Wai Ho - Tranzform

This podcast episode features an interview with Wai Ho, a co-founder of Tranzform, a Wellington-based youth support group established in 2008. The discussion examines the group's origins and reflects upon its development over the early 21st century, spanning the 2000s to the 2010s.

Ho recounts having difficulty recalling the exact year of getting involved with Tranzform, even after attempting to research it. However, through conversations with individuals such as Brooklyn Michelle, a two-spirit Native American from the United States, and considering the age of a member named Bella at the time, they speculate that the involvement might have begun roughly a decade prior to the recording, which could point to the year 2009.

The interview delves into Ho's earlier roles, including working with the Wellington Gay Welfare Group, facilitating School's Out—an initiative for queer youth—and the distinction between Tranzform and other queer youth groups. Tranzform was envisioned as a more focused support group specifically catering to transgender youth, recognizing the unique challenges and needs within the transgender community. While School's Out was more social in nature, Tranzform aimed to create a forum where serious issues faced by transgender individuals could be addressed more intimately.

When discussing the early days of Tranzform, Ho notes the group’s varying attendance, fluctuating from a handful to around twenty participants per session. The Tranzform meetings included icebreakers and discussions on various topics, occasionally bringing in guest speakers. The initial outreach to grow the group involved posting flyers and engaging with school counsellors and youth services in Wellington. Brooklyn Michelle contributed more to the social media effort for Tranzform’s visibility.

Ho also reflects on their personal journey and how facilitating Tranzform was concurrently a support mechanism for them during a time when they were coming to terms with their gender identity, eventually transitioning the following year after founding the group.

The interview touches on the broader context of transgender visibility and social change, with Ho expressing a hope for the day when support groups like Tranzform are no longer necessary due to society offering adequate support and acceptance within schools, communities, and families. Ho comments on the shifting dynamics for transgender youth over the past decade, noting progress in education and government actions taken at various levels, yet acknowledging that outcomes can vary on an individual basis.

The narrative closes by pondering the implications of increased visibility, including recognizing that while it can have positive effects, it also may lead to increased scrutiny, vulnerability, and unsafe conditions. Ho stresses the importance of discussing visibility in conjunction with social change to ensure that it leads to positive outcomes in the lives of transgender people.

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.

Wai Ho

2000s, 2010s, aotearoa new zealand, bella simpson, brendan goudswaard, coming out, counselling, evolve wellington youth service, family, gay line wellington, gender-affirming surgery, genderqueer, google.com, guidance, homophobia, icebreakers, insideout kōaro, kaha youth hui (2007), kaha youth hui (2009), kazam youth hui (2011), peer support, posters, safety, school, school's out (wellington), shift hui, shyness, social change, social media, support, surgery, tabby besley, trans, trans visibility, transgender, transphobia, tranzform (wellington), two-spirit, vibe (lower and upper hutt), visibility, wai ho, wellington, wellington gay switchboard, wellington gay welfare group, wellington high school, will hansen, youth, youth group, youth work

access, activities, agenda, bigotry, bisexual, butch, change, community, conversation, culture, difference, education, email, events, forum, fun, funding, gay, gender, government, hate, health, hope, internet, knowledge, lesbian, lgbt, love, media, mtv, other, parents, people, perception, prejudice, queen, queer, questioning, quiz, resource, running, school counselor, sexual orientation, sexuality, social, soul, space, stress, structure, stuff, teacher, time, touch, training, trans woman, transition, transport, violence, work, youth one stop shops