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Maori
Party candidate denies assault allegations
A transgender Maori Party candidate is denying historical allegations of
assault made against her in an official complaint to Counties-Manukau police
this week.
Former sex worker Mama Tere Strickland is standing at #16 on the Maori Party
list. It is alleged that during her time as a sex worker she would
intimidate, assault and extort money from other sex workers.
Strickland told GayNZ.com that there is no basis at all for the official
complaint, which she believes is politically motivated. “They’re dragging up
stuff from fifteen years ago when I worked the streets,” she says. “Back then
you had to fight for survival, and protect your patch.”
Strickland supported the anti-gay think tank Maxim Institute in their bid to
stop the Prostitution Law Reform Act in 2003. She says she doesn’t believe
the Act, which decriminalised soliciting, does anything to help street
workers. Maxim flew her to Wellington to help campaign against the Act during
its final reading at Parliament.
The official complaint to police alleges that Strickland’s historical victims
did not report the assaults and extortion attempts to police because sex work
was illegal at the time. However, Strickland’s actions were reported to the
New Zealand Prostitute’s Collective who entered her name into their “Ugly
Mugs” booklet. Strickland says this also was a misunderstanding. “I’ve been
waiting fifteen years for an apology for that,” she says.
The complaint also alleges that Strickland continues to use standover tactics
with transgender street workers today, allegations which she denies. “I’m
here to help my people,” she says. “This has only come up because I’m
standing for the Maori Party. It’s being stirred up by white gay Labour Party
activists.”
Wellington-based Calum Bennachie has lodged the complaint with police. He
says he has done so on behalf of Mama Tere’s alleged victims who are too
afraid to speak out. Strickland says she will be meeting with police to
discuss the complaint later this week.
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