The title of this recording is "Transgender Day of Remembrance 2024". It is described as: Audio from the service at St Andrews on the Terrace, Wellington to commemorate Transgender Day of Remembrance 2024. It was recorded in St Andrew's on the Terrace, 30 The Terrace, Wellington on the 24th November 2024. This is a recording of a church service and features the voices of Fei Taule'ale'ausumai, Fionn McKenzie, Frank Hanson, Fuimaono Karl Pulotu-Endemann, Lynne Dovey and The Glamaphones. Their names are spelt correctly, but may appear incorrectly spelt later in the document. The duration of the recording is 52 minutes, but this may not reflect the actual length of the church service. 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: Audio from the service at St Andrew's on the Terrace, Wellington to commemorate Transgender Day of Remembrance. The service took place on Sunday 24 November, with the Day of Remembrance on the 20th November. A stereo recording of The Glamaphones performance can be heard here. A special thank you to St Andrew's for allowing this event to be recorded and shared. This recording has been edited, with some parts of the service not included. The content in the recording covers the decades 1990s through to the 2020s. A brief summary of the recording is: The recording titled Transgender Day of Remembrance 2024 documents a commemorative church service held at St Andrew's on the Terrace in Wellington, New Zealand, on November 24, 2024. The event aimed to honor and remember transgender individuals who have faced discrimination, violence, and loss of life due to anti-transgender bias, while also celebrating resilience and diversity within the community. The service included speeches, prayers, songs, and reflections led by several prominent figures, including Dr Rev Fei Taule'ale'ausumai, Afioga Dr Fuimaono Karl Pulotu-Endemann, members of the congregation and local choir, The Glamaphones. The service began with a heartfelt welcome and prayers, emphasizing inclusivity and a call to understand and embrace diversity. The congregation was reminded of the sacredness of human difference and the responsibility to combat hate with love and justice. Special attention was given to the historical and ongoing struggles of transgender individuals, framed in the broader context of human rights and dignity. Afioga Dr Fuimaono Karl Pulotu-Endemann, a distinguished Samoan community leader and fa’afafine, shared personal experiences and insights. He spoke about his identity and its cultural significance in Samoa and the Pacific. He highlighted the intersections of faith, health, and identity, underlining the importance of community and familial support for well-being. His advocacy for mental health, particularly for marginalized groups, resonated deeply. Pulotu-Endemann also reflected on his role in combating stigma during the HIV/AIDS epidemic and his work with the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care, drawing connections between systemic injustice and the need for community-driven solutions. The service also explored the historical origins of the Transgender Day of Remembrance, initiated in 1999 in memory of Rita Hester and Chanelle Pickett, two Black transgender women murdered in the USA. Their deaths, among many others, catalyzed the establishment of this day to highlight the violence faced by transgender individuals and to push for justice and systemic change. The service acknowledged that such tragedies are not confined to one region but have global parallels, including within New Zealand. The Glamaphones performed the beautiful I Remember, adding depth to the reflective atmosphere. Traditional Pacific greetings and prayers were shared, connecting the ceremony to broader cultural and spiritual traditions. The lighting of the rainbow candle symbolized the commitment to inclusivity and the unity of diverse communities under shared principles of compassion and equity. The speakers did not shy away from addressing contemporary challenges, such as the rise of transphobia globally, including restrictive policies in various countries. Emphasis was placed on the need for grassroots advocacy and community action to counter regressive trends. Pulotu-Endemann poignantly described the role of religious and secular institutions in fostering a sense of belonging, arguing for an inversion of traditional top-down governance models to prioritize community-driven efforts. The service also included a candle-lighting ceremony, where the names of transgender individuals lost in the past year were displayed on video screens, creating a solemn space for personal reflection and communal mourning. Prayers for peace, justice, and healing were offered, urging participants to commit to a future where all people can live with dignity and safety. The full transcription of the recording begins:  Come, Christ Jesus, come. You who welcome all, from all the world, come, Christ Jesus, come, to greet us now. We come as we are, from every race and love and gender, to build your house, our home. God of all