With both the Rainbow Pride Parade and the Pride March imminent, Sam Brooks looks back on the schism that led to the end of the Auckland Pride Parade. What’s the difference between the Rainbow Pride Parade and the Pride March? Glance at photos from the two events side by side and you might think you’re … Read more
Endless misconceptions exist about people who identify as ‘ace’, and filmmaker Julie Zhu wants to clear some of them up in Frame documentary Ace of Hearts. “Bisexuality used to be ‘the invisible sexuality’, but now I feel like asexuality is. I see people in the LGBT community saying it’s not part of the LGBT spectrum.” … Read more
Feeling down about America divided? There were some less-publicised but very real wins for progressive politics too that show all is not lost in this shitty old year. If you’re feeling lost and heartbroken that 70 million-plus Americans voted for Donald Trump, that’s legit. And I won’t try to make you feel better. It’s terrible … Read more
After two unsuccessful petitions in 2019, Labour is finally promising to ban conversion therapy in the upcoming election. Sherry Zhang talks to Anna* about what conversion therapy was like and what a ban on its practise would mean. “It makes me want to cry. It makes me feel seen, like I’m not just making shit … Read more
Just because few parties have released LGBTQI+ policies doesn’t mean the rainbow community won’t hold them to account. A new policy tool highlights the rainbow policies that matter this year, and which parties support them. “For Queer people, politics is personal – we neither have the luxury nor privilege to keep our lives outside politics.” … Read more
The current pandemic will be a brand new experience for most, but others have been here before. Kevin Hague explains what we can learn from the LGBTQ+ community’s experience of the HIV/Aids outbreak from decades past. If there’s one group in our country who really knows about beating pandemics, it’s surely the gay community. Before … Read more
Sam Brooks reviews Auckland writer Lil O’Brien’s memoir Not That I’d Kiss A Girl, and finds it a valuable yet unclear story of the author’s struggle with her own acceptance. As queer people, we can be unnecessarily harsh on media that is about us, and by us. I think of the response to Looking, the … Read more
Tomorrow, Auckland writer Lil O’Brien releases one hell of a memoir: Not That I’d Kiss A Girl, the story of her coming out. People tell me that I can make anything gay. Sometimes they’re talking about physical things, like when I put on a plain white T-shirt then roll the sleeves over twice. But I … Read more
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
On its 20th anniversary, Sam Brooks looks back on The Sims, the safest space for an entire generation of gamers. Over the past two decades, The Sims has turned from a quirky life simulation experiment into one of those games that even non-gamers know about, and might even play from time to time. It’s a … Read more
The tail end of 2018 witnessed fiery debate over the future direction of Auckland Pride. A year later, Jade Winterburn reflects on the developments since then and what that means for the future of Pride. There has never been a moment where I was prouder to be queer than during this year’s OurMarch – a … Read more
Sascha* Stronach’s new book The Dawnhounds is about queer folk who refuse to ‘die pretty’. Here, he heralds a queer revolution in science fiction and fantasy. It’s an archetype we’re all familiar with: the tragic and noble LGBTQIA character who shows up to support the hero, and then dies beautifully while the straight folks run … 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
Rizzoli & Isles was gayer than you thought it was – or at least, it should’ve been. Sam Rutledge reflects on the frustrating experience of being a queer fan of the ridiculously named cop procedural. They say it’s harder to write about something you love than something you hate, so it’s a good thing I … Read more
The fourth season of Queer Eye drops today on Netflix. Sam Brooks reflects on his difficult relationship with the show, and where it sits in mainstream culture. For depressingly many people, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy was an introduction not just to gay culture, but to real-life gay men. A makeover show featuring five gay men … 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
Cricketer James Faulkner ‘came out’ on social media this week, except it all turned out to be a joke. Jack Cottrel responds. It must have been a surreal experience. One dumb in-joke and the next morning, you’ve come out as gay. Or not. Australian cricketer James Faulkner yesterday trotted out what, in context, is some … Read more
There’s a dearth of queer work in Aotearoa, and very little of it is supported by our mainstages. Homos, or Everyone in America is a gleaming light in the darkness. Sam Brooks responds to the play, and talks to the director about its urgency. (For the purposes of this piece, the label ‘queer’ stands in for LGBTQI+ … Read more