PSA member David Do speaks at parliamentary select committee on marriage equality
An Asian New Zealander who found it easier to discuss his sexuality with MPs than his parents says legalising same-sex marriage would send a strong message of support to ethnic New Zealanders who felt trapped within traditional families.
David Do, who is New Zealand-born and of Chinese-Vietnamese descent, told a parliamentary select committee it was widely - and falsely - assumed that European New Zealanders supported gay marriage while Asian and Pacific communities opposed it. Read more over at
the Herald.
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The latest Out at PSA newsletter can be downloaded here.
Research project update
Out@PSA is collaborating with Victoria University on a research project looking at GLITTFaB workers’ experiences at work and how they’re changing. Here’s an
information sheet about the project. A paper discussing Initial findings from recently held focus groups was presented at the recent HR Institute of New Zealand’s research forum. Read the paper
here.
Also, findings from the focus groups were discussed at a workshop at the
Labour, Employment and Work conference hosted by Victoria University. The workshop - Out at work: Sexual orientation and Gender Minorities in the New Zealand Workplace included a panel discussion and time for questions /discussion with the audience.
The panel was Sean Rahui (MfaT HR), Sue Russ (NZ Defence Force HR), Eileen Brown (NZCTU policy), Jack Byrne (Human Rights Commission senior advisor), Kirsten Windelov (PSA policy) and was chaired by assoc prof Deborah Jones (Victoria University). The panel discussion was recorded and we’ll put the write up of the session here.
Out @ Work
To read the March edition of the Out@Work newsletter click here.
To read the November edition of the Out@Work newsletter click here..
Commonwealth for a common love?
Commonwealth Secretary General Kamalesh Sharma in affirming that NO nation should make it a crime to be who you are and love who you choose...read more over at All Out.
Legalise Love There are still many inequalities facing non-heterosexual people in New Zealand today. Particularly those of marriage and adoption rights. LegaliseLove aims to create greater awareness of the legislative inequalities facing non-heterosexual New Zealanders...read more.
Children better off with lesbian couples?
In a new study published in the online edition of the journal Pediatrics on June 7, researchers found children born to and raised by lesbian couples were better off socially, academically and more competent than their peers....read more.
A retirement home for gay people in Spain A short train ride from central Madrid is a scruffy plot of land covered in weeds and surrounded by wire fencing. In just a couple of months work is expected to start to transform the site into Spain's first ever retirement home for gay and lesbian residents...read more over at BBC News.
Gay games win Wellington's supreme community award
The organisers behind the Outgames, which was the second-biggest international sporting event in Wellington in 2011, are the Supreme Winner of the 2011 Wellington Airport Regional Community Awards.
The awards, presented at a ceremony hosted by Mayor Celia Wade-Brown in the Council Chamber, acknowledge the contribution of voluntary and non-profit organisations and their volunteers. They are sponsored by Wellington International Airport in partnership with The Community Trust of Wellington...read more over at Scoop.
Unions in NSW campaign for marriage equality Eleven unions in NSW, representing close to 300,000 workers, have formed a Unions for Marriage Equality campaign, which may soon be joined by unions in other states...read more at Star Online.
I'll be there for you - but not in a gay way! Bitch magazine tells the story of video editor Tijana Mamula who watched all ten seasons of popular sitcom Friends and found a full ninety minutes, a whole movie worth, of homophobic jokes. Read more.
New Australian passports allow third gender option
The reform aims to curb gender discrimination Australians have been given a third choice when describing their gender on passport applications, under new guidelines aimed at removing discrimination. Read
more.
UN restores reference to killings due to sexual orientation to resolution condemning unjustified executions A UN General Assembly human rights committee majority previously approved an Arab and African proposal to cut the reference to murders due to sexual orientation from a resolution on executions, find out what happened next at: gaynz.com