A transgender Maori Party candidate is denying historical allegations of assault made against her in an official complaint to Counties-Manukau police this week. Former sex worker Mama Tere Strickland is standing at #16 on the Maori Party list. It is alleged that during her time as a sex worker she would intimidate, assault and extort money from other sex workers. Strickland told GayNZ.com that there is no basis at all for the official complaint, which she believes is politically motivated. "They're dragging up stuff from fifteen years ago when I worked the streets," she says. "Back then you had to fight for survival, and protect your patch." Strickland supported the anti-gay think tank Maxim Institute in their bid to stop the Prostitution Law Reform Act in 2003. She says she doesn't believe the Act, which decriminalised soliciting, does anything to help street workers. Maxim flew her to Wellington to help campaign against the Act during its final reading at Parliament. The official complaint to police alleges that Strickland's historical victims did not report the assaults and extortion attempts to police because sex work was illegal at the time. However, Strickland's actions were reported to the New Zealand Prostitute's Collective who entered her name into their Ugly Mugs booklet. Strickland says this also was a misunderstanding. “I've been waiting fifteen years for an apology for that,” she says. The complaint also alleges that Strickland continues to use standover tactics with transgender street workers today, allegations which she denies. “I'm here to help my people,” she says. “This has only come up because I'm standing for the Maori Party. It's being stirred up by white gay Labour Party activists.” Wellington-based Calum Bennachie has lodged the complaint with police. He says he has done so on behalf of Mama Tere's alleged victims who are too afraid to speak out. Strickland says she will be meeting with police to discuss the complaint later this week.
Credit: GayNZ.com News Staff
First published: Thursday, 15th September 2005 - 12:00pm