compassion. We come today on this Transgender Day of Remembrance to remember all gender diverse people who have been persecuted, discriminated against, suffered hate, crime, have been murdered or have taken their own lives because of the rejection they face. Help us today to understand the things we may not understand. Help us to bring love and not hate. Help us to rejoice in the diversity that humanity creates. God of all genders and none, source of our glorious difference and true harmony, bearer of all pain and spirit of transformation, we give you thanks that you have created us in your own image, in the many splendid forms of our human diversity. Hear us as we remember and affirm gender diverse people. Transform the violence, pain and struggles of the past and present. Bring you life out of death, hopelessness and despair. And empower us with your grace, strength and joy. May we be like kingfishers catching fire, dragonflies drawing flame. Amen. Beautiful butterflies shining with your love in the name of Christ and Carnet, and a thousand places and more. Amen. We to greet you in the name of Jesus Christ. Special welcome to all of you who are worshipping us for the first time. To the Glamourphones, thank you for making today, um, an important priority for you, and, uh, for, for us as well. I have great privilege and pleasure of welcoming my dear friend and soulmate here, um, Afioga Dr Fuimaono Karl Pulotu-Endemann. So, um, Carl is going to be our keynote speaker and I don't know what he's going to say, but um, I'm sure it is going to be a real honor and a privilege. So I will give him a little interview in family time so you can get a heads up on, on him. So, um, let's now read together the Jesus prayer. Eternal Spirit. Life giver, pain bearer, love maker, source of all that is, Father and Mother of us all. Loving God, in whom is heaven. The hallowing of your name echoes through the universe. The way of your justice be followed by peoples of the world. Your heavenly will be done by all created beings. Amen. Your commonwealth of peace and freedom, sustain our hope and come on earth. With the bread we need for today, feed us. In the hurts we absorb from one another, forgive us. In times of temptation and test, strengthen us. From trials too great to endure, spare us. From the grip of all that is evil, free us. For you reign in the glory of the power that is love now and forever. Amen. I forgot to mention we're having lunch afterwards and you're all invited so don't run away. So Jasper, Jasper's going to come and light our rainbow candle. So we light this rainbow candle to show that we are an inclusive community. And for our children. Thank you. Right. Carl. Can I call you Carl? All those huge titles you've got. Because he's a matai as well, a chief. What? You, you call yourself a fafafine? Yes. Could you please explain what a fafafine is? Fafafine. Fafafine. The two things, can I just say, uh, there's a river in our faith. There are two things that are non negotiable about me. And that's, first of all, I'm Samoan and I'm a Fafafine. A Fafafine, basically it's, uh, uh, uh, an identifier with that, uh, uh, title, uh, because that's who I am. And, um, it's, uh, physically a male and, uh, but have the spirit of the woman. I am not a transgender, I don't, uh, transition, but it's an inclusive term. But can I just also say that, um, that's just Samoa, that's throughout the Pacific, uh, there's, uh, in the Cook Islands, you've got the Akaraini, you've got in Tonga, you've got the Whakareti, or the Whakafafine. Uh, way up in Hawaii and in Tahiti, they're known as the Mahu, Uh, also in, uh, Fiji is the Vakasa Lewa Lewa, Pagopa is the name people from Papua New Guinea give. But also, uh, the, um, So there's right throughout the Pacific, you know, I'm just one of those. And we existed in the Pacific before the missionaries came. The earliest, uh, uh, recorded was, uh, uh, 1768 by a, uh, sailor who went with a, um, comely lass behind the bush and found it was a comely lad. And that was the recorded record of a Mahou. So, sorry about that, that seems to be such a long, but, uh, and I know that in Maori then they also, and I know Jakartaapu is, so we existed in the Pacific, but then also just to give you a more world like, uh, in America, we, in, uh, they have the two spirited people. Uh, they don't like the idea of being called Bidashe, because Bidashe is a French term. But, so, there's, uh, right, and I'm very much involved in the indigenous, uh, world, so we have a world that's, uh, but the Fafafina, I just want to say, is part of the family. You can't address, uh, uh, Fafafina without addressing the fact that we come from families. Our titles, like I have, as you alluded to, is the recognition of my service to my, not only immediate family, but my extended family, and indeed the village where I come from. Um. Thank you. You were, um, were you the first psychiatric nurse, uh, of the Pacific, um Reverend Fei, you're now telling the age. I was telling Jim about this, and I know Frank and Gareth has already