A Wellington women’s gym has received a sign-up request from an unexpected source. Dick Surprise, who identifies as a non-binary pansexual Wellingtonian, sports male genitalia but claims to be a “woman inside”. “I walk past this gym all the time,” Surprise told reporters. “And it really bugs me. Sure, men may control and dominate almost […]
Women's gym receives unwelcome visit from “Dick Surprise” Read More »
This is the text of my oral submission on the Births, Deaths, Marriages and Relationships Registration Bill. It was delivered to the select committee at parliament on April 11. In several sections, this Bill challenges understandings of sex that are a) based on biology, b) commonplace and c) form the basis of international mechanisms that
On May 3, I was called by a Radio New Zealand journalist to give an interview for Morning Report. The interview concerned my petition challenging a Givealittle campaign that asks supporters for funds to promote breast binding in colonised regions. After completing the interview and preparation, I was informed that this interview “appears to have
As the grand finale in the World War One centenary series, the 2018 Dawn Parade promised to be quite the spectacle – hundreds of Wellingtonians gathered early this morning at war memorial park for the service. Many of those gathered may have been surprised to see a young woman in handmaids’ attire at the back
Press release: Handmaid joins in WWI Dawn Parade Read More »
This press release was published on Scoop Media and later deleted by Joe Cederwall and Alastair Thompson. Apparently this anti-war protest, involving two bouncy balls, was “too combative” and should have been more “subtle”. I’m guessing that Thompson and Cederwall have not read much about World War One, the arms trade, the history of anti-war
Like many other Gen X New Zealanders, I grew up with a social conscience, but in a climate of political lethargy. So it was not until my mid twenties that I became an activist. Before then, I would volunteer or collect for charities on and off, whilst struggling to make sense of the world and
Why I left the left: New Zealand's activist scene is sexism saturated Read More »
1 March 2018 Submission on the Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Relationships Registration Bill To the Governance and Administration Select Committee, I am making this submission to the above committee as an individual. My submission is in response to the opening up of the Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Relationships Registration Act (BDMRRA) for amendments through a
Note: GNC is an abbreviation for gender non-conforming. On the evening of Saturday, February 17, Charlie Montague and I jumped the fence at Auckland Pride to lead the parade and conduct the first televised interview of the event. We – proudly – held a two metre banner reading STOP GIVING KIDS SEX HORMONES –
The people who wrote to support feminist action at Auckland Pride: Thank you. Read More »
This press release was sent to major New Zealand media outlets on February 17, and not published. This is a video of our action here. This evening, feminist activists Charlie Montague and Renée Gerlich dropped a banner at the front of the Auckland Pride Parade. The banner read: STOP GIVING KIDS SEX HORMONES –
Press release: Feminists Lead Auckland Pride Parade Read More »
As soon as I was old enough to understand, my mother warned me that I should be careful about what I was saying. “Remember, Yeonmi-ya,” she said gently, “even when you think you’re alone, the birds and mice can hear you whisper.” Yeonmi Park, In Order to Live “North Koreans,” writes Yeonmi Park, who
