The title of this recording is "Cindy Lewis (1)". It was recorded in Wellington Town Hall, 101 Wakefield Street, Wellington on the 16th March 2011. Cindy Lewis is being interviewed by Gareth Watkins.  Their names are spelt correctly but may appear incorrectly spelt later in the document. The duration of the recording is 8 minutes. A list of correctly spelt content keywords and tags can be found at the end of this document. A brief description of the recording is: In this podcast Cindy Lewis from New Zealand talks about attending the human rights conference. The content in the recording covers the 2010s decade. A brief summary of the recording is: In a podcast recorded at the Wellington Town Hall on March 16, 2011, Cindy Lewis from New Zealand shares their experiences of attending a human rights conference and presenting their digital story. Lewis, originally from Hamilton, became involved with the Human Rights Commission, which led them to participate in the event. The digital story presented by Lewis was created as part of the "Assume Nothing" exhibition in Hamilton. This narrative encapsulated Lewis's life and their transition, focusing on the joy they've found since sharing their story. The production of the digital story was a collaborative effort with University of Waikato students who had no prior knowledge of transgender issues. Through this collaboration, not only was a compelling digital story created, but it also nurtured a deep understanding and friendships between Lewis and the students. Despite initial uncertainties about what creating a digital story entailed, Lewis describes the process as non-challenging and fulfilling. The main task involved scripting and condensing their story into a coherent narrative lasting three minutes. Lewis reflects on the importance of visibility and sharing personal stories, emphasizing that spreading awareness can help reduce violence and prejudice against transgender individuals. The positive impact of these stories is highlighted by their wide dissemination, including presentations to law enforcement and at various conferences. While presenting at the conference, Lewis admits to feeling nervous but overall found the experience rewarding. The session provided an opportunity to showcase their digital story’s potential to make a positive impact within the digital sphere. Feedback from the session was overwhelmingly supportive, reinforcing the significance of sharing their life story. The event also included a trans Hui, which Lewis attended, where they encountered a diverse group of over 100 transgender individuals from different parts of the world. The gathering was impactful – offering Lewis a sense of community and the opportunity to forge new international connections. Discussions at the conference covered a myriad of trans-related issues, such as the financial burdens associated with transitioning, the lack of government funding, and the necessity of overseas travel for some procedures. Lewis highlighted the ongoing struggle against violence and the need for legal reforms, such as the inclusion of gender identity in the Human Rights Act. Since the publication of "To Be Who I Am" by the Human Rights Commission, there have been positive shifts, such as cheaper and simplified processes for changing one's birth certificate. Lewis's personal experiences as a transgender individual living in Hamilton are also shared, noting their smooth transition within their community and the overall acceptance they've received. While problems regarding restroom usage arose, which is a common issue within the trans community, these were generally resolved through societal acceptance of their identity. In reflecting on the conference, Lewis feels a strong sense of social fulfillment and the importance of conveying to others that transgender individuals are not alone. As a final thought, thinking to the future, Lewis wishes to send a message of resilience to listeners three decades from now: to keep going, hold one's head high, and to persevere. The full transcription of the recording begins:  Well, I'm Cindy Lewis, and I come from Hamilton. And, um, I was at a in Wellington with the Human Rights Commission, and they asked for people to come down, and I put my name in, And, um, that's how I got involved Now. You were doing a session yesterday. Can you tell me about that? Yeah, well, I put in a submission to show my digital story that was made in association with the, um, assume nothing exhibition that was held in Hamilton in the latter part of 19 09. And, um, we went to the University of Waikato, and the students made the story for us. Can you tell me a wee bit about that story? It was just a story about my life. Um, when I transitioned from male to female and, um and just how I've been having a lot of fun since doing that story. Was that the first kind of public outing that you you had done? No, not really. I've done quite. I go, I'm full time out, and I go, I help on the balloons over Waikato as a crew and I go down the Victoria Street all dressed up in the parade. They have, uh I'm doing that next next week or a week after What was what was doing that digital story like? It was amazing. I didn't know what a digital story was all about. And, um, we were shown some digital stories, and we were amazed at the quality that they gave and, um, going to the university and was quite an honour. And, um, to have two students with us. Uh, they never knew anything about transgender. And, um, it was an eye opener for them, But we became good friends and, uh, another student that was with another friend of mine. She ended up making a, uh, two