The United States finds itself at odds with several Western nations over transgender care and the treatment of children grappling with gender identity concerns. While American healthcare institutions have long supported medical interventions for transgender minors, including the use of puberty blockers to delay the physical changes of adolescence, the European medical community is displaying Read more
An image has been occurring to me of boats that have become unmoored. They end up on the rocks, or colliding with one another. There are features of our Western world’s culture that seem to fit the image. Important aspects of our lives seem to have become disconnected from what gives them meaning. If this Read more
Schools have been told to let students choose their own gender identities and names. New relationships and sexuality education guidelines issued by the Ministry of Education say that schools must “uphold the human rights of all people.” “All people have the same rights and freedoms, regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and Read more
Rainbow groups are celebrating “Mx” pronoun titles being included on voting enrolment forms for the first time. A spokesperson for the Electoral Commission said that enrolment forms – where eligible voting New Zealanders can enrol or update their details on the electoral roll – were updated last year. Continue reading
Over the past few years, there has been greater recognition of gender diversity in mainstream Western popular culture. The Pacific is a region that has long-hosted alternative expressions of gender, and this current cultural moment has given its peoples a chance to contribute to a global conversation. Read more
The New Zealand Heraldapologized earlier this year after publishing on an offensive cartoon about transgender people. It also cancelled the cartoon strip. Read more
University of Otago researchers have concluded that existing gender categories in sport should perhaps be abandoned in favour of a more “nuanced” approach in the new transgender era. The authors are in favour of a radical change to what they describe as “the outdated structure of the gender division currently used in elite sport”. Associate Read more
Well, he did it. Bill Shorten snatched defeat right out of the jaws of victory. Which is all the more embarrassing when you remember how he formerly introduced himself to Arnold Schwarzenegger as Australia’s next Prime Minister. But, incredibly, not only did all of the media pundits get the election result wrong, but so did Read more
The National Centre for Religious Studies is providing guidance to Catholic schools throughout New Zealand on gender complexity. The guidance, endorsed by the New Zealand Catholic Bishops’ Conference, is for principals, boards of trustees, staff and whānau. It provides a point of reference in the support and accompaniment of children and young people who may Read more
The American College of Pediatricians urges educators and legislators to reject all policies that condition children to accept as normal a life of chemical and surgical impersonation of the opposite sex. Facts – not ideology – determine reality. 1. Human sexuality is an objective biological binary trait: “XY” and “XX” are genetic markers of health Read more