Wei(May 2014)

This recording, titled "Wei - South," encapsulates a comprehensive discussion on identity, gender, sexual orientation, and the evolving dynamics concerning these topics over the 2010s. It was recorded in Christchurch, Canterbury, on May 13, 2014, and lasts for 21 minutes. The conversation begins with Wei exploring their bigender and queer identity. Wei expresses discomfort with the label 'lesbian' due to the traditional understanding of it requiring one to be both female and attracted to females. Through self-reflection and societal observations, Wei identifies as queer, a term they feel more accurately represents their identity beyond binary gender distinctions.

Wei reflects on growing up with an understanding of gender that did not align with societal expectations. Initially believing to be transsexual, Wei later discarded this idea, realizing that social norms about femininity and masculinity were restrictive and unaligned with their true self. The realization dawned that one could dress and act in ways not traditionally associated with one's assigned gender at birth.

The conversation transitions into Wei's personal journey of understanding and embracing their queer identity. They note that knowledge gained after moving to New Zealand played a significant role in this process, having only resided in the country for three years. This newfound perspective came about around the age of 19 after overcoming the language barrier and learning more about gender and sexuality.

Wei's experiences in China shaped their views on the social acceptability of being queer. They recount the struggles of coming out to their friends at 16 and eventually to their parents, highlighting the generational differences in acceptance within their community. After moving to New Zealand for education and a fresh start, Wei found the environment to be more conducive to exploring and accepting their identity.

Academically, Wei pursued a diverse range of subjects but settled on philosophy and mathematics in their third year, considering a future in journalism. They found the University of Canterbury to be a supportive space, especially due to the vibrant queer community groups present.

The narrative then delves into the importance of community and belonging. Wei underscores how significant the supportive queer community in Christchurch is, albeit being smaller than in larger cities. The sense of security and mutual support offered by such communities is vital to individuals who are negotiating their identities.

Wei delves into the role of social media in finding community and staying informed about queer resources and events. While life in southern New Zealand is generally acceptable for queer individuals, Wei believes it is somewhat easier in the northern regions, attributing it to cultural differences and the presence of bigger cities with larger, more active communities.

Wei also discusses representations of queer and transgender people in the media, urging a shift away from using labels that reinforce the gender binary. They advocate for the media to focus on individuals' various characteristics instead of their gender or sexuality. Reflecting on the passage of the marriage equality bill in New Zealand, Wei stresses that, despite this legislative win, discrimination within the queer community persists. They cite education and social media as essential tools in combating such discrimination.

As an activist, Wei writes about queer liberation and engages in community organizations like Queer Avengers. Keenly aware of the ongoing challenges facing queer individuals, Wei calls for further education and increased visibility to surmount present barriers of intolerance and discrimination.

To empower other young individuals struggling to come out, particularly those from similar cultural backgrounds, Wei shares a message of hope and acceptance, emphasizing the joy and freedom that come with being true to oneself.

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.

2010s, activism, aotearoa new zealand, beyond conference (2013), bigender, children, china, civil union act (2004), civil unions, coming out, community, discrimination, education, equality, facebook.com, family, femininity, friends, gay, gender binary, gender identity, homophobia, lesbian, marriage, marriage amendment act (2012), marriage equality, media, parents, politics, queer, racism, rule foundation, school, sexism, sexuality, shemale, social media, social networking, south (series), stereotypes, tabby besley, the queer avengers (wellington), transgender, uniq (otago), university, wellington, writing, youth

1970s, access, advertising, asian, belonging, binary, books, canterbury, career, change, chinese, church, clubs, conference, connect, culture, difference, dresses, economics, events, fun, gender, god, growing up, hope, identity, internet, journalism, journey, knowledge, korea, language, lgbt, liberation, love, mania, marriage equality, movies, other, parenting, passing, people, podcast, reading, respect, sex, sexual orientation, shame, social, straight, study, stuff, support, time, tough, trans, transphobia, trauma, trust, women