Yea. I'm Chelsea Daniels and this is the Front Page, a daily podcast presented by the New Zealand Herald. It's Pride Month in New Zealand, with the LGBTQ plus community making the most of the summer sun to celebrate, but at the same time, it's a celebration that feels increasingly under threat. The return of the Trump administration has seen arise in laws attacking the trans community and limiting diversity,
equity and inclusion initiatives. In the US. It's even seen one US state look at trying to overturn gay marriage. And while the US may be thousands of k's away, our connected world means attitudes there can easily be imported here. We already saw that last year with the Rainbow Crossing vandalisms and the ongoing backlash against drag Queen's story Times Today on the front Page, Chair of the Auckland Pride Board, Ben Goodsir, is with us to discuss how Pride celebrations
are going in an uncertain landscape. Then Pride events are underway here in Auckland. How's the festival been so far?
The festival has been amazing. We kicked off last week with the opening of the festival, which is called Timatanga and was an incredible event at season Gallery, a great way to coep off the festival and since then it
has been at full steamer Heads. Pride Elevates started this week with Brady pat launching her show just called What Happened to Marianne at Q Theater last night, another amazing event, and that's alongside over one hundred and ninety plus events all across the city which are going on this month.
Do you wish Pride Month was every month?
I think we would having trade month and a month means that we can keep our focus and keep our
energy up for the whole month. But it is a big month and we couldn't do it without the incredible start at Orkan Pride, who are looking after all of the people running events and also all of our partners including Auckland Council who hosts more than Sidney events all across our community centers and libraries, and so having it in one month really gives us a chance to put that extra effort and have our really impact.
If we look overseas, I guess the return of Donald Trump to the White House has seen LGBTQ plus rights under assault and straight off the bat. Trump declared in his inauguration speech that there was only two genders.
As of today, it will henceforth be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders, male and female.
And then he signed an executive order on it. Last week, he signed another executive action banning trans women from taking part in women's sports. And on top of that, DEI initiatives in the US have been scrapped across the government, with information about HIV treatment being removed from government websites as well. For example, when you see these things happening in the US, how do you feel.
This is really just tapping off a trend over the last few years of an increasingly vocal minority really pushing back against what has been important progress for recognizing the dignity and importance of rainbow communities. But with Donald Trump, what we're seeing is, I guess a small group of billionaires, including Elon Musk and Make Zuckerberg, who are really pushing
these agendas right to the front. Yeah. I think it should be concerning for everyone, especially when we have people like Mark Zuckerberg saying that workplace has become too feminine, so it becomes really hard to understand how we can find in place within that for respectful understanding, which I think is what everyone is really looking for.
Yeah, a lot of prominent companies have ended their DEI initiatives or at least removed any reference to them from their official website since Trump took office. I'm looking at the likes of Google, Amazon, Meta, General Motors, Intel, PayPal, Pepsi, Golden Sacks, Deloitte, Disney, and the list goes on. Are you disappointed that so many private companies seem to have I guess caved.
I don't think that we can really look to companies to be leading the way on these issues. And in terms of queer ranks, the way it has always been led by the community and by coming together as gay and lesbian and by and transgender people to push for the recognition of our human rights and our dignity. And I think that's what needs to be the focus. We can't rely on companies, as we have seen recently, to
be leading the charge on this. And while it's disappointing and it's certainly a canary in the coal mine, our focus really needs to be on coming together as community to support each other.
Yeah, is there that element that pride or gay rights and the way companies and corporations interact with the rainbow community, is there a sense that it's seen as trendy, like something that can come in and out of fashion, rather than community based.
Well, that's what recent developments have suggested that I think certainly it all compride. That's why our focus has been building community and building really strong community. And we do have amazing companies that we work with, and we work with those companies who are really keen to invest in developing and supporting grassroots organizing and the amazing works that
are put on throughout the whole festival. But I think that there has been a real shift and showing that a lot of the work that companies, as you say, we're doing a few years ago was just to try and capture a trend and be on top of it. And so over the long term, it is the community and the attitude shifts that we need to build and that's coming together.
Okay, roads famous Rainbow crossing has been painted over with white paint overnight or Concentral MP and Green's co leader Chloe Swallbrick says she's been in touch with the relevant authorities to have the crossing fixed immediately. No one's yet taken responsibility for the vandalism here in Auckland, but Destiny Church leader Brian Tamaki issued a statement this morning saying the painters had clearly had enough and that this was just the beginning.
Some might argue that what happens in the US shouldn't be a concern or isn't a concern here, and we're a pretty socially liberal country, fairly agnostic without that same kind of Christian ideology that the Americans have. But we haveeing backlash towards the Rainbow community here, haven't we. Last year a Destiny Church member painted over the Rainbow crossing on Kaangahabe Road. But we've also seen protests at drag
queen readings in small towns. I guess are you concerned we could see more of this attitude take center stage over the next few years.
