Gender benders faggots Bull dykes and the like

     “The Party (Labour) has got to watch that is isn’t just seen as a party of Māori,
       Pacific Islanders and life stylers” Herald 22^nd Sept

It was in fact interesting that I read this about half an hour after having a verbal altercation with medical staff at Waikato hospital. I was there for a routine x-ray of my hip however found myself facing the usual ignorance of gender and sexuality when once again the question of whether I could be pregnant was raised. As per usual I have refused to answer. Why you ask? Well for one if you meet me you would know. Bit mostly I refuse to answer as I am not prepared to buy into the normalised idea that there exists merely two genders.  My gender is as far as I am conernced and has been for 37 years a butch dyke.

Unfortunately for the past 37 years my gender BUTCH DYKE has been marginalised as it does not fit into the genderised box of male / female. No I am neither I am not a women nor a man – my gender sits in the grey area between your dichotomised simplistic rankings.  As per usual the reply I received on sharing this startling information was one I have heard for 37 years ‘I am not interested in your sexuality’ Well honey I was not sharing that I was telling you my gender as defined by me for me.

So what does my X-ray experience have to do with the above statement – everything. See the writer of said statement believes that the Labour Party needs to return to its traditional roots of supporting the workers of this country not those others those ‘life stylers’ aka homosexuals, transgendered peoples and intersex peoples.  And whilst yes I am saying it – it goes without saying the writer is a racist.

I can hear some of my more conservative friends (yes I have a few) moan and decry the place of academics in the political arena. I know some of you think that we make things far too complex, especially when the answers are simple – like Feed the Kids – Workers Rights etc. But seriously is it that hard to think beyond the comment made in the Herald. This seemingly simple comment is a reminder that the Labour Party has been ‘pandering’ to specialist groups and to continue to do so will mean being cast to the opposition benches. But that is crap and I mean BIG CRAP.

See gender ‘transgression’ (a term used by the straight world in a negative way but a term I see in a political positive way) is not something that is unique to the upper classes – gender identity transcends class and race. And whilst many of us are accepted by our whanau – communities etc just as many are not. Our rangatahi, in particular, are often cast into the streets to sell themselves.  Those who make it into traditional working spaces are expected to down play their difference or expect the brunt of employers – workers and the union’s discomfort and jokes. So yes we, those who fall between the binaried notions of male / female are part and parcel of the issues labour is being encouraged to address.

Try going for a job when you look like a me a butch dyke – I can tell you it takes less than 2 minutes to know I am not getting the job – it usually starts with a small gasp as prospective employers  realise that I am NOT MALE. Even today when one expects tolerance and acceptance I find raised eyebrows and distain particularly when I walk with my mokopuna down the street. Apart for the “is that white man your grandfather’ questions, some people still hold some belief that I am a child molester or some such thing because of the way I look.  And do not say I am reading into things – I have had to live with this for 37 years; from extreme situations where people have literally dragged kids out of my arms to the double takes as I play with Nelsena at parks.

So what does this have to do with the political picture we now have in front of us? Lots, see Labour is being reminded that even in the 21^st century holding hands with the freaks is taking a risk and if they wish to come back from the barren lands of the opposition benches they should cast adrift those who make the centre left uncomfortable. If they want another shot at governing then certain groups must not be prominent in their policies.  Social liberalism aka feminism faggots and freaks need to be side-lined for real issues workers’ rights and union matters.

However like all you ‘normal’ people we also have children, need to eat, pay our rent, work and vote. Not all of us can open our own cabaret clubs, or become famous drag kings or queens. And our rangatahi are the most vulnerable if they transgress. It is time for people to understand that it is in the grey areas that those who fight for special justice must act – those who are not fully represented by a system that still relies on old dichotomies black or white – right or wrong – male or female it is between these fixed positions that our people gay / trans / intersex / children / Māori / Pacifica are forced to carve out an existence.

So to all of you that define yourselves as ‘left’ especially all of you associated with the conservative left – you can have your carrot but you cannot have it without us because we exist and we will not be relegated to the margins.  So remember gender is not fixed - it is fluid and we all of us prove this by in fact existing– this might be hard to swallow but is it really that hard not to grasp - – as the old saying goes we are here So GET USED 2 IT!!!!

the herald 23rd 2014

'The party (Labour) has got to watch that it isn't just seen as a party of Māori, pacific Islanders and alternative lifestyles'  

So did you vote for them?

Today I have washed away my tears and returned to the world bolstered by the wonderful messages of hope from MANA people around the motu. Messages that talk of not being defeated - reminders that whilst we have lost a place in the Westminster system, we never relied solely on that system to answer the issues facing our people. However, I must say things have changed in the world.
Years ago I lived with a degree of paranoia and rightfully so - the world hated people like myself - butch dykes. Much of my time was spent avoiding being bashed as I walked the angry streets of Wellington. This was achieved by being over cautious and extremely suspicious of people around me, predominantly straight men and women - actually most of the straight world in the 70's.

