Latest news with #CountingOurselves
Scoop
23-07-2025
- Health
- Scoop
Government Directive To Sport NZ Is Harmful
PATHA, the Professional Association for Transgender Health Aotearoa, is deeply disappointed to learn that the Government has given direction to Sport NZ to remove guidelines that supported the inclusion and active participation of trans and non-binary people in community sport across Aotearoa. The benefits of participating in sports on physical and mental health and overall wellbeing are well researched and proven. Vulnerable communities such as trans and non-binary individuals face systemic barriers in health. The Government's directive to Sport NZ adds to these barriers, preventing trans and non-binary people from living healthier lives. Trans and non-binary people's involvement in sport should be encouraged and welcomed; a step towards creating better health outcomes for the community. The 2022 Counting Ourselves survey of trans and non-binary people in Aotearoa highlights the inequities in trans and non-binary people's access to sport and recreational exercise. The survey showed that many trans and non-binary people already avoid recreational and competitive sport due to feelings of unsafe and unfair treatment. Almost half of Counting Ourselves respondents avoided gender-segregated exercise or recreational sport because they did not know if trans or non-binary people were welcome. Trans and non-binary people participate significantly less in active recreation, competition, events and other organised sport compared to the general population. Only 23% of respondents felt included in sports and active recreational activities they had engaged in because they could be themselves around other participants. This demonstrates an unwelcoming culture in Aotearoa's sporting world. Sport NZ's Government-ordered removal of the guideline worsens the current unwelcoming and isolating culture for trans and non-binary people in sport. The Government's directive contributes to denying a vulnerable population access to an essential tool for their health. This is the second guideline relating to transgender inclusion and w This is the second guideline relating to transgender inclusion and wellbeing that this Government has delayed or cancelled, with the updated Guidelines for Gender Affirming Healthcare indefinitely delayed by the Minister of Health since March. PATHA hopes that the Government can recognise its decision's harmful effects on an already vulnerable population, and will instead work to support trans and non-binary people to participate in sport.
The Spinoff
13-06-2025
- Health
- The Spinoff
Stop conflating being transgender with being sick
This week a tragic death was reported. Media handling of the story has only increased the harm. News broke on Thursday that V, a transgender (trans) teenager, had died alone in emergency accommodation in 2023, in the late stages of an eating disorder. It is always a tragedy when a young person dies. The grief felt by V's parents and others who loved him must be immense. For those of us who know and love trans young people, this tragedy has an extra sting in its tail. We know trans young people face higher risks of harm than other young people, due to the impacts of stigma, discrimination and violence on their lives. As trans communities and allies work to reduce the structural barriers that put pressure on trans young people's health and wellbeing, it is a slap in the face when media coverage actively reinforces those barriers. The RNZ article reporting on the events surrounding V's death reproduces several harmful messages about trans young people. As researchers working on school and family support for trans young people, we know what damage this messaging causes. Below we offer perspectives that affirm the rights of trans young people to be recognised and supported for who they are. It is normal to be trans Being trans is part of the diversity of being human. Trans people have always existed, all around the world. The RNZ article is peppered with subtle and overt suggestions that being trans is a problem, reflecting an outdated treatment of trans people within Western medical science. In Aotearoa we uphold people's rights to be trans. We now have laws to protect trans people from 'conversion practices' because we know how harmful it is to suggest that being trans is an illness and a problem. Telling someone there is something wrong with them because they are trans, when their experience of gender is perfectly normal, will not support their mental health. Other people do not cause someone to be trans Each person's sense of gender is highly personal and unique to them. The article says that V 'became' non-binary after 'being introduced to the concept of gender diversity' at high school, implying that this education made V non-binary. It also notes that 'immediately after a messy break-up with [a] boyfriend', V 'started identifying as a boy'. This framing suggests that V's school and breakup were reasons why he 'became' trans. Being trans is not something you can catch like a virus from your school, or because you can't manage a breakup. But supportive schools are more likely to create the conditions where young trans people can feel confident