recorded me, but just for the record, I was born in 1950. I came to New Zealand in 1959. I can see mathematicians going, Well, yes, well, for the benefit of the government, I'm seventy four. And, uh, and I've always, uh, uh, been, uh, that I was brought up by my grandparents and I was hāpīnē and, uh, so when I came to New Zealand, I was, I was quite surprised that I just thought it was the norm. And, um, and I recall my mother saying to me, uh, I was brought up by her parents and saying, you know, Karl, in New Zealand, boys Don't act like you and, um, and I cannot just say that I saw the movie, um, Birdcage and there was a scene where a lot of us have seen it where this very effeminate, uh, character was taught how to walk like a man. A lot of people laugh about that, I didn't, I cried because I suddenly realised what my mother had meant, that what I accepted as the norm was ridiculed in New Zealand. But I mean, that was just me. Did I answer your question? No, I didn't. Yeah, I talked about psychiatric nurse. Yeah, right. That's just one of, I mean, people are so Yes, I did. I trained in 1971 at Oakley Carrington Hospital. And I also trained as a general nurse at, uh, Auckland Hospital. And then, uh, I trained as an obstetric nurse. in National Women's Hospital. Jim, I was telling Jim that one of the things that when I re cos I was one of the first obstetric in this country, so I wanted to go to Scotland, but, uh, I was, my parents sort of, and I'm the eldest of eleven, and I had to work to get, you know, I had to live and look after them. But, uh, that's, the School of Midwifery, that was always another area I wanted to, but I ended up being in the mental health area. It's been my passion, Can I just add that, um, it's been that, the mental health, and as far as I'm concerned, whether you're gay, lesbian, rainbow, transgender, intersect, to me it's about health. It's about your identity and it's what, and health and you, it makes you whole. And if that's not together, because I've seen that over the years, I was, uh, recently had, uh, I sat on the Royal Commission for Abuse and Care. for those children that were put in faith and also in, uh, state care from 1950 to 1999. I'm very aware of that because I was working in a psychiatric hospital. I also worked at Lake Ellis. So I saw the damage to kids, um, and also one of the things I just need to add, In that commission, when I was, I sat as Pacific Island representative, I noticed there was something missing, I think. And what it was, was that there was an assumption that all those kids that were put in care were heteronormal. And I said, that's not the case. Though I know some lesbians, some trans, some intersex, I knew that they were treated at that time. So, luckily, that was then addressed. But yes, to answer your question, yes, I very much work in the mental health, and I still do. Uh, but really more in community. And so that's why I love being in this church. Can I just acknowledge the parishioners of St. Andrews or Hatu Anaruo? Um, five years ago, we had a meeting of the ILGA at the back here. very much. And it was a traumatic but it was a very healing one for me personally, because a week before I came to this meeting here, my partner of 40 years had a stroke, and he's a Pākehā, and that's why I live in Christchurch. But I always want to acknowledge the role of St Andrew's Church and the people of St Andrew's. They've always been incredibly supportive. Even amongst all the anti human things. So I'd really like to thank you, first and foremost, for today. My own personal thank you to the parishioners of St Andrews. Thank you, Carl. Um, Jasper, do you have any questions you want to ask him? I know it was family time for children, but, um, I hope this helped all of us, uh, this morning. Kyle's going to share much, much more. So right now we're going to stand and uh, offer the peace or the Rangimari to everyone. Peace to Christ Jesus. Peace to Christ Jesus. Peace to Christ Jesus. Peace. Peace. Peace. A reading from the Hebrew Bible. From Psalm 139. Where can I go from your spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there. If I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, Even there, your hand will guide me and your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me. Even the darkness will not be dark to you. The night will shine like the day for darkness is as light to you. For you created my inmost being. You knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, O God. How vast is the sum of them. Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of the sand. When I awoke. I am still with you. From the New Testament, the letter to the Galatians, chapter three. So in Christ Jesus, you are all children of God through faith. