A queer retelling of Edmond Rostand’s Cyrano de Bergerac, Netflix’s The Half of It highlights the messy reality of love at a time when we might need it most. An ex-boyfriend used to tell me that the Ancient Greeks had eight different ways of saying “love”. Eight different expressions to pinpoint one’s affections, longing, and … Read more
It breaks my heart to think of young queer and trans people seeing this sign, and thinking there are no spaces where they will ever belong, writes Hadassah Grace. The first time I ventured into a gay bar, I vowed never to go back. It was a vulnerable time in my life. My early twenties … Read more
Extremist Baptist pastor Steven Anderson has just been blocked from entering New Zealand, making us the 34th country to reject his hate speech-filled sermons. American pastor Steven Anderson of the Faithful Word Baptist Church has been denied entry to New Zealand on character grounds, putting a stop to his plans to preach sermons in Christchurch … Read more
Judgement prevents understanding, which in itself is a barrier to preventing unsafe behaviour. Are different approaches to harm reduction in the Rainbow community needed? Sex. Drugs. Carly Rae Jepsen. This is the iconography that tends to be massaged into mainstream conceptions of gay culture. Depictions in TV/film see us railing lines of MDMA and sniffing … Read more
Season 11 of RuPaul’s Drag Race comes to an end tonight, leaving a void in the souls of its massive fandom. But don’t put away your merch money yet – there are plenty of local acts waiting to steal your heart. In the immortal words of Jasmine Masters, RuPaul has fucked up drag. With the … Read more
Will & Grace ran for eight seasons at the turn of the century and now it’s been revived for a ninth. Sam Brooks explains why the beloved sitcom remains relevant today. When I heard that Will & Grace was coming back a few years ago, I immediately felt myself tense up. It was nothing to do with … Read more
The Rainbow Arcade is an exhibition of LGBTQI* representation is video games currently taking place at the Schwules Museum in Berlin. New Zealander in Berlin Joel Thomas went along. There’s a perpetual greyness to the Berlin winter; everything’s desaturated and everyone’s a bit on edge. I’m walking through the rain in Berlin’s famously queer district … Read more
We could have chosen some text from the new biography of the phenomenal Mika but yeah nah let the pictures do the talking. Jermaine Leef, Mika and Parai Parai in ‘Ahi Wai’ Kapai Kabaret photo shoot by Arjan Hoeflak, 1995. Mika in front of the sign at GayBiGayBi, SXSW, Austin, 2015, having just arrived on … Read more
As part of RNZ’s sexuality podcast, Bang!, Melody Thomas looks at Māori sexuality and gender expression prior to colonisation. Despite spending more than a year learning about sex, sexuality and relationships in Aotearoa – until recently, I knew very little about pre-colonial Māori perspectives on these things. I’d have more easily defined the indigenous North … Read more
Aotearoa must follow the lead of Britain and legally prohibit this pernicious practice, writes Toni Duder of RainbowYouth “Do you have anyone we could talk to who has gone through conversion therapy at RainbowYouth?” As the Communications Manager at RainbowYouth, part of my job is to make sure that we have people from queer, intersex … Read more
A Warkworth baker who spurned a lesbian couple’s wedding cake request has highlighted the simmering tension in some parts of society between gay rights and religious freedom. But for Aaron Hendry, the question is simple. After going all the way to the US Supreme Court, it was only a matter of time before the Cake … Read more
The Bingham Cup, known as the ‘gay rugby World Cup’, took place in Amsterdam earlier this month. Aucklander Jack Cottrell was there as a referee – until a devastating injury reminded him that rugby can be as cruel as it is beautiful. On an unseasonably hot afternoon in Amsterdam, the Southern Barbarians are practicing for … Read more
The Australian rugby star has triggered controversy by saying on social media gay people are headed to ‘HELL … Unless they repent of their sins and turn to God’. Such misuse of Bible scripture is the biggest impediment to Pasifika Rainbow people being able to live our lives without fear, backlash and hatred, writes Tuiloma … Read more
News that Pharmac is to fund the HIV drug Truvada for an estimated 4000 at-risk New Zealanders has been widely welcomed by the LGBTQi community. But with the plan set to cost the taxpayer millions in subsidies, there’s got to be a better way, argues Act’s Stephen Berry. As a gay man, HIV Aids has … Read more
Sam Rutledge is a die hard McLeod’s Daughters fan. Here she posits her (entirely canon and correct) theory that all the characters in the show are, in fact, gay. If you somehow managed to miss every single episode of McLeod’s Daughters when it aired, because you didn’t have a television or you had better taste than me, … Read more
