Feminism and women’s rights

In November 2016, New Zealand’s prison population ticked over ten thousand. So in February, abolitionist organisation No Pride in Prisons lead a “10,000 Too Many” march, calling for decarceration and challenging government plans to expand New Zealand’s prison system. NPIP and its supporters say that instead of building more prisons when they are ineffective, inhumane …

Decolonisation, not manarchy: we need to abolish porn to abolish prisons Read More »

There’s a new catchcry in town. It’s been flying around New Zealand media like a ball in a pinball machine since February 20, when Family First launched a campaign called Ask Me First. The campaign amplifies the voice of Laura, an 18 year-old student who has challenged policy changes at a New Zealand all girls’ …

How do you know if you're "transphobic", and what is to be done about it? Read More »

For Kate. Image by Untameable Shrews (@untamableshrews). New Zealand leftist news site The Spinoff recently published a “now what?” article for feminists, following the Women’s March. The piece recommends organisations to support, and tells readers that the “New Zealand Prostitutes’ Collective advocates for the rights, health and well-being of all sex workers. Remember to include …

Why the New Zealand Prostitutes’ Collective cannot be trusted Read More »

This is post is written by Emily Scott, whose name has been changed for privacy.   Recently, I was referred to see a psychologist. I had been sexually abused from the age of nine – a total of twenty-one years, and I had just begun a new relationship. My new boyfriend was (and still is) …

Guest Post: Why do PTSD diagnostics favour soldiers over survivors of sexual abuse? Read More »

On 20 February, conservative lobby group Family First New Zealand launched a campaign called Ask Me First, in response to the “growing trend in both New Zealand schools and public places to allow men to enter women’s spaces — female toilets, showers, changing rooms, camp bunk rooms, and sports teams.” A key campaign video amplifies …

#AskMeFirst: The left's shameful response to Laura will push more women to the right Read More »

In 2003, the Prostitution Reform Act (PRA) was passed, introducing a policy of full decriminalisation of the sex trade to New Zealand. Under this model, women in prostitution are no longer criminalised, like they were previously; but neither are pimps or johns. The PRA decriminalised women by legitimising prostitution, accepting it as business, or “a …

Guest post: Why don't more women in New Zealand’s sex trade advocate to criminalise pimps? Read More »

This is a guest post by Kate, whose real name is changed for safety reasons. Image by the Untameable Shrews (@untamableshrews). As a woman engaged in feminist discussion, having spent 15 years in the sex trade – I am getting angry with being told that “misgendering” is violence, whilst being silenced and banned for stating …

Guest Post: Liberals need to check their views on "violence" Read More »

it is not so much the cause of feminism to provide a shinning walk way for a female leader, so much as it is to arrive at a governance that takes issues that affect women seriously. – Rae Story Over the last few weeks, anti-feminist backlash has been more than evident in mainstream media, even …

The wall we pay for: sex-positive "feminism" and the Pimp State Read More »

This article can be read in Spanish here. In a February 11 Radio New Zealand (RNZ) interview, Wallace Chapman called the gender pay gap “the issue that never seems to go away”. He pointed out that on average, women are paid $7 per hour less than men, and asked a very good question. Why? A new …

Treat Her Right: We won't close the pay gap if we don't discuss prostitution Read More »