No Pride in Prisons hopes the decision not to allow Corrections to march in both the Auckland and Wellington Pride Parades will send a clear message to the Department. Kate McIntyre, No Pride in Prisons Wellington Branch Press Spokesperson says that while the group were in talks following last year’s Out in the Park, the NPIP Wellington branch was not directly involved in the decision to decline the Department of Corrections’ application to march in the parade. She adds “Rather, it appears our kaupapa has struck a chord with the rainbow community here. We are pleased to see this level of engagement, especially as our organisation moves away from Pride's symbolic politics to engage the Department of Corrections directly.” The Wellington Pride Festival committee released a statement last week informing the public of its decision. “We learned that extensive changes are currently being undertaken to enhance transgender prisoners’ safety, dignity, privacy and their right to maintain their gender identity while in Corrections care,” they wrote. “However, public consultation and staff training are still needed before these changes are fully implemented. We encourage conversations to continue to take place between the Department of Corrections and the LGBTIQ community.” Late last year Corrections had their application to march in the Auckland Pride Parade declined, with the Pride Board saying that they had seen no evidence that the promised Transgender Policy has been implemented by Corrections and the Ombudsman Report in relation to the Provision, Access and Availability of Prisoner Health Services was “particularly concerning”. McIntyre says “Hopefully, the fact that Pride events in two cities have now pushed Corrections away sends a clear message that we know it is not living up to its promise to improve the material conditions of its trans prisoners. Furthermore, as the recent Ombudsman's reports have shown, this is not actually possible; conditions in our prisons amount to torture in far too many instances, and this fact is only now being brought to light. Inhumane treatment of prisoners is integral to the prison system, and no amount of promised reforms will ever end the suffering it causes. The only way this can be achieved is through the full abolition of prisons in Aotearoa.”
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Monday, 6th March 2017 - 3:49pm