Queer politics
A new political action group is pushing for greater equality and better services for queer and transgender people as the 25th anniversary of the Homosexual Law Reform Bill was celebrated in the Capital this week.
The Queer Avengers was formed following the Queer the Night march held in Wellington on June 9. That march was in response to several recent street attacks in Wellington on queer and transgender people. Jason Frick, one of the group’s facilitators, says in the weeks following the march a core organising group has been meeting to plan several new campaigns, the first to be directed at the Ministry of Education.
“Secondary schools remain the most unsafe place to be queer in New Zealand,” Frick says.”The Ministry has a legal obligation to ensure all students are safe and we want to hold the Ministry to that obligation.”
Frick says the Ministry’s own youth report of 2007 found 39 percent of queer students seriously considered suicide while 20 percent made an attempt on their lives This was five times higher than the figures for heterosexual students. Queer students were also three times as likely to be bullied at school on a weekly basis.
“The best way to reduce homophobia in schools is to provide a safe environment for all students. We’re calling for every school to have a queer-straight alliance where queer students can meet together.”
Frick says the Queer Avengers were also hoping to work for improvements in services for older age queers, especially in terms of retirement homes, where no provisions are currently made for queer residents. Another area of work was improving accessibility to medical services for transgender people. With only one surgeon in the country performing sex reassignment surgery access was limited with many having to travel overseas for operations.
Frick says the Queer Avengers were open to take on other issues and was involved in the recent case of a St Patrick’s College student not allowed to take a male partner to the school ball.
“We’re flexible enough to take on challenges as they come,” Frick says.
(We use ‘queer’ on purpose as being more inclusive than ‘gay’ – Editor).
The Queer Avengers was formed following the Queer the Night march held in Wellington on June 9. That march was in response to several recent street attacks in Wellington on queer and transgender people. Jason Frick, one of the group’s facilitators, says in the weeks following the march a core organising group has been meeting to plan several new campaigns, the first to be directed at the Ministry of Education.
“Secondary schools remain the most unsafe place to be queer in New Zealand,” Frick says.”The Ministry has a legal obligation to ensure all students are safe and we want to hold the Ministry to that obligation.”
Frick says the Ministry’s own youth report of 2007 found 39 percent of queer students seriously considered suicide while 20 percent made an attempt on their lives This was five times higher than the figures for heterosexual students. Queer students were also three times as likely to be bullied at school on a weekly basis.
“The best way to reduce homophobia in schools is to provide a safe environment for all students. We’re calling for every school to have a queer-straight alliance where queer students can meet together.”
Frick says the Queer Avengers were also hoping to work for improvements in services for older age queers, especially in terms of retirement homes, where no provisions are currently made for queer residents. Another area of work was improving accessibility to medical services for transgender people. With only one surgeon in the country performing sex reassignment surgery access was limited with many having to travel overseas for operations.
Frick says the Queer Avengers were open to take on other issues and was involved in the recent case of a St Patrick’s College student not allowed to take a male partner to the school ball.
“We’re flexible enough to take on challenges as they come,” Frick says.
(We use ‘queer’ on purpose as being more inclusive than ‘gay’ – Editor).
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