to share and celebrate their identity with others, enabling them to learn and thrive. Autistic people know who they are Many trans people are neurodivergent – for example, they may be autistic or have ADHD. In the most recent Counting Ourselves survey of trans and non-binary people in Aotearoa, over two thirds identified as neurodivergent. There is no basis for claiming that neurodivergent people do not know their own gender, but this is a common narrative used to restrict autistic young people's access to gender-affirming care. Trans people exist. Neurodivergent people exist. People who are both trans and neurodivergent exist. None of these things are a problem. Young people's gender can shift and that's OK Trans young people can move through a range of different gender identities as they figure out who they are. The article implies doubt that V was trans because his gender identity apparently shifted over time. By highlighting these shifts, the article reflects ideas that being trans is never really real, but rather some departure from a normal state. Drawing attention to shifts in gender identity also reinforces the message that something made him trans and he could be 'fixed' or 'return' to being cisgender (not trans). Framing V's gender in this way implies his transness was a central part of his mental health issues, rather than a fundamental part of his identity that needed to be recognised and affirmed by those involved in providing him care. Treatments for disordered eating must take gender into account Disordered eating is common among trans young people, with 39% of trans youth participants meeting the threshold for the likely presence of an eating disorder in the most recent Counting Ourselves survey. V clearly did not receive appropriate treatment for the eating disorder that took his life. Oddly, a psychiatrist is said to have recommended that the parents not affirm V's gender as this might interfere with his recovery from disordered eating, but effective treatment of disordered eating among trans young people must take their gender into account. Gender-affirming language is important Using a trans young person's chosen name and pronouns shows you believe and support them in their gender. In the article, the parents use the name and pronouns they gave their child at birth, despite V having chosen a new name and going by he/him pronouns. RNZ's Rainbow Communities Reporting and Content Guidelines state that articles should use the name and pronouns a person tells them to use, but the author chose to use a range of pronouns and names for the young person, based on the dubious rationale that the young person is not alive to state their wishes. Due to the poor timing of publication, before the release of the formal coronial report, no other professionals involved were able to gender V correctly. This is an attack on the mana of this young person. Family support saves lives Research shows that family support helps trans young people stay safe and well. A key finding of the 2022 US Trans Survey, published this week, was that family support is not just important for health – it is lifesaving. Respondents with supportive families reported substantially better health and fewer thoughts of suicide than those with unsupportive families. The only heartening aspect of this tragic story is the glimpses of support that V may have received before he died. One of these was the manager at the emergency accommodation where he lived for the last three months of his life. The manager said of V: 'My main concerns were 'Can I help this person become more resilient? Can I help them find happiness? Can I help them get hold of life somehow and enjoy it?'' We can all show support for the trans young people we have in our lives. Trans young people can thrive The article paints a very upsetting picture for trans young people and their whānau. However, many trans young people in Aotearoa do have supportive whānau and those who do not are often adept at finding support in other places when support is lacking at home. Young people get support from family (biological or chosen), school, medical and social services, and organisations that support rainbow youth. Organisations supporting rainbow youth are struggling in the current political and economic climate, and deserve all our support. Th RNZ article has greatly distressed many trans people, parents, community organisations, counsellors, teachers and health professionals. This is not only because of the pain we feel at the loss of another young trans person who did not get the care he needed, but because of the way his story was framed. Messaging that pathologises trans youth causes a great deal of harm. It is time to stop conflating being trans with being sick and look at where the real sickness lies – the lack of care we provide as a society to our precious trans young people, who deserve so much better. Julia de Bres is Associate Professor at Massey University, where she researches family support of transgender young people in Aotearoa. John Fenaughty is Associate Professor at the University of Auckland, where he specialises in the wellbeing of rainbow young people in schools. He led the Identify Survey of takatāpui and rainbow young people in New Zealand.