Yeah, I am concerned. The US is a really culturally dominant force in the world, and so people listen to what's happening there, and I think we can see in the United States the same groups who have campaigned in many cases successfully against access to abortion healthcare now using those same strategies to campaign against access to trans healthcare, and those strategies are starting to be adopted more and more in New Zealand, and especially seeing that our new
Health Minister Samine Brown was leading anti abortion groups when
he was at university. That makes me really concerned about the state of our healthcare in New Zealand and access for Rainbow communities to healthcare, not only in terms of the specific healthcare that is available, but also just in terms of people being able to trust that their doctors are that the health system are going to be looking out for them, because if people don't trust the system, that they're not going to go and get treatment, even for the day to day things that are really important.
So I think it is a concern and the influences really neat.
Looking at the UK as well, there's a Dolly part in musical touring the UK at the moment, and there's a gay lead character in the show. Apparently the musical keeps getting interrupted by people getting vocally angry in the audience over the fact that there's a gay storyline in a Dolly Heart and musical. Do you think people are getting more emboldened to be homophobic or transphobic in public now.
I think when the tone is set from the top, and that's what we're seeing both in the States and in New Zealand, that does embolden people to feel like they speak out against their communities. That that's not something that we should be sitting by and letting happen, because those types of activities make people feel uncomfortable just being
themselves in public, and that's not okay. We should have space for people to be seen with dignity and respect in public, and sort of tone that is being said is really powerful to people's experiences in the public sphere.
Do you want to see more from the government to promote LGBTQ plus equity.
I mean, this government right from the start has baked in a number of anti LGBT policies into their coalition agreement, and so it's really hard to see how they can
promote equity and stick to their agreement. But I think a good start would be just really recognizing the fundamentals that these things are human rights, transact to human rights, queer right to human rights, and they are protected in our human rights legislation, and so the government really has an obligation to show how they are upholding human rights and their actions. The Coalition agreement just can't unilaterally rewrite
what legislative protections for rainbow communities. It's really hard to see a hopeful way forward with the Coalition government while they have those their policies written into their agreement.
What are some of those policies.
Some of the policies include some of the same policies that we're seeing in the States, especially around the inclusion of trans people in sports, and especially in community sports, where it's really about people getting involved, being healthy, and being involved in their community, because we know that when people are surrounded by loving and supporting community and involved locally,
they do have better mental and physical power. But also policies around access for transgender healthcare and a range of other funding arrangements for local community groups. But even just more broadly, with public services being cut back, those other public services that people with more health care needs really need, and that has a disproportion of effect not just on rainbow communities, but on a wide range of colocal communities.
Our trends and non binary and gender minority found are disproportionately represented in mental ill health, addiction and suicide statistics current and MT. It's driven by rhetoric from the likes of your party, and I expect it's driven out for course now transgendering or transitioning well than ever before.
Take a sick.
There's actually a lot of lesbians in a lot of gays that are actually are you talking on.
Behalf of the women and the lisbos.
Now, what would your advice be to straight people, for example, what should they do if they see something that they think is a bit oft in public against the rainbow community.
I think it just is about making it clear that's not okay, and just looking out for one another. It's basic, it's basic respect, it's basic empathy or people and or their experiences. And I would hope that anyone being harassed in public, whether it's because they're part of the rainbow community or for any other reason, that New Zealanders do believe in doing what's right and looking out for one another. And I would hope that anyone straight gay would be there to stand up for their neighbors.
And finally, Ben, what would you say to perhaps parents listening to this who are worried for the well being of the queer youth in their lives and how can they cope over the next four years. I suppose what's your advice?
I mean a really pelful parents and the challenges that they face supporting young people going through these situations. I know for a lot of queer people, both young and who have grown up, what really makes the difference as having role models and having people out there that young people can see themselves in. And hopefully that's a part
of what pot comply the office as well. We have so many events and such a range of opportunities to show off the amazing, incredible work that people are doing their communities on the stage, in artworks all across the city, and hopefully that provides a really positive experience for young people and for all of our communities to get out there and in the most everything else that is happening, to see the joy and see the beauty and everything we do, and I think holding on to that is
really important. We can't survive with just dealing with the darkness all of the time. There needs to be some pope and there. I have seen so much hope and so much beauty so far on the festival, and I would really approach people to get out there and get a master.
So thanks for joining us, Ben.
Thanks Chelsea, have a great day.
That's it for this episode of the Front Page. You can read more about today's stories and extensive news coverage at enzadherld dot co dot nz. The Front Page is produced by Ethan Sills and Richard Martin, who is also our sound engineer. I'm Chelsea Daniels. Subscribe to the Front Page on iHeartRadio or wherever you get your podcasts, and tune in tomorrow for another look behind the headlines.