As part of Project Uplift (the refurbishment of the Rainbow Room) a documentary was produced by the Office of the Clerk/Parliamentary Service to tell the story of the room. The individual interviews were also published online under a Creative Commons licence CC-BY 4.0. A special thank you to the Office of the Clerk/Parliamentary Service for allowing Elizabeth's interview to be reproduced. The mp3 files on this page contain just the audio element of the video interview.
Summary
This summary details the essence of an audio recording titled "Rainbow Voices of Aotearoa New Zealand" by Tabby Besley, recorded on April 15, 2019, in the Rainbow Room of Parliament Buildings in Wellington. In the recording, Tabby Besley, representing Inside Out Koʻaro, discusses the initiative's efforts to foster a safer and more inclusive environment for young people of minority sexualities, genders, and sex characteristics in New Zealand. Inside Out, a national charity based in Wellington, has the vision to build a sense of safety and belonging for these individuals in their schools and communities.
Despite acknowledging the legislative progress made in New Zealand towards rights for the community, Besley emphasizes that there is still a significant amount of work to be done. Much of the legislative advancements have yet to significantly impact young people's daily lives, and Besley notes that changes in resources and attitudes are critical to ensuring the safety of rainbow youth.
Particular projects of Inside Out are highlighted, such as helping schools become more inclusive through providing resources, information, and staff training. Besley mentions "Out on the Shelves," a project aimed at increasing visibility by featuring and displaying literature that reflects the identities of rainbow youth in school and public libraries. Another notable project is the annual SHIFT hui, a four-day gathering that allows young people from across New Zealand to connect with their culture and rainbow identities through workshops and social connections, often creating lifelong friendships.
The speaker also underscores the importance of governmental support for the well-being of rainbow youth, who statistically face a higher likelihood of mental health issues and suicide attempts. Besley stresses the necessity for leaders and legislation to express solidarity with these young people. The presence of rainbow MPs in Parliament is celebrated as a vital step towards representing and advocating for the community.
However, Besley insists that more support is required, particularly in funding organizations that provide direct assistance to young people who deal with challenges such as homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia. The goal is to enable these individuals to focus on typical life challenges without the additional burden of discrimination.
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.
Voices
Tags (computer generated)
anxiety, aotearoa new zealand, attitude, belonging, biphobia, bottom, charity, community, confidence, connections, culture, difference, education, government, homophobia, iran, kira, leadership, legislation, library, minority, normal, opportunity, other, out on the shelves, people, public library, rainbow, resilience, safety, school, space, stuff, suicide, support, time, top, transphobia, visibility, walking, wellington, work, youth