Category: Opinion
Former NZAF Chair Michael Stevens asks why the organisation that used to be at the centre of our community has now sidelined itself to an online presence that has failed to effectively market PrEP. As World AIDS Day approached, I couldn’t help but wonder… Why haven’t I noticed much from the NZ AIDS Foundation lately? […]
Dick Richards theorises how the values we put on looks, wealth and other attributes, affect our power dynamics when dating and hooking up. When it comes to assigning roles, no one knows more about that than us gays. We’ve got our bottoms, our tops, our twinks, our daddies, our bears… you get the idea. If […]
As LGBT+ specific retirement communities open in London and New York, Michael Stevens says New Zealand needs the same and implores our rainbow MPs, activists and Pride groups to help make this happen. We rightly spend a lot of time and energy worrying about our queer youth, but we need to think about our rainbow […]
Dating these days is a challenge for people regardless of gender or sexuality, but dating while trans comes with a specific challenge – disclosure. Judy Virago discusses, at what point do you tell someone you’re trans? When does anatomy become relevant to a conversation? Do you need to disclose if you don’t want to have […]
Ahead of their talk at the NZ Young Writer’s Festival (28 – 31 October, Dunedin) Hana Pera Aoake (they/them) discusses gender from a Māori perspective. As Maaori we oscillate constantly between worlds: matauranga Maaori and matauranga Paakehaa. I was once told that it’s not a burden but a gift: a way of being able to […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]