Category: Opinion

Sep 15
Coming Out: Patience Can Pave A Path To Acceptance

Telling your family you are transgender can be one of the most defining conversations of your life. The reality for many is they may not understand and accept you straight away and that rejection can feel overwhelming. Judy Virago shares her coming out experience and notes that time and compassion can heal many wounds. When […]

Sep 14
Opinion: Gay Sex on TV

Michael Stevens has been watching more gay sex recently, and it didn’t involve an ‘Incognito’ tab or a visit to Pornhub. Mainstream TV shows are depicting gay sex in all its messy glory and while he couldn’t be happier about it, Michael Stevens does have a few tips! Buggery. Sodomy. Uphill Gardening. And there are […]

Sep 13
Gay Dating: What Adam & Steve Taught Us About Temptation

Monogamy, snakes, fruits and faith. Dick Richards examines the ‘old book’s story of the world’s first gay couple and asks if your relationship rules need a New Testament? Some say rules are made to be broken, but when it comes to rules in a relationship, what are we really breaking when we push the boundaries […]

Aug 13
Gay Dating: Sending Nude Selfies

We’ve all taken a nude selfie that captured just the right angle and during a flirty online chat shared it with others, but should we? Dick Richards asks what we are really giving away. The internet is a digital ocean – and we are dripping. Every day we dunk ourselves in it, we drink from […]

Aug 13
Opinion: Michael Stevens “Activism Without Allies Is Ineffective”

Michael Stevens is putting a ring on it, and this unexpected twist in his life story has him reflecting on activism, legality and love. Can you hear the bells? Shopping for wedding rings – this is not something I ever imagined doing when I was a young gay man. But it’s what my fiancé and […]

Aug 11
Who Is Allowed To Call Themselves Trans?

Did you know there is an unwritten rulebook that defines who can identify as trans? Judy Virago didn’t realise until she started transitioning and discovered a minefield of damaging expectations waiting for her. Here she shares the truth: only you should get to define your identity. When I made the decision to live my life […]

Jun 24
Opinion: How Kita Mean’s Coronation United Our Community

For several years we as a community (especially in Auckland) have been divided, both politically and ideologically. But for the past few months, Drag Race Down Under brought us back together, writes Steven Oates. On Saturday night, Kita Mean was crowned the winner of the first season of Rupaul’s Drag Race Down Under. You may […]

Jun 22
Laurel Hubbard: Olympic Bravery By A Trailblazing Athlete

Judy Virago shares her own experience of being a trans person in sports and fitness spaces, and believes after 15 years of trans athletes being eligible for the Olympics it is time one wore the silver fern and showed the world that ‘they are us.’ The mood was mighty cold for a hot yoga locker […]