Category: News
Pope Francis faced renewed pressure on Saturday to reconsider the Catholic Church’s prohibition on gender-affirming care for transgender individuals during a private discussion with LGBTQ+ activists at the Vatican. The 80-minute meeting took place at the pope’s residence and involved a variety of participants, including a Catholic nun who works with LGBTQ communities, a transgender […]
Sunday Star Times’ Chief News Editor Craig Hoyle takes us through his incredible journey of being excommunicated from his family and friends in the Exclusive Brethren church to rebuilding his life, free to live openly as a gay man. What was it like to grow up in the Exclusive Brethren? Growing up in the Exclusive […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]