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile. Neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you're all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise. And the contemporary reading, an untitled poem. She wore golden rays of sunshine into a long and flowing dress that left the scent on everything she touched of nature's sweet caress. Everywhere the girl did go the flowers would all bloom and she could cause the lonely feeling out of every darkened room. She could drive out all your sadness and cause a frozen heart to thaw. She'd paint the sky pink every morning, but nobody ever saw her. No one thought to thank her for the warmth upon their skin, or for chasing all their demons from where the night time's breath had been. So she thought she wasn't needed. She could leave and they'd not care. They'd just taken her for granted since her light was always there. Because you never thank the ground until you know how it feels to fall. Or just how much you need the sun until it doesn't rise at all. For the word in scripture, for the word among us, for the word within us, we give thanks. A a a ah. A a a a ah. A a a a ah. That particular song, ladies and gentlemen, is the sea. Now, sea, like this, when Pacific Islanders put a sea or flowers in their hair, they're putting it in the sacred space. And today, because it's a memorial day for those transgender that were killed, particularly, uh, Rita, um, Hester and, uh, Chanel, uh, Pickett, the two, uh, black Afro Americans in, that were. Uh, murdered in Massachusetts and culminated in November in 1999, the service. And I just want to sing that to remind people that it's not just about those people, those transgender, but it's also those people left behind and those of our families who have passed. So, with that, I'd just like to take this off my head, but I just thought it's only timely, Reverend, that I should leave a gift to St. Andrews, and so I thought I'd leave this in memory of today, but as well as this, uh, this is actually, uh, we're wearing. And can I send you the ings from the Pacific, from the Cook Islands? Ana, from the Kingdom of Tonga to to you from the Republic of Fiji. Māloni for those wonderful people from the Kōluan Islands of Tokelau. Whakarofalahiatu from the Rock of Polynesia, otherwise known as Niue, and from all the other Pacific, including Samoa, Whakarofalahiatu. I also just want to now add, and I'll do it again, it's the meanings of those greetings. Thanks. Because everybody says Taro whanau is wonderful. You see, when iwi Māori says kia ora, and Cook Island says kia orana, the magic in those greetings is the word ora orana, which means life. And then when, and then when, Uh, or rather the Tongan with Malo and Lele, and the, uh, Toke loans with Maloni, the Fijian with Nisambula, Winaka, and Namaste. The greetings, the magic in those greetings, uh, Winaka, Malo, and Lele, which means wellness and goodness. And then from Niue, with Fakalofa Lahiatu, and Samoa with Talofa, the greetings is the word Alofa. Which means love and compassion. So if I wrap it all up together, it's not just saying good morning, it's saying wishing you, and you, and me, and everybody here, a life that is full of wellness and goodness, but always cocooned in love and compassion. And that's what this is all about. It's about life, wellness and goodness, but also rept and love and compassion. I wanted to say just, uh, I mentioned the transgender, this is about transgender, but it's more than that. Yesterday, Rev Fei, sorry, Dr Rev Fei Taule'ale'ausumai and I went to visit some very special people because they're not very well. And one of those is our friend and Fei's cousin, the Fiong'a Lomanavao Dame Winifred, um, Laban. And then after that, we went to see another, um, 90 year old. Uh, relation and friend called Pasi. Now Pasi is, uh, uh, Winnie's uncle. But Pasi, for the Wellingtonians, owned and ran the Purple Onion. In the Purple Onion, everybody talks about Carmen. But Pasi actually employed Carmen and a lot of transgender during the time in here in Wellington. So those people, and in fact last night I was saying to Reverend Fei this morning, I got a call from a 90 this bed in hospital to say, I'm trying to find a lift because I want to hear you and Fei speak tomorrow and I said, there's no way you're coming in because you're in your sick bed. So I said, but what I'll do is I'll mention your name but also, so that's it. So I've mentioned his name but the reasons why I say that is that the commemoration day of transgender that started November 20, 1999, from the horror of those murder of those sisters. But it was not new to New Zealand. It was not new. It also, there was also another side to this, is because there, it happened in New Zealand as well. Here in Wellington, we had people walking the streets in, uh, that were also had suspiciously died. And they were mostly transgender and mostly Maori and Pacific. So, I just want to acknowledge the fact that this is a memorial, but it's also about living. And to memorialize the, the two, uh, uh, from America, but also we had people like the wonderful Carmen, Chrissie Wee Chocop, who, uh, uh, the Evergreens. We also had our own salons. We had, um, uh, Augustine, uh, Ula Rau, who, uh, used to advocate for a lot of the, the fa'afafine here in Wellington. And, uh, uh, a little