Scoop
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
PM Will Not Step In Over Peters' Comments In RNZ Interview
Article – RNZ Meanwhile, the Green Party co-leader says NZ First is 'rinsing the biscuit tin with the latest outrage' with its plans for a private member's bill on defining 'woman' in law. The Prime Minister says he will not intervene over comments by Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters about RNZ's funding. Speaking in London, Christopher Luxon said he was aware of but had not listened to the fiery Morning Report interview in which the acting prime minister accused the public broadcaster of being biased and seemingly threatened to cut its funding. Peters objected to questioning over his party's proposal to define the term 'woman' as 'an adult human biological female' and 'man' as an 'adult human biological male' across all laws. Towards the end of the interview, he accused the broadcaster of running the line of his opponents: 'You're paid for by the taxpayer and sooner or later we're going to cut that water off too, because you're an abuse on the taxpayer'. Labour leader Chris Hipkins called for Luxon to step in, saying the comments were unacceptable. But Luxon said he had no intention of doing so. 'Probably words that I wouldn't use, but frankly, I think Winston Peters, after 40 years in public service, and his mode of communication is well understood. 'I just don't think it would be any surprise … he has a rather Winston way of communicating with media where he's going to push back on journalists, as is his right to do so. 'With respect to the funding of RNZ, that is a decision taken by Cabinet as part of a Budget process each and every year and it's the same process here.' Luxon did not directly answer questions about whether the remarks were appropriate for an acting prime minister to make, or whether it was proper for Peters to threaten funding cuts even if the decision did not lie with him. 'Useless and unnecessary' Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick said the Deputy Prime Minister has lost sight of the real issues such as the health system and climate change in favour of an imported culture war over NZ First's plans for a private member's bill on defining a man and a woman. 'I would say it's about as useless and unnecessary as New Zealand First's frequently reproposed bill to make English an official language but this one paints a target on the back of minority groups and therefore it is unfortunately dangerous.' Defining a man and a woman was not 'a real problem' for the country, she told Morning Report on Thursday. It was 'deeply misogynistic' to reduce women to their reproductive capacity or their private parts, she said. However, she pointed to the Counting Ourselves report, which was released in February, and covered the views of 2500 trans and non-binary people. 'We can see very clearly right now immediate and pressing issues with regard to the exclusion, the harm and the hatred they're subjected to, whereby 77 percent of them have experienced high or very high psychological distress in the last year.' Swarbrick said the UK Supreme Court decision which defined a woman and a man was actually mainly about Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) policies which were not supported by Peters. 'This is an utterly cynical playbook whereby we are seeing New Zealand First rinsing the biscuit tin with the latest outrage.' She pointed to other similar bills NZ First had supported such as 'the woke banks bill,' DEI and use of bathrooms. If the government cared about women it would be providing better funding in areas such as women's health care and early childhood education, fixing the pay gap, and paying for programmes to stop violence against women, she said. It was also 'astounding' Peters had used science as part of his argument for defining a man and a woman, yet he did not rely on science when it came to climate change. 'A form of censorship' – Labour On Wednesday, Hipkins said it was unacceptable for a minister to threaten an independent media organisation's funding because he objected to how he was being interviewed. 'Ministers don't have to participate meekly in an interview. If they don't like the direction it's going on, they're absolutely entitled to push back on an interviewer. 'But where I think Winston Peters absolutely crosses a very bright line is where he says, because I don't like the way you were interviewing me, we're going to cut your funding.' He said Luxon needed to enforce the expected standards of his ministers and 'at the very least' make it clear to Peters that it should never happen again. 'Threatening to cut funding is a form of censorship. It is totally and utterly wrong.' The on-air clash Peters' on-air criticism came towards the end of an interview after broadcaster Corin Dann raised criticisms lodged by Labour and the Greens. Peters accused Dann of advancing the views of NZ First's opponents and said the question line was 'so typical' of RNZ. 'You're not hearing both sides of the story, you keep on putting the argument of the woke left… you're a disgrace to the mainstream media.' Dann told Peters it was his job to put up an argument. 'I'm sorry but you're not going to accuse me of putting up their arguments and believing in them. I'm the devil's advocate here and I put up the argument for you to answer,' Dann said. An RNZ spokesperson said the organisation had a rigourous editorial policy that demanded its work was always underpinned by fairness, accuracy, independence, respect and decency. 'This was a robust political interview where our interviewer conducted himself in a professional manner,' the spokesperson said in a statement. 'RNZ was recently recognised as New Zealand's most trusted news brand. A result that is consistent with our own research that shows trust in RNZ has increased over the last year and a result that demonstrates our strategic focus on improving trust.'
