GMA National Coordinator talks feminism, the Green party magazine, and anti-trans activism with 95bFM [listen here, 5 mins].
Main points transcribed, or summarised by the speaker:
1. ”it’s not Green policy that’s anti trans, it was one member out of thousands whose writing was unfortunately published without being snapped as anti trans. It’s important not to throw the baby out with the bathwater.
2. ”throughout history, lots of different groups of women have been treated as though they are a threat – we shouldn’t include them, we shouldn’t give them rights, whether that’s been racial… or disabled women… lots of minority women have been excluded from human rights, and really harmed as a direct result. Far from accidental, anti-trans activists are spreading a targeted campaign of misinformation against trans women, which has really harmful effects on the lives of all trans people.
3. ”Quite often, anti-trans activists try to talk about ”biological sex” as though it has more scientific truth to it than gender has. But that’s sort of the opposite of what feminism says, which is that if sex [or gender] is a class, that’s about the way you’re treated, its about the way society perceives you. So when feminists says ”gender is a construct” or it’s socially constructed, they’re saying it’s something that’s created, based on how people perceive your gender and they therefore treat you – like a traffic light, it’s not a fake traffic light, they’re not pretend and make-believe, they’re constructed by humans, they have specific constructed meanings attached to a red light or a green light. [The constructed meanings are very real]. So when people see you as a trans woman, they’re not likely to treat you better than they would treat you if they just saw you as a woman and didn’t know you were trans. But they are likely to treat you with misogyny, if that is how they treat women. There is no scientific fact to sex that is different to or beyond the science of how gender works.
Note; the research quoted at the beginning of the interview doesn’t cover trans statistics as victims or survivors of sexual violence, but NZ research In Our Own Words shows that trans women experience sexual violence at a rate of 1 in every 2.
The national free binder program was launched on March 31st (2019), and In the first 24 hours we had over 120 requests – a whole years binder budget. The seamstress we work with was hard at work, having purchased all the double reinforced power mesh which was available through her supplier. This had mostly gone toward making all the prototypes for binders, and our first 20 free binders (10 each month for April and May).
When the fabric ran out, the supplier thought they could re-stock, so we continued accepting new binder requests and orders for paid binders, with the understanding that we would need to apply for funding to clear the initial 120 rush on free binders, but paid binder purchases could be filled as they came in, and we would continue to give away 10 free each month.
However, after some time, we discovered that the fabric supplier was unable to re-stock, so the seamstress, as well as GMA and other trans advocates, went to work looking for new fabric suppliers.
As we are not a commercial operation, and we run on very little money, we don’t have big buying power, and we’re limited to fabric which is available in NZ at a reasonable price, so this put a halt on the creation of binders until a new supplier could be found.
Then one day in late June, the seamstress found a new fabric supply. She immediately set to work on the new design 2.0 – it runs slightly larger and is more like the GC2B binder than the Underworks one. It’s also ok to put on overhead.
We have had fantastic feedback about these binders – even better than the first ones! There is now a wider selection of sizes as well, currently up to around an 18EE or XXXL.
In addition to the 10 free binders each month, almost all of the paid binders have been sent out in the order they were received, except a few which we ran out of the correct size for. Those last few should be sent in the next few weeks – as soon as the seamstress has time to make them (bear in mind she’s not a big commercial factory either).
We have stopped taking orders for paid binders, as chasing down payments was too much admin for our small crew, and paying increases the expectation of a fast service akin to a shop. You can still buy a binder from the seamstress, but it won’t be through GMA. As for free binder requests, these have continued to come in, at a rate much closer to 10 per month as expected.
So what about the backlog? We have plans to clear the entire waiting list, which we hope will be possible in August if our funding application and fund raisers come through, so fingers crossed! We welcome any help fund raising for binders – if you or your friends want to play a gig, have a sausage sizzle or cake stall, put on a drag show, or sell some hand crafts and donate the proceeds, your contributions make a big difference! Every $30 pays for another binder.
The binder programme is run by a small team of GMA volunteers, who all work hard for free. If you would like to ask a question or make a complaint, please do not contact the seamstress or individual volunteers directly, as their role does not involve handling feedback from 150+ people. Please direct all correspondence to genderminorities@gmail.com or for urgent matters call the National Coordinator on 020 404 92568
Come meet some awesome folks, share food, have a yarn, and watch a film together! Or if you’re feeling shy, just come at 6pm for the film! This will be our first event at our new gender centre in Newtown, so come check it out!
*Tatataapui * Trans * Intersex * Queer * Rainbow * Plus friends and whaanau*
Ka aha te raa (date): Sat July 13th
Ka aha te waa (time): 4pm – 8pm
Kei reira (location): The Gender Centre, 130 Riddiford Street, Newtown, Wellington. It’s upstairs from our fund raising store Aunty Dana’s Op Shop, so come through the shop and follow the signs or ask at the counter.
Homai (bring along): he kai to share, or just bring yourself, or friends, or whaanau
Waea mai (contact us on): genderminorities@gmail.com
Raw sugar is a FREE event, a SOBER event, and has GENDER NEUTRAL BATHROOMS. It is NOT MOBILITY ACCESSIBLE this month at our new venue – but it will be accessible before our August event.
We have some very exciting news – our op shop is moving from 128 Abel Smith street to 130 Riddiford Street in Newtown!!
This weekend we will have a working bee at the new shop, which will be mostly painting and cleaning. Please join us from 11am, we will buy everyone chips at about 1pm, and wrap up around 4pm.
We would LOVE your help! Please wear old clothes which can get paint on them, bring a drink bottle as there is no kitchen, and step ladders or paint brushes would be super welcome if you have any laying around! See you there!!
The new venue has 2 steps, with hand rails, gender neutral bathrooms – one with hand rails and 2 without, the lighting is non-fluroescent LED, and we’re not using any sprays though there will be paint fumes we will keep the door open to minimise these.