bit of history for some of us older ones, that one of the lawyer who was forever grateful at the Pacific Island was Roy Stacey, because Roy Stacey used to advocate for a lot of those. I think Frank, you interviewed that, that crowd as well. So It's that kind of thing that you're wanting, but I really just not want to talk about transgender, but also about how community I'd really also like to talk about the history of the movements. During 1986 was, of course, the homosexual law reform. I was very much involved with that. I lived in Palmerston North with my partner. And the thing was, was that there was a lot of angst, not only for transgender, but for gay, lesbian, for the rainbow community. And for those of us, it required a lot of support and a lot of action, but it also required a lot of allies. St. Andrew's Church, some of the parishioners, a lot of you are here, we're very much part of that movement. Um, and I really, a lot of, there's a group that a lot of people don't mention, and it was a group called H. U. G. Lovely, Ellen. H. U. G. H stands for heterosexual, U stands for unafraid of gays. Hug. I thought it was wonderful. Mostly a lot of women. I think there's members of Hugs in the audience, I think. But they were a group, mostly of women, who were very supportive. But also, so, it's really about the group actions. Now normally, one of the things I like to really concern because of the advocacy for Rainbow or more inclusive, I do have a problem with the term LGBTQI, not that name, because it doesn't include The T in that is actually transgender. It doesn't include Maori. It doesn't include other indigenous. What I'm saying is, we're more than just that plus. Because we existed in the Pacific. We existed here as well. And, uh, but the most important thing is, those two murders, really cultivate, this is what we need to do to prevent murder, to prevent and to maintain some balance. Because, right now, and I do believe, we went from a lift, So government to more right with Trump, but also in our own government here, and we've got to be very vigilant of some of the parts that could change, because I know I read that Trump is strongly advocate against the transgender issue. So here's the thing. This is the main issue, I thought. If you look at a triangle, It's usually, you will get the policy at the top, the government, and then it filters down. And right at the bottom of the triangle is the community. And that in the community involves people like us here, the churches. Very churches is incredibly important for Pacific because our whole life is around churches. Whether you're a Catholic, whether you're Presbyterian, Ifakasa Church, Methodist, because they belong to us and we belong to them. So the churches have a major role in our lives. Maybe not also for everybody else. You know, I'm a Catholic. I used to say recovering Catholic. I think I'm still recovering, but, uh, I know my priests will say, I heard that you spoke at a Presbyterian church, but you haven't been coming to, uh, Mass for a long time. Well, you know, God's everywhere. But the point I really want to make is that usually it's from the top down. I absolutely believe now, and since the Homosexual Law Reform and all the movement, that it really should be inverted, and that it's actually the bottom up. That it's the community at the very top, and then it filters down to the policy makers. Because that's where community actions And can I just go back to the, the two transgender, the Afro American, They weren't the one that started the Memorial Day, it was actually their friends who'd gone to church, one of them when, uh, Rita, uh, uh, uh, Hester was, uh, murdered. And it was some friends who said, Look, a year ago, uh, then Chanel got murdered. And she said, look, The same thing's happening. Let's do something about it. And that's what I really like to congratulate you, uh, Reverend Fei and the, and the parishioners or congregation of, uh, St. Andrews. That it really is, you're very much part of that role forward, here and forward, because See, it's not just us. And can I also acknowledge the fabulous Glamaphones? I would, when I saw the, the, you were singing, I thought, oh, shall I dare sing in front of them? I mean, they're, they're top class group. But, uh, but really, uh, the work that you've done, wonderful. Thank you. But I think it's really about the community. It's really about rolling in the community. And, uh, I'm really more happy to take more questions. Are you allowed to take questions or not? Because I have a, I actually have a presentation, but I'm really more interested in answering anything, uh, that you would particularly like. But I want to tell you some stories. And that is being uncomfortably courageous. Uncomfortably courageous. Because, you know, people say, oh, you're so courageous, you're so resilient. Actually, and I've learned that from people like yourself, it's being uncomfortable courageous. And one of the, the issue for me was when it came to standing up for, uh, rights, that sometimes you