Employer stands up
for Mama Tere
Posted in: New
Zealand Daily News
By GayNZ.com Daily News staff - 24th September 2010
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Mama Tere
Strickland |
Mama Tere Strickland's employer has come to her defence, following stinging
criticism of the New Zealand AIDS Foundation's decision to honour her with Life
Membership.
The New Zealand
Prostitutes Collective is urging the NZAF to reconsider the accolade for the
trans prostitutes' outreach worker. It says many transgender sex workers say
their lives would have been very different if they had not met Strickland.
NZPC claims
Strickland took in young trans people and was paid to look after them, put them
out to work on the street and took their money. It also accuses Strickland of
using standover tactics with other street workers and taking their money.
Christchurch
NZPC worker Anna Reed has even refused a Life Membership of her own, as she
does not want to be honoured beside Strickland. She says although these things
may have happened in the past, they have left lasting memories.
Strickland
herself is hesitant to comment in depth at this stage, beyond saying that it's
not the first time such issues have been raised.
"There's a
group of them that have it in for me and tried it on when I stood for the Maori
Party, so I'm not shocked by this," she wrote to GayNZ.com Daily News.
"I don't
have a problem what people say about me, I just wish they'd face me and whoever
started this confront me, [rather] than plaster bad things about me."
Peter Sykes has
employed Strickland for the past ten years at the Mangere East Family Service Centre.
He is making
contact with both the NZPC and NZAF, but seems confident that although
Strickland has made mistakes in the past, everything has been above board while
she has worked for him.
"There have
been historical journeys, but in the past 10 years Mama has not been 'taking'
people in or controlling their funds," he says.
"The
funding Mama is involved with all comes through me Е and does not seek to speak
or work for the past. It is sad that journeys become blocked, and does not
allow people to move on. If people concerned want to redress the past they are
welcome to get in touch with me."