Newsletter
This week, the High Court will hear PATHA’s challenge to the Minister of Health’s regulation that bans new prescriptions of reversible pubertal suppression medication for transgender young people.
Newsletter
“This is a win for trans young people, their whānau, and the health professionals who care for them. The High Court has recognised the harm this ban will cause, and the significant issues in the decision Cabinet made to restrict access to this life-saving care.”
Newsletter
How can I write an AusPATH conference report and travel diary without talking about everything happening at home?
Newsletter
The Professional Association for Transgender Health Aotearoa (PATHA) condemns today’s decision from Minister for Health Simeon Brown introducing a ban on new prescriptions of GnRH analogues (puberty blockers) for transgender children and young people who are not currently on them.
Newsletter
I wrote this poem early this year, as I was reflecting and processing on the rushed and incredibly inappropriate public consultation process the Government engaged in about transgender childrens' right to access healthcare. Today is Transgender Day of Remembrance.
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When I enrolled in He Pī ka Pao I have to admit that I was worried I wouldn't stick with it. Not because I didn't feel committed, or that it didn't feel important enough - but that those things haven't always translated into me staying with something in the past.
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This morning I appeared on a live interview with Ryan Bridge for NZME's Herald NOW about the Minister for Sport and Recreation directing Sport NZ to delete their guidelines for transgender inclusion. I was spoken over, berated, and pressed to agree with Bridge's opinion.
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I was seriously disappointed to read a long article which discusses and quotes extensively from Sarah McBride's interview - and takes a position along the lines of "how can we effectively bargain for our rights while we compromise?"
Newsletter
At the start of the year, I sat on a panel alongside some colleagues. One of the other panelists talked about the care our communities need right now, and pointed out that we often aren't talking about what a lot of us are actually experiencing: heartbreak.
Jennifer Shields is a queer & trans writer, artist, and advocate from Ōtautahi, Aotearoa.
This is my submission to Manatū Hauora's consultation on the rights of transgender children in Aotearoa to access the healthcare they need.
This Government is intentionally exposing our tamariki to significant harm, and they know it.
Thank you to the Ministry of Health for giving me this important opportunity to have my voice heard, and recognising that this is a matter for the whole nation to decide.
We watched the latest season of Heartstopper this week, at first an episode or two at a time, and then the back half of the season all in one night.
I've been in Lisboa, Portugal for the past week, attending my first WPATH symposium. It's my first time here and I'm glad I came, but it's also been a strong reminder of how far we still have to go.
So, where is the problem? If the authors cannot identify a case where Sport NZ's guidelines might cause an issue - why, then, does Chris Bishop reckon "they make some fair points"?
I was invited to present at the Physiotherapy New Zealand conference in Ōtautahi in September, 2024.
The Olympic spirit is aspirational, and I think it's one that's worthy. But, in contrast, the reality of the Olympics and how they've been used to violently enforce these ideals leaves a lot to be desired.
A new report from the Yale Law School, Yale Medical School, and the Integrity Project (based at Yale Law) was released this week, critically examining the Cass Review, its processes and its findings, and has found it critically flawed.
It's hard, at the moment, for me to remember that there's a full life outside of work, so it's been nice to get to do that for a weekend. Lots of people don't know that I have a background in music and radio, and I got to do a bit more of that again recently, too.
I don't think this bill was ever intended to pass. While it certainly seems Seymour and Peters have the run of the house, I'm not sure that Peters cares enough about this bill to hold the coalition government in a stranglehold over it. So then, who's afraid of gender?
A common refrain I've heard in the past is something like "why do you have to make being trans such a huge part of your identity?" At the moment, I think about being trans every day, because I have to.