say, well, I don't want to be left alone, shall I do it or not? But it's the ability to stand up and do it. And you have to be uncomfortable, and a lot of you know that. It's uncomfortable, even in gramophones, for instance. When you say gramophones, I know it's a rainbow group. People say, oh, it's a rainbow group. I say, yes, of course it is. Well, that takes courage to stand up, stand up and sing. That's what I meant. It's no use just being courageous and sit back. It's the mothers who were courageous, who stood up. And I just, I know there's a lot of women, I know there's a lot of men here, but can I just speak to the mothers, the aunties and the grandmothers in the room. And that is, in my own work, and particularly with HIV AIDS, When the Homosexual Law Firm came out that there were people who were, cos you couldn't, there's also the HIV AIDS, and I was, because of my background being nursing, I was more involved in the health. And so it was hand in hand. We gotta get the, the law passed in order to talk about prevention, like condoms, things, and use. It was actually the women that I went to, both in Pacific, Maori, but also in Pākehā. It was the women. Because women knew the safety of their families. Safety. So, you know, and it was right here in Wellington, in the Morne, when a church minister's wife, and one of the women, was saying, Oh, you know, you should be careful to say about condoms and sex, because it's the wife of a church minister. I'm forever grateful to Fereni, because it was Fereni who stood up. And stood up and said, listen, I am a church minister's wife, but I'm here as a mother and I'm concerned about the family, my own safety. So if you have a problem about sex, go outside, but I'm staying. And also because, uh, it's, and right now, even in mental health, because we know that transgender and, uh, rainbow people like gay, lesbians, trans men, see, people talk about transgender usually from male to female, but we also have very trans men, and they need a lot of support. So it's about, you know, really standing, advocating for those people. Along with that, I want to share with you what happened. It was actually a meeting up at, um, Cuba Mall. And we were going to talk about, um, I was on the, uh, Capital Coast District Health Board at the time, but we were talking about, um, uh, about, uh, surgery. And so the meeting in the labor rooms at the Cuba mall started from five to six and then Rainbow Labor was going to go from six to seven. So before that we had all the doctors and we had endocrinologists, surgeons, physician, and then of course the meeting. And the first meeting, of course, There was a lot of different people, weren't all gay, or lesbian, or transgender. But anyway, the meeting was finishing, and then came the end. My point here is that I don't ever assume anything. Now I've always considered myself, if I feel gay, I feel like I could use all my life. But there are things I need to learn constantly. Because as the first meeting was leaving, I turned around to one of my transgender friends and said, um, oh gosh, you know, I come straight from work, she said, and, um, I hope they're not going to feed us those crummy biscuits. And I said, well, she said, oh God, you know, like, you know what the Labour government, the Labour Party, they still need. So I said, don't worry, we'll go to the fish and chip shop just up Cuba. You know the fish and chip place? That's right. So we'll cut the fish and chips face. But, I said to her, those two in the front, you know those men, somebody tell them that, uh, the meeting's over, it's now the, going to be the rainbow labour, which is the gay, uh, part of the rainbow labour. Um, you know, the meeting's over. And she burst out laughing. Because I think, she said, which man? I said, you know, those two men, very spunky looking, the Pākehā one with the balding head and the Māori guy. And they said, she'd laugh like, she said, Karl, they're trans men. So the point here is that I just didn't know. I need to be educated. The only thing I'm really consistent is, I think there's still stunning men and they're spunky. So it's those kind of two. I think I really, the other story I really want to talk to, I've reflected on this really, but I'm going to say it. I'm a Catholic, and I was brought up a Catholic, and my mother, who's a theologian, was a very strong Catholic, Catholicist. And I was living in, uh, Palmerstow with my partner. My mother was always very open. I have another brother who's gay, and my baby brother's gay, and also, uh, uh, Sister of the lesbian who passed away. All of us have long term relationships. Largely because of the support from families. And I want to make that point because I know for transgender, those transgender people who have the support of their family in relation to suicide, Only 4 percent in the study they've done in America, 4%. But if those who do not have family and do not have supportive community, 60 percent suicide. So it's a huge amount of number. We have just been very fortunate in our family with