Category: Opinion

Rainbow Counsellor Elijah Michel is here to help you. Today he tackles questions about same-sex couples holding hands in public and transphobia within the queer community. Dear Eli, I have recently started dating a guy. It’s going well but while I am used to being affectionate behind closed doors, he likes to hold my hand […]

Ramon Te Wake looks at the Black Lives Matter movement through a trans-Māori lense and questions which way we are heading when we keep returning to the same place. The roar of injustice is so loud right now it’s impossible to be still and silent or ignorant. But remember, this roar isn’t new. As a […]

Immigration expert, Malcolm Pacific’s David Cooper says the new normal has changed the game for long-distance relationships.   If during lockdown you were spending more time on Grindr and Tinder connecting with potential partners overseas, getting them to New Zealand has become a whole lot harder since the border closed. COVID-19 led to tough measures […]

Rainbow Counsellor Elijah Michel is here to help you. Today Eli examines jumping into a relationship head first and trying to stay focused while working from home. I have been bitten by the love bug but am about getting swept up in my new romance too quickly. I am in my forties and met the […]

Blaise Clotworthy discusses his experiences around mental health and sexuality, and why he is taking part in the NZAF’s ‘Sweat With Pride’.   One in five Rainbow youth in Aotearoa have attempted suicide. I was one of them, and I’d like to share my story with you. I realised I was gay when I was 12 […]

New Zealand must be honest about its racist attitudes in order to heal wounds, says Taranaki-based American author and activist Sonya Renee Taylor. “Aotearoa is not a utopia of racial harmony. All places that are active in colonisation are active in white supremacy,” says Taylor, who has been living in New Zealand since 2017 on […]

As the writer who brought magic to his childhood once again degrades our transgender community, Ted Greensmith examines her hurtful words and is reminded of one of her most poignant lines: “It is our choices … that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” For any fan who is deeply immersed in […]

Auckland Playwright ‘Dick Richards’ examines how growing up gay affects his dating life and being open to love.   Last year I met a guy on Tinder and I fell ass overhead. Or is it head over ass? Either way, my ass was up for him, and I was in love. He ticked all my […]