GayNZ, New Zealand


Thursday, October 19, 2006

Auckland City holds 1st GLBT meeting


Over forty representatives attended the Auckland City Council
network meeting for local Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and
Takataapui citizens, held in Ponsonby today.

The meeting opened with a greeting by organiser Bruce Kilmister, who
introduced Auckland Mayor Dick Hubbard. His Worship the Mayor spoke
of his support of the LGBT community, mentioning his belief that our
community `hits above its weight' providing economic and cultural
benefits to the city. Hubbard was later urged to stick up for our
community in all areas of his Mayoral role – particularly where the
church is concerned.

MP Maryan Street was next to speak – she commended Auckland City
Council for advancing harmony, stability and growth with its
community networks. "We don't all want different things," she told
the meeting, "we all want the same advancement of human rights. When
we have inclusion, we have stability. When we have exclusion, we
then have dissatisfaction and discord."

Street said she was pleased to see Police Diversity Liaisons at the
meeting, helping to create a safer community. She also hoped the
network would work towards including more lesbian groups, which
were "not over-represented here today."

Human Rights Commissioner Warren Lindberg gave an emotional speech
about his visit to Amsterdam's `Homo Monument', paid for by the City
of Amsterdam, to remember the gay people who died in the holocaust.

"I want participation and integration in society," he told the
assembled crowd, saying that the gay community he joined when he
came out "many years ago" was a covert one.

"The gay community in this city has blossomed," he continued. "We've
become very assertive and successful."

There was mention of the powerful `Pink Dollar', but Lindberg
reminded the meeting that not everyone in our community is
wealthy. "We must also think about the rights of the family, and the
right for kids to be safe in their schools. We've also left
transgender people behind, and only just started thinking about
intersex people.

"There are no such things as `privileged groups'," he
explained, "simply that all of us have the same rights because we
are human. But this meeting is not just about our rights, but it's
also about what we can contribute."

Lindberg concluded has speech with a quote he remembered from his
fundraising days. "Make sure that the first time they've head of you
is not the first time you ask them for money."

Further speakers from the Auckland City Partnerships Committee and
the Eden and Albert Community Board followed, before Bruce Kilmister
closed the formal part of the meeting, and requested those there to
come to the next one "with ideas we can turn into initiatives."

Ref: GayNZ.com (m)


Related links:

Auckland City supports GLBT network
http://www.gaynz.com/news/default.asp?dismode=article&artid=3865


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