our mother, but I want to tell you this particular story. In Palmerston North, now, Fei will know this. When church ministers enter your house, they're like God, really, because, uh, or God and Hannah, because, you know, everything they get the best. Uh, uh, food, everything. Father Martin, who is Irish, was in my home, and my mother was, she was waving the food. I don't know why she had to get the waving the food, because there was no flies. But it was the conversation of a frightened Martin, uh, Martin and I. Father Martin said to me, Now, Karl, what have you been up to? And I said, Oh, well, you know, lots of things. I think about homosexual reform. Oh, yes, yes, I've heard about that. Tell me all about that. And I said, Oh, well, you know, same. My mother's like this. She's like this. And then he said, Well, other things. I said, well, it's the concept of God. Oh, he said, it's the concept of God. I said, well, every time, you know, we looked at God, God is always pictured as a, a white man with long blonde hair and blue eyes and sitting on a mountaintop. And Father Martin said to me, um, and this is all this, and I still had to wave at my mother. She said, well, what do you, why do you say that? And I said, well, the thing is. If I really believe God is about love and compassion and charity, then I really think God may be a woman. By this time, my mother was flapping, and like this, and I said, actually, and Father Martin said, oh no, that's very interesting, he was very interesting, and I said, what further? And I said, well, if I really have to be honest, Father Martin, I think God is a Samoan woman, while my mother was an Ephes, and then, and then, my mother was, she just stopped like this, and I said, but if I really have to be honest, Father Martin, I think God is a Fafafine. No, I said that publicly, and this isn't filmed, so I, I don't know. And this is my thing. Because God is about love and compassion, love, God is in you, and it's in me. And I've got it, that's why I believe. God is all of us. Norela people, thank you for this opportunity to speak today. And I wish you. The very, very best in the future. Thank you. Transgender Day of Remembrance was started by transgender advocate Gwendolyn Ann Smith, who said that this day seeks to highlight the losses we face due to anti transgender bigotry and violence. She said, I'm no stranger to the need to fight for our rights. And the right to simply exist is first and foremost. With so many seeking to erase transgender people, sometimes in the most brutal ways possible, it's vitally important that those we lose are remembered, and that we continue the fight for justice. We light a candle in memory of the 427 trans and gender diverse people who've been reported as murdered in the year since we last marked Transgender Day of Remembrance. God of peace, we give thanks for each precious life, for the divine light they shone in the world, and we mourn their senseless deaths. May all those who grieve find comfort and support. We acknowledge that these reported deaths only represent a fraction of the loss of life. We light a candle for those whose deaths were not reported, or whose identities are erased as a last act of violence. God of justice, you know their names. Enfold them in your love. We pray for resolve to root out injustice, ignorance and cruelty. We pray that all those who perpetrate hate and violence will be led to restorative justice. We light a candle for all the trans and gender diverse people who've died because society did not ensure they had shelter, safe and accessible healthcare, and adequate income to survive. God of liberation, strengthen and guide us in the work that's needed to bring about a world where all can live with dignity and all can thrive. We light a candle for all those who did not receive the love, support and acceptance they needed. For those who internalized the violence and hatred of the world and took their own lives. Our hearts break for those who are only children and could no longer continue the struggle just to exist. God of love, guide us towards others who are struggling, overwhelmed and traumatized, who feel that love cannot reach them. Help us to show them Aroha. Strengthen us to embody your radical inclusion and to propagate the seeds of acceptance throughout our families, churches, and society. On this day, we stand together against hate and we renew our commitment to work for justice. In this way, we not only honor those we lost, we affirm the lives of the living. In being activists, allies, and advocates, as we affirm the truth that all life is precious, we light a candle for the future we yearn for. God of all time, you kindle the flames of hope. We will never let them die away. We're now going to have some of the names of people who've died over the past year. on the screen and we'll have a time of reflection and if you'd like to come up and light a candle for those people or for someone else that you would like to remember um, there's some small candles on the tables here and you're welcome to