So as I stood waiting to order my coffee a loud group of older mostly conservative biddies pushed ahead of me and as I eyed them up and down I could feel their smugness ooze over me, their arrogance that said we certainly now own the world. I hissed loudly enough for them to hear that the war was not over and it might be best if they do not become accustomed to their sense of entitlement.

So my sorrow has been replaced by anger not of those who did not vote or of those who changed their vote at the 11th hour, nor actually of these righteous right-wing punitive racists. See I understand those who did not vote - I get their apathy - I was once apathetic.  I also get those who on election day changed their Party Vote once entering the polling booth - I did the same years ago when I could no longer fathom the direction of the Labour Party, but still voted for them because I was so afraid of a National lead country - fear cripples people.

No it is not them who I am angry at. It is everyone else who looks like they could have voted for change but did not. It is my parents who held such conservative views such anger for the right but ended up voting for them because they believed the country has lost that degree of discipline.  It is people like my parents who if still alive would have decided that whilst National aren’t the best of – they were lesser of two evils.   See my parents would argue that the left have sold out to the commies and the homo’s they would wrap their smarmy acts of charity in fundamentalism - their tokenism towards Māori would only go as far as those Māori who work hard and are not part of the great 'gravy train'. They would not have gone as far as voting for the conservatives as they were too far off but they would have voted national because as working class people they believe in the old discourse of hard work paying off.

So whilst the older brigade have got louder - ordering their cappuccino's and flat whites with far more gusto than should be allowed. The people I am suspicious of are all those who look like my parents you can tell who they are – they are walking around and not meeting the eyes of those they have imposed their punitive policies on. They attend church on Sunday's praying that when they enter the pearly gates the great unwashed (US) will not be present. After years of working hard and having achieved a sense of comfort and they have decided to hold tight to it - at all costs.
So this morning as I ventured out to have coffee at my favourite café, I felt the same nervous sense of suspicion. I felt my eyes roam across the faces of those who I grew up with the conservative working class and wondered 'did you vote for them then?"


 

A day in the life of....

"If racism is something you're sick of hearing about, imagine how exhausting it must be living it every day." – Jon Stewart


One of the most important issues to address, in all colonised countries is racism and I do not say this lightly people.


Yesterday I sat at Waikirikiri Marae, Ruatoki and listened to stories of invasion of the peoples of Taneatua and Ruatoki communities. For those on my FB page who do not know what occurred there then please LEARN about it. As this is the place that the Labour Party had been actively spying on for 5 years. On October 15, 2007 they sent the police in and terrorised the people. The people's experience of that day has come to be labelled as nothing more than 'collateral damage'. The people included Kaumātua - young children coming home from school and men who had been or were working on their farms.




This Pākehā found yesterdays hui filled with much sadness and I came face to face once again with the history of racism. I felt the veil between 2014 and 1860 lift as a kuia spoke of the invasion of the crowns forces.


 
So again I want to encourage all my Pākehā friends to VOTE for change - a change that does not include merely a change the government, but a change that can bring about the annihilation of racism. This is why I encourage all my friends to vote Internet MANA as your party vote in 2014 - if you cannot then ask yourselves if you want history to continue to repeat itself? Is it not time to step up and become the partners that Māori believed us to be under Te Tiriti o Waitangi .
We cannot change the past but we can give all our children the future they deserve.

Vote to change this government

This government has shafted people at the bottom of the economic pile for so long, that when you door knock there is a sense of despondency so deep, that when you offer solutions that will see communities raised from their poverty, some people cannot hear this message, because they are so busy looking after themselves and their own.


The crippling poverty that has left many families struggling was seen first-hand today as I door knocked my area and talked to some very angry people, people who seemed to have lost their sense of community cohesion. This loss I believe comes about because of their impoverished isolation. As I attempted to field demands for help I found that many of my answers were falling on deaf ears. People have been left stranded - scrapped to the bone. Any talk about building stronger self-sufficient communities drew the occasional scoff from people, people I realised who had been there and done that too many times to remember. More than once I was told that they cared little for the community it was them and their family they needed to look out for.


Previously I would have viewed these ‘what about me’ statement as selfish - but not today. There are people in my rohe who are living between nothing and not a hell of a lot. They are people who have found themselves shut out and abandoned not once but many - many times under consecutive governments. They are the people who are last on the hiring list and first to be laid off. when companies need to ensure their investors receive healthy dividends. They are the people who have watched as each election left them scratching around for loose change to pay for essential items.
The first time I experienced this this type of ‘fuk the world’ was at university. As fees increased and my debt grew, I like a lot of other students stopped looking out into the world and connecting the dots. I was too busy trying to stay ahead of the debts and demands. As the government tighten the reigns, our supervises began to demanding that PhD candidates finish sooner rather than later so that the money hovering around our shoulders would fall into their coffers.


Even those of us who were extremely political began to put our heads down eager to finish and leave the country in the hope that we would make some real money. It was not that we did not care – it was that we could not afford to care.

