Category: News

Oct 11
Celebrate 25 Years Of The Rainbow New Zealand Charitable Trust

To celebrate a quarter of a century as Aotearoa’s preeminent rainbow funder, the Trust will take over St Matthew-in-the-City for a night of feasting, entertainment and fundraising on Friday 15 November!  “We feel it’s really important to acknowledge the incredible mahi done by a number of amazing people over the past twenty-five years. Without their […]

Oct 11
Mpox And The Return of Homophobic Stigma?

Recent media coverage of a New Zealand Mpox outbreak reminds Michael Stevens of the stigma faced by HIV+ communities. This year’s Winter Pride saw an outbreak of Mpox (formerly known as Monkey Pox). There was a definite whiff of hysteria in how it was reported. And a number of gay men, especially older ones, feared […]

Oct 11
“A Threat to All”: Draconian Anti-LGBTQ+ Law Passes Third Hearing In Georgian Parliament

The Georgian Parliament has pushed through a deeply controversial anti-LGBTQ+ legislative package, drawing widespread condemnation both domestically and internationally. In its third hearing, the bill passed with 84 votes in favour and none against, a stark outcome reflecting the absence of opposition MPs, who boycotted the session in protest. The legislative package, which includes a […]

Oct 11
Rainbow Labour: Pride In The Provinces

Labour List MP Glen Bennett describes his love of living in provincial New Zealand, despite the additional challenges it can create for rainbow Kiwis. Living in Taranaki, I get to experience the beauty and simplicity of provincial life every day. There’s something special about being surrounded by nature, with big open skies and the brightest […]

Oct 11
More New Zealand Queer History

Historian Gareth Watkins highlights October dates as significant for our queer communities. 6 October 1874 This year marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of poet and social worker Ursula Bethell. While she was born in England, Bethell’s parents had previously lived in New Zealand, and by the early 1880s, the family had returned here […]

Oct 11
Auckland’s Lateshift Celebrates 35 Years In Business

Lateshift owner/operator Craig Oakley chats to YOUR ex about managing his business through changing times and 35 years of providing a successful community service. Tell us a bit about your background before you became involved in Lateshift. After graduating from Victoria University, I moved to Auckland in 1985. I ran the suit department with Harry […]

Oct 10
Massey University Takes Supreme Honour at 2024 Rainbow Excellence Awards

The 2024 New Zealand Rainbow Excellence Awards celebrated a competitive array of the country’s top organisations committed to promoting rainbow diversity and inclusion. Held on 3 October in Auckland, the 6th annual awards ceremony saw Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa, Massey University, clinch the prestigious Partners Life Supreme Award and the Simpson Grierson Impact Award. Booking.com […]

Oct 10
Cardinals Attend LGBTQ Catholic Event at Synod in Rome

A group of Cardinals in Rome attending the Synod on Synodality have also participated in an event to hear testimonials from “LGBTQ Catholics.” The event, hosted by Fr. James Martin S.J. and his Outreach group, was titled “What is the experience of LGBTQ Catholics?” It gave same-sex married Catholics a platform to share their life […]