short, uh, 32nd ads for her master's degree. Last year. What was the most challenging thing about doing those digital stories? Well, nothing really challenging. It was just just, uh uh, We just, uh, had to, um, write our own script. And in three minutes, like a three minute long And, uh, yeah, that's about it. Uh, and then just going to the university. I guess what I was thinking was because they're actually quite personal digital stories, aren't they to to actually kind of put yourself out there for anyone to see. How? How did you find that? I don't mind. Um I'm quite happy to tell my story to anyone that wants to listen. Um, there's so much, um uh, violence and that towards some of our girls that the more people that know our story, that's the better for everyone. So to the conference, How did you find, uh, in the session yesterday Where, uh, you were presenting? How was that for you? Um, I get nervous when I get up in front of a lot of crowd, but, um, I I enjoyed it. Um, it's always a privilege to be able to show that story and and, um, see what can be done in the digital field. And what kind of feedback did you get? Plenty. Plenty. And it was all positive. Um, we came up and said, What a great story. And evenly. It's helped a lot of people. Um, it has been shown. I've even shown it to the, uh, DO in Hamilton. And we have a meeting with them. That's the police. And, um, we've shown it there, and I showed it at the, uh, diverse exit. Um, conference in last year. Uh, it has been shown around the country. Did you attend the transgender Hui, which was just before the conference? Yes, I did. And what an amazing event. There are over 100 transgender people there the first time I've ever seen so many. And of course, they were all from all over all parts of the world. What was the the? The thing that made the biggest impact on you and just seeing the the crowd and the and the, um, socialising with them. Um, I I've made a lot of friends, especially here from India. Um, we quite exchange cards, and, uh, most probably will be in contact with them later on. What do you think the best part about these type of conferences is it's a great place to come and share your knowledge and possibly help others that want to go the same direction. Um, it's not an easy road to go through. Um, uh, it's a lot of There's a lot of finance involved. We don't get any government funding. Um, so gets quite expensive. Especially if people want to have the operation. It means an overseas trip for a start. What are some of the other trends issues that are currently in New Zealand. A lot of there is, um, the violence. Um, the law is not quite up to scratch. Um, to have to We're trying to, uh, get part of the law changed to include gender identity in the Human Rights Act. And, um, there's a few other I just can't think of off the cuff, but, um, yeah, it's happening. And after the, um, human Rights Commission put out the the book to be who I am, a few changes have been made already with the law. What were those changes? Um, well, they changed the way we can have our birth certificate changed. Um, well, just bit hard to remember now without having to look at all. Well, I have changed my birth certificate, but that was quite expensive. But now you can do it a lot cheaper. So what's it like living in Hamilton? A lot of fun. Um, I've been accepted. Um, there are a few others in Hamilton, and, um, yeah, uh, I belong to the worker Men's Club, and there's 6000 members there, and I had literally transitioned in there, and, um no problem. There were problems. Of course. The old story is used in the toilet. That is one of the main issues that we have And that after people got to realise that I was a female now and don't have any more trouble from this conference. What? What will you take away from it? A great sense of, uh um, you know, social, Um, and being able to go and tell others what a great, um life we have with and that we're not alone. Um, there's so many 100 out there. Um and we're just seeing a very small portion of of those around, and it's not very well. It gives me a great thrill to be able to be here and then go home and tell everyone what it was like. It was great. If somebody is listening to this tape in 30 years time, what would you like to say to them? Keep going and just head up and carry on, OK? The full transcription of the recording ends. A list of keywords/tags describing the recording follow. These tags contain the correct spellings of names and places which may have been incorrectly spelt earlier in the document. The tags are seperated by a semi-colon: 2010s ; Asia Pacific Outgames (2011) ; China ; Cindy Lewis ; Gisborne ; Hamilton ; Human Rights Commission ; India ; Pacific ; People ; University of Waikato ; Victoria Street ; Waikato ; Wellington ; birth certificate ; career ; change ; conference ; dressed up ; exhibition ; friends ; fun ; funding ; gender ; gender identity ; government ; hit ; human rights ; identity ; knowledge ; law ; listening ; march ; other ; outing ; parade ; police ; privilege ; social ; submission ; time ; transgender ; transition ; university ; violence. The original recording can be heard at this website https://www.pridenz.com/apog_cindy_lewis_1.html. The master recording is also archived at the Alexander Turnbull Library in Wellington, New Zealand.  For more details visit their website https://tiaki.natlib.govt.nz/#details=ecatalogue.1089442. Cindy Lewis also features audibly in the following recordings: "Cindy Lewis (2)". Please note that this document may contain errors or omissions - you should always refer back to the original recording to confirm content.