Scoop
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
PM Will Not Step In Over Peters' Comments In RNZ Interview
The Prime Minister says he will not intervene over comments by Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters about RNZ's funding. Speaking in London, Christopher Luxon said he was aware of but had not listened to the fiery Morning Report interview in which the acting prime minister accused the public broadcaster of being biased and seemingly threatened to cut its funding. Peters objected to questioning over his party's proposal to define the term "woman" as "an adult human biological female" and "man" as an "adult human biological male" across all laws. Towards the end of the interview, he accused the broadcaster of running the line of his opponents: "You're paid for by the taxpayer and sooner or later we're going to cut that water off too, because you're an abuse on the taxpayer". Labour leader Chris Hipkins . But Luxon said he had no intention of doing so. "Probably words that I wouldn't use, but frankly, I think Winston Peters, after 40 years in public service, and his mode of communication is well understood. "I just don't think it would be any surprise ... he has a rather Winston way of communicating with media where he's going to push back on journalists, as is his right to do so. "With respect to the funding of RNZ, that is a decision taken by Cabinet as part of a Budget process each and every year and it's the same process here." Luxon did not directly answer questions about whether the remarks were appropriate for an acting prime minister to make, or whether it was proper for Peters to threaten funding cuts even if the decision did not lie with him. 'Useless and unnecessary' Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick said the Deputy Prime Minister has lost sight of the real issues such as the health system and climate change in favour of an imported culture war over NZ First's plans for a private member's bill on defining a man and a woman. "I would say it's about as useless and unnecessary as New Zealand First's frequently reproposed bill to make English an official language but this one paints a target on the back of minority groups and therefore it is unfortunately dangerous." Defining a man and a woman was not "a real problem" for the country, she told Morning Report on Thursday. It was "deeply misogynistic" to reduce women to their reproductive capacity or their private parts, she said. However, she pointed to the Counting Ourselves report, which was released in February, and covered the views of 2500 trans and non-binary people. "We can see very clearly right now immediate and pressing issues with regard to the exclusion, the harm and the hatred they're subjected to, whereby 77 percent of them have experienced high or very high psychological distress in the last year." Swarbrick said the UK Supreme Court decision which defined a woman and a man was actually mainly about Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) policies which were not supported by Peters. "This is an utterly cynical playbook whereby we are seeing New Zealand First rinsing the biscuit tin with the latest outrage." She pointed to other similar bills NZ First had supported such as "the woke banks bill," DEI and use of bathrooms. If the government cared about women it would be providing better funding in areas such as women's health care and early childhood education, fixing the pay gap, and paying for programmes to stop violence against women, she said. It was also "astounding" Peters had used science as part of his argument for defining a man and a woman, yet he did not rely on science when it came to climate change. 'A form of censorship' - Labour On Wednesday, Hipkins said it was unacceptable for a minister to threaten an independent media organisation's funding because he objected to how he was being interviewed. "Ministers don't have to participate meekly in an interview. If they don't like the direction it's going on, they're absolutely entitled to push back on an interviewer. "But where I think Winston Peters absolutely crosses a very bright line is where he says, because I don't like the way you were interviewing me, we're going to cut your funding." He said Luxon needed to enforce the expected standards of his ministers and "at the very least" make it clear to Peters that it should never happen again. "Threatening to cut funding is a form of censorship. It is totally and utterly wrong." The on-air clash Peters' on-air criticism came towards the end of an interview after broadcaster Corin Dann raised criticisms lodged by Labour and the Greens. Peters accused Dann of advancing the views of NZ First's opponents and said the question line was "so typical" of RNZ. "You're not hearing both sides of the story, you keep on putting the argument of the woke left... you're a disgrace to the mainstream media." Dann told Peters it was his job to put up an argument. "I'm sorry but you're not going to accuse me of putting up their arguments and believing in them. I'm the devil's advocate here and I put up the argument for you to answer," Dann said. An RNZ spokesperson said the organisation had a rigourous editorial policy that demanded its work was always underpinned by fairness, accuracy, independence, respect and decency. "This was a robust political interview where our interviewer conducted himself in a professional manner," the spokesperson said in a statement. "RNZ was recently recognised as New Zealand's most trusted news brand. A result that is consistent with our own research that shows trust in RNZ has increased over the last year and a result that demonstrates our strategic focus on improving trust."
