Sat 10 Oct 2015 In: New Zealand Daily News View at Wayback View at NDHA
Lexie Matheson The organisers of the annual Auckland Pride Parade were both castigated and challenged at this afternoon's protest action which was called to draw attention to the plight of transwomen in the nation's police and prison systems. Speakers included Lexie Matheson who said she was “ashamed at what happened at this year's Pride Parade” when the arm of a trans rights protester from the No Pride In Prisons group was broken and another's cell phone broken when they broke into the parade and were physically removed. Matheson says she was also disgusted at “the subsequent response of privileged, wealthy gay men who she said complained about what the protesters did “to our parade.” She said such a response clearly told trans people that the Pride Parade is “not our parade.” Matheson was a board member of Auckland Pride Festival Inc. until late last year when she resigned from what she called a “dysfunctional” organisation. In a passionate speech this afternoon she challenged the organisers of the next parade, to be held in February during the next Auckland Pride Festival, “to allow the No Pride In Prisons group to march at the head of the parade.” Another of this afternoon's speakers, Joni Nelson, told the almost 150-strong crowd that is was not long ago that “the police were marching at us, not with us.” She said no amount of “rainbow decorated branding” by organisations and companies “is going to help us.” GayNZ.com Daily News has approached a member of Auckland Pride Festival Inc. for reaction and will publish it if and when it becomes available.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News
First published: Saturday, 10th October 2015 - 10:26pm