As a youth mentor and family support person (NGO), I have worked with children, youth and families who would be directly and deeply affected by this Bill.
In my experience, we need to be accepting and caring rather than creating yet more barriers if we are to build a safe and healthy society for our children.
The thing is, we don’t need to ‘understand’ everything to accept it. We don’t fully understand many choices – other’s religion, politics, ways to bring up children, running a business, leisure activities, fashion choices…but we can accept them.
This Bill won’t make anyone safer. It will discriminate. It will judge. It will build barriers. It will ultimately cause more harm and damage to many humans just trying to be themselves.
This Bill judges a person by the way they look. Defining our ‘womanhood’ should be our own choice – not a government’s.
Let’s be clear about who owns choices about our own bodies.
Let’s be clear about whether we want a kind and accepting world or a judgemental, divisive world.
Let’s be clear.
“There’s no need to define ‘man’ and ‘woman’ in the law because the law already works well using the usual meaning of those words. Adding strict definitions can create confusion, leave people out, and cause problems without actually changing how the law works,” says Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner and Women’s Rights spokesperson Professor Gail Pacheco.
It may look benign if you are straight and cis, but it will do so much damage and will not advance human rights. We owe it to each other to protect our right to self-identity.
Find out more here:
NZ Human Rights Commission
NZ Advocacy for rainbow communities Qtopia – There are REALLY GOOD TIPS for making A SUBMISSION HERE.