues: “We’ve also got enough room in our language now to talk about gender identity and sexual orientation, it’s not just male and female and it’s not just straight or gay.” While the campaign has come from Auckland, and is targeted at the city, Duder would love the whole nation to eventually get on board. “This is something we want to take further and we do want to step outside Auckland in the future. And hopefully that will happen. I mean the Auckland Council’s been incredible in their support of us and you never know, other councils could do the same.” Jacqui Stanford - 20th June 2014