Warren Lindberg Human Rights Commissioner Warren Lindberg responds to a GayNZ.com article airing concerns about the low profile of the Commission in the face of recent anti-gay attacks in the media, parliament and elsewhere. You're right about the Human Rights Commission's lack of public visibility on gay issues, but it's not quite fair to extend that to an accusation of failing to protect the GLBT - or any other - community. The Commission, like the GLBT community, has failed to get traction in media debate about the issues affecting us, but we are as frustrated as you are. The Commission has taken quite clear and uncompromising positions on the rights of same-sex couples, in relation to marriage as well as Civil Union, and the Care of Children Bill. Media were notably absent from the meeting when the Commission appeared at the select committee hearing on either bill, and our media statements were picked up only on internet news outlets. But media attention to the Commission's views on anything but complaints about school uniforms and moko has been the exception not the rule for a long time. We received no more attention to our views on the seabed and foreshore or Ahmed Zaoui than we have on gay rights. I suspect the Herald's interest in Pamela Jeffries' statement in 2000 was because it was unexpected, whereas, having assigned the PC ‘lackeys of the left' designation to this group of commissioners, our position on significant issues is considered predictable and of little news value. By the way, [Chief Commissioner] Rosslyn Noonan did respond to the Herald editorial on the right to education, and a letter was eventually published on 19 April. What can we do about it? There can be no doubt that if we entered into an argument with any of the politicians currently fuelling the anti-PC campaign we could get attention, but Rosslyn Noonan is right to reject this as an appropriate strategy for a body that is required by law to be politically independent. It's up to politicians to argue the point with politicians. It certainly is our role to “advocate and promote respect for”…human rights in New Zealand society – that's what the Human Rights Act requires us to do. And it requires that our engagement with the political process is formal, independent of political bias, and respectful of the right of politicians to hold diverse views. It also certainly includes dialogue, discussion and debate with our fellow citizens. We have done that in many less visible ways. For example, the public discussions undertaken in the development of the Human Rights Today report involved over 5000 New Zealanders, including gay, lesbian and transgender groups. The Action Plan, which you derisively dismiss in your interview with Rosslyn, identifies a range of issues affecting the rights of gay, lesbian, transgender and intersex people, including actions to address discrimination. And I am somewhat surprised by your trivialising the discrimination experienced by transgender and intersex people, who are among the most seriously victimised members of our society. I acknowledge that we've got some way to go to get traction with mainstream media on human rights generally, and especially gay rights. I also appreciate the fact that GayNZ.com always does seek our views. But I have to point out that, since the disappearance of Queer Nation, you're the only gay community media to do so – and some have told us they're not interested in anything we have to say at all. The increase of anti-gay propaganda is as much our concern as yours, but we won't counter it by attacking each other. Joy Liddicoat and I, and our colleagues at the HRC, are willing and able to work with the community to redress this. When can we start? [- Warren Lindberg is a Human Rights Commissioner and a past Executive Director of the NZ AIDS Foundation.] Warren Lindberg - 8th June 2005