come up and do that. loving creator, let the rain come and wash away the ancient grudges, the bitter hatred held and nurtured over generations. Let the rain wash away the memory of the heart and the gland, then oh God let the sun come out and fill the sky with beautiful rainbows. Let the warmth of the sun heal us wherever we are broken. Let it burn away the fog so that each of us sees each other clearly. So that we can move beyond labels, beyond accents, gender, sexual orientation or skin colour. Let the warmth and brightness of the sun melt our selfishness so that we can share the joy and sorrow of our neighbours. And let the light of the sun be so strong that we will see all people as our neighbours. Let youth, nourished by rain, bring forth flowers to surround us with your beauty. And let the mountains teach our hearts to reach upward to heaven. Then, dear God, grant us comfort, give us peace, and allow us strength to enable us to stand up, fight for, and be a voice of equality. In Jesus name. Amen. We give thanks for the Hikoi this past week. For the joyfulness, the unity, and the peacefulness of it. For the expression of something greater than us. For the ability to send an important message to those in government. We give thanks for what we experienced and witnessed, and for the opportunities as St. Andrews people to contribute. We understand that as ordinary people we cannot take for granted the ability to participate in civil protest. We know that in many countries this display of dissent would not be possible. As people of the nation, we give thanks to the mystery we name God for all that we are and for all that we can together become. Today we pray for gender diverse people everywhere, for those who are discriminated against and vilified and who because of hate and prejudice have suffered. We remember especially those who have died. God, help us to honor difference, to understand the things we do not, to accept the human condition. God of diversity, help us to be thankful for the whole of our humanness. We think of the negotiators at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, who are in last minute negotiations as they try to finalize a financial package for the wealthy countries to support small island nations and others in the developing world who are suffering badly from the effects of climate change, including sea level rise, floods, droughts, and extreme heat. We pray that agreement is reached and that the balance of wealth may be redressed to mitigate climate change. God of justice, hear our prayer. As ever, we pray for the families who are caught in warfare in Gaza, Lebanon, Ukraine and Sudan. May the international community help them to find ways to preserve their lives and their humanity, despite the horrors around them. God of healing, be with them. And in the prayers from the book, we're asked to pray for those who have died, and please pray for those who are ill, whether physically or mentally, particularly that the depressed may find hope, and please pray for the grieving, particularly the whanau and friends of Jyoti and Wendy who died this week. May they and we find comfort and moments of peace. And in the circle of prayer we think today of the people of Mexico and the Methodist Church in Mexico and throughout the world. We hold all refugees in our hearts and pray in particular for those who are still detained in Australia. We give thanks that we in New Zealand are able to welcome 450 people from this group. We pray that more will have the opportunity to be resettled in the near future. In New Zealand, we remember those in Parliament, and today we name Suze Redmayne and Leon Shane Reti. Here in the Central Presbytery, we pray for the leaders and people of Hastings St. Andrews Presbyterian Church. And now we say the prayer for St. Andrews, and if you are visiting today, please feel free to join us and make this a prayer for your community. We say together. Bless your people, God, and renew our life in this place. Refresh us with a spirit of love and respect for all who follow the Jesus way, for those whose pathways differ from our own, and for care of the earth and its creatures. Bless the cities in which we live, that they may be places where honest dealing, good government, the desire for beauty, and the care for others flourish. Bless this church that what we know of your will may become what we do and what we believe, the strong impulse of our worship and work. Amen. May the delight of God fill your souls with joy and give you strength to celebrate and embody Christ's love in the world. And the blessing of God creating, transforming and making new. Bring you to your true and loving home, now and always. Amen. The full transcription of the recording ends. 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The original recording can be heard at this website https://www.pridenz.com/transgender_day_of_remembrance_2024.html. Please note that this document may contain errors or omissions - you should always refer back to the original recording to confirm content.