Accumulating debt whether it is student loan – credit debt – or getting behind on the bills - ensures that people stop thinking about others, instead focusing solely on themselves. In so doing, they are less likely to think about others or ways to improve the situation they find themselves in. Over time keeping one’s head down becomes the norm.


So how do we help people lift their heads up and see that they have the power to change the situation they are in, especially those who have seen governments come and go and nothing really changes??? Today it was about not merely focusing on the election. Instead I took a bit more time out to talk to people. Being given a few more minutes seemed to help.


I know we (MANA) are meant to be on the ground running – as the left have a huge job to do and it must be done – but for a few more minutes and some real empathy and a nice cuppa tea, I felt that I saw people not just voters today. I even suggested to one woman that instead of yelling at me she might like to come along one day and yell at Paula Bennett – with me - if need be.
The government has created such levels of disparity and in that disparity some people have found themselves so isolated that they have given up. However, in some cases a few minutes of my time and some rude jokes about Pulled-A-Benefit and ShonKey can help lift a smile and maybe – just maybe one more visit will see some – if not all head to the polls this election….and as I said to one women – if you cannot really bring yourself to give your party vote to Internet MANA - then please make sure you vote left to ensure we get rid of this government!!!!




MANA UP MANA HARD People

I while back I am emailed the academic author  you with regards to the recently published book Patched: The History of Gangs in New Zealand written by Jarrod Gilbert. In the book Gilbert uses a picture of a wāhine being raped by the mongrel mob. In my communications with Gilbert he argues that this picture is in context and has been utilised to ‘prove’ the level of violence perpetrated against women by gangs.

I would argue that this is not only an act of misogyny by Gilbert but also an act of re-victimisation of this wāhine. Therefore, I am questioning this books legitimacy and asking you the publishers if you would approve publishing photographs taken by a child abuser but published by an academic to ‘prove’ that child abuse exists in this country? My guess is NO, as it would be viewed by the general public as an act of pornographic violence. So, how can you justify using a picture of this women’s rape? Is it not merely sensationalism? Is it not re-victimising her?

I would also like to know:

A) If the women in the photograph was contacted and asked if her picture could be used?

B) If any money made from the books will be forwarded to her?

 

Yours

Dr Kyro Selket

Recognising the Peoples Potential

Our existing economic woes are said to exist because of the whim of the market with its sweeping invisible hand. For the poor this 'invisible hand' culminates in job losses and welfare dependency. ‘Welfare dependency’ is a term used by the right, (many) centrists and the conservative left, who deride those forced onto benefits by their very visible hands.

Welfare dependency exists because the Labour Party initiated, in the late 1980' - early 1990's, ROGERNOMICS . Rogernomics is to blame for the slashing of benefits, anti-union laws and halving the top tax rates. Māori and Pacifica peoples felt the effects of this through major job losses. This lead to consecutive governments further slashing employment laws, freezing benefits and tinkering with other policies that would see the poor, predominantly Māori and Pacifica peoples left behind. In 1999 Helen Clark abandoned policies that would target the growing gap between the rich and the poor. A decade after Rogernomics and Clark’s duplicity, Māori and Pacifica unemployment sat at 51%, in 2014 it is estimated that 26,400 Māori are unemployed.

2014 Māori have become the new driving force behind local economies. The hope is to increase Māori employment in local areas with the help of Treaty settlement money (see Te Rarawa leader Haami Piripi hopes for the North). Correct me if I am wrong, but Māori unemployment exists because Pākehā have not honoured Te Tirit o Waitangi and because of the illegal confiscation of lands? Thus using settlement money to address institutional racism must mean that Māori are being doubly penalised? Is it not 'Maori digging Māori out of the Pākehā hole.'?

All roads then lead back to Rogernomics ,the 2^nd major catalyst for mass unemployment and poverty of Māori and Pacifica peoples. Rogernomics the brain-child of the then Labour Party and built on by the National Party, penalises the poor, even today. Whilst labour might argue that it has moved on since Rogernomics, Māori and Pacifica families have not been able too.

So why would any Māori, Pacifica or even Pākehā working class peson vote for Labour? There is no REAL intention by David Cunnliffe to roll back the effects of Rogernomics, reminder Helen Clark -  closing the gaps, duplicity!

So this article is a timely reminder to all that neither Labour nor the Nat’s have Māori, Pacifica or Pākehā working class and or poor people in their sights. Any changes by Labour will merely tinker with already institutionally racist policies. With 27% of rangatahi unemployed, an estimated 128,430  Māori living in Australia and 40% of all Maori males over the age of 15 years incarcerated in NZ (this figure is higher for Māori women), there can only be one vote in  2014. That vote must be for MANA.

To quote Dr Kukutai on speaking about the effects of unemployment on Māori, “There is a lot of unrealised potential, a lot of waste.”

MANA and MANA alone see’s the potential of the people. Mana's policies reflect the potential of the people. Therefore, a vote for MANA is a vote for the realisation of the people's potential!