InsideOUT Kōaro - navigating the hate

This is an interview with River Ayto and Tabby Besley. The discussion centers on the escalation of hostility towards InsideOUT Kōaro and the broader rainbow communities, triggered by Posie Parker's visit to Aotearoa in March 2023. This uptick in hate coincides with the COVID-19 pandemic and is linked to the spread of disinformation, particularly around vaccines, which has fostered an environment ripe for transphobic and anti-rainbow sentiments.

The interviewees note a specific increase in negative content and harassment targeting their communities after Parker's arrival. This hostility is not isolated but part of a broader global trend of rising anti-rainbow and transphobic rhetoric, particularly in the UK and the US. The discussion highlights the vulnerability of InsideOUT Kōaro, owing to its public role in challenging the immigration minister's decision to allow Parker into the country and its work with schools and young people, which makes it a prime target for accusations of indoctrination and gender ideology.

The interview delves into the nature of the attacks experienced by InsideOUT Kōaro and other organisations, ranging from online negativity to physical acts like arson and graffiti. It reveals that InsideOUT Kōaro, having previously experienced little to no online hate, began receiving overwhelming amounts of it from March onwards. The hate speech often targets trans individuals, especially trans women, and encompasses broader attacks against the rainbow community. The discussion also sheds light on the tactics used by those spreading hate, including malicious OIA requests and the spread of disinformation about InsideOUT Kōaro's funding and activities.

The conversation also touches on the emotional and operational toll these attacks have taken on the organization and its staff, highlighting the need for strategic responses to counter such hate while maintaining the safety and well-being of the community. The interview concludes by emphasizing the interconnectedness of this hate with broader societal issues, such as anti-Māori rhetoric, and the compounded impact on individuals who belong to multiple marginalized groups.

This summary is created using Generative AI. Although it is based on the recording's transcription, it may contain errors or omissions. Click here to learn more about how this summary was created.

River Ayto Tabby Besley

2020s, access to health care, act new zealand, anti-covid 19 vaccination, aotearoa new zealand, brian tamaki, broccoli tattoo, chantelle baker, christchurch terror attack (2019), conservative political action conference (cpac), conspiracy, covid-19 (coronavirus), covid-19 denial, covid-19 lockdown, destiny church, discrimination, disinformation, drag, drag storytime, education, election, emotional, facebook.com, family first nz, fascism, free speech, freedoms new zealand, funding, gender diversity, gender education, gender identity, gender ideology, gender minorities aotearoa (gma), general election, general election (2023), gloria (greymouth), groomer, hate speech, indoctrination, insideout kōaro, internet, john money, manawatu lesbian and gay rights association (malgra), marriage equality, michael wood, misinformation, national schools pride week, netsafe, new conservative party, new zealand first, new zealand labour party, official information act (oia), online harassment, police, posie parker, posie parker counter protest, puberty blockers, public toilet, queer joy, queer straight alliance (qsa), rainbow youth (tauranga), reproductive rights, river ayto, rural, sam duckor-jones, school, school curriculum, sean plunket, social media, sport, tabby besley, telegram messenger, the disinformation project, the platform, the warehouse, trans, trans woman, trans-exclusionary radical feminism (terf), transgender, transgressive transitions (research, 2023), transphobia, transphobic violence, twitter.com, united kingdom, united states of america, vision nz, walt disney company, wellington, winston peters, youth

access, activities, advertising, allies, arson, artist, attack, baking, banned, bathrooms, belonging, board, board of trustees, bodily autonomy, campaigns, change, charity, children, christchurch, church, coming out, community, conference, connections, conservative, conversation, data, democracy, desire, difference, diversity, email, energy, engagement, equality, events, exhibition, faggot, faith, family, fear, flags, freedom, friends, fun, fundraising, future, gay, gender, government, graffiti, greymouth, guidance, harassment, hate, health, health care, history, homosexual, homosexual law reform, hope, hui, human rights, immigration, individual, intersex, job, journalism, knowledge, language, law, legislation, lesbian, library, love, mainstream, march, marriage, marriage equality, media, meetings, mental health, ministry of education, movement, nature, normal, opportunity, other, palmerston north, pandemic, parents, parties, people, period, policy, politics, power, protection, puberty, queer, queer space, rainbow, rainbow youth, regions, relationships, representation, research, resist gender education, resource, review, rhetoric, running, safety, security, sexuality, shift hui, shooting, signs, sleep, social, solidarity, space, spaces, speech, straight, stuff, support, tamaki, teaching, time, training, truth, website, wish, women, work, workshop, youth