Trans academic Lexie Matheson on her community’s complex relationship with the police. It seems cop cars seem have always played a part in my life, and, since my coming out, even more so. As a young, middle class, white male professional, I seemed to be treated quite well – even though I was a criminal. … Read more
Opinion: New Zealand’s LGBTIQ community deserves more than rainbow cars and empty gestures, write Aaliyah Zionov and Emilie Rākete. Last week, the New Zealand Police unveiled the latest in a long series of publicity stunts aimed at courting the LGBTIQ community. To prepare us for their fourth year in a row marching in the Pride … Read more
For decades romance was full of complications for Lexie Matheson. But one Valentine’s Day she learned that to love herself required accepting who she was. It’s hard to separate the idea of Valentine’s Day from martyrdom in one form or another because martyrdom is locked into the history of the day and the people after which … Read more
A Pride Week campaign by telecoms company Spark brought out the worst in some internet commentators. Spark social media manager Frith Wilson-Hughes explains why she decided to respond. I spent much of last weekend battling folks on the internet. To be honest, it’s not how I generally like to spend my weekends, but this was … Read more
Welcome to the Cheat Sheet, a clickable, shareable, bite-sized FAQ on the news of the moment. Today, Don Rowe on claims that ratepayers are funding a sex party at the Pride Festival. What’s all this then? The Auckland Ratepayers Alliance is well and truly pissed off because, it says, ratepayer money will fund next week’s … Read more
Comics artist and queer trans man Sam Orchard on Stats NZ’s decision not to include questions about sexuality or gender identity in this year’s census. Read more: Being measured means that you’re there: Comedian Eli Matthewson on the LGBTI+ community and the census This section is made possible by Simplicity, the online nonprofit KiwiSaver plan that … Read more
While Australia eventually did the right thing, it took months of public attacks on the LGBTQI+ community to get there. Kiwi export Courtney Mayhew reflects on having her sexuality turned into a public political football. Every year, 7th November is special day. It is the day of my birthday and the birthday of our Lorde. … Read more
A deep dive into the data on Australia’s public vote on same-sex marriage reveal some surprising details, write Australian public policy researchers Danielle Wood and Carmela Chivers. Australians have overwhelmingly voted “yes” for same-sex marriage. This means politicians will have to give up relying on the myth that a cultural backlash against the progressive agenda … Read more
“These photos say, ‘I am who I am. I’m here. I’m part of your world and I’m going to stay.’” Photographer Fiona Clark looks back at her time documenting trans and queer people on Auckland’s K Road. When I was 14, I knew I was different. I didn’t fit the norm at Inglewood High School. … Read more
We’re back for month three of Congratulations, She’s a Boy, a monthly column following Felix Desmarais’ female-to-male (FTM) transition. I’m sorry I’m late, dear readers. I’m just continuing a long tradition of being a disappointing white man. Calm down, #notallmen. Eye roll emoji. Seriously though, September was a busy month so apologies to my niche … Read more
Last week LGBTIQ organisation Rainbow Youth released their first ever TV spot to combat homophobia. Sam Brooks does a close read of the ad, what it means, and where the conversation goes next. “If it’s not gay, it’s not gay.” Rainbow Youth’s viral ad has a simple concept and a simple message. We’re in some … Read more
On Friday the Māori Party issued a press release that criticised Labour for legalising same sex marriage. An aghast Laura O’Connell Rapira responds. It’s never easy being takatāpui. Within the queer community, we can be subjected to exclusion and discrimination based on our culture and heritage. In the Māori community (and indeed in society as … Read more
Possum Plows, singer of Auckland pop-punk band Openside, opens up about their journey to coming out as nonbinary and the impact it has had on their band and fans. Becoming more public about being nonbinary is something I’ve thought about a lot in terms of how it relates to my music career and whether or … Read more
Following a poll of readers, the tireless team behind the Spinoff Policy tool have added a bunch of extra categories. Close to 100,000 people have in the last few weeks visited our interactive tool Policy to compare key policies from all major political parties for election 2017. But are the team behind the thing, led by Asher … Read more