Greetings from Ashleigh, a new volunteer

[GW] Welcome Ashleigh! So let's start with an easy question. What have you been doing for the last 100 years?

[A] Right, I've been wandering around this earth like the Isralites in the desert, finding a home. 40 years of that, I landed back in Wellington for work, a social life and, with a little surprise, a new girlfriend. I'll always be a mainlander at heart though, but Wellington is a great place to be for all of the above.

[GW] Nice one, so what made you join Gay Wellington?

[A] I've joined Gay Wellington cos it’s a great place to meet new people / contacts, and it presents an opportunity to do some financial type things. This fits with my new studies, where, when I grow up, I aspire to be a money laundering accountant...I mean a clean upstanding citizen who plays with other peoples' money for a living.

[GW] What’s your favourite saying?

[A] Life's short, eat dessert first.

[GW] Finally, what music is played in your house/car?

[A] Music depends on the mood, sometimes it's Anne Murray in the car,
other times, Leanne Rimes or Guns and Roses, Lady Gaga or Pink
sometimes make a cameo, but my music heart never truly progressed
past the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s.


At Gay Wellington we're always keen to have new volunteers. Give us a call at helpline on 473 7878 or send us an email at helpline@gaywellington.org if you're interested in joining Ashleigh and the team.

Agenda NZ talks to Gay Wellington

Our February training guest was Natalie Shearer from Agenda NZ.

Natalie gave a very thought-provoking presentation on the issues facing the transgender community. Personal stories and experiences were shared from within the group. This increased our awareness and understanding of historical and current challenges. We also learnt how things we take for granted, like getting a birth certificate or presenting our drivers licence to employers, may not be so easy for trans people.

Natalie also highlighted the various support groups she works with in the community. It was a great presentation that would be beneficial for many organisations who want to make Wellington an inclusive, better place.

If you want to know more about Agenda, check out this link.

Our March training guest on Tuesday 20th March at 6pm will be the PSA. If you'd like to come along and listen, give us a call at helpline - we're happy to have more people in the audience.

Reports from Helpline, the Lesbian Drop-In & School's Out

Helpline

We were available for 16 days in February, took 17 calls (5 male, 10 female) and spoke for 6hrs 30 minutes. The main themes were relationships coming out and information on community links.

Lesbian Drop-In

Kia ora All. At the Lesbian Drop-In this week we had visitors from France, Canada and Mexico. It’s great to hear about people’s experiences arriving in Wellington and their settling process. We continue to meet at the Embassy on Thursdays - the first one of the month. The next meeting will be April 5th. Peace Jo jo.morrison.nz@gmail.com

School’s Out

School’s Out were recently invited by the Governor General, Lt Gen The Rt Hon Sir Jerry Mateparae and Lady Janine Mateparae, to a Waitangi Day reception at Government house. Some of our youth, plus me, got all tidied up and in our best finery for the occasion. Everyone loved Skye’s hair. It was a on a beautiful Wellington day and we had a great time and chatted to lots of other youth leaders from high schools from all round the area. I had a chat about School’s Out to my old school principal, and it was a great opportunity to talk about some of the great things we’re doing in the Kapiti area as well. We felt very proud to be invited to this super flash event! - George

This month's Gay Wellington Co-Chair Update

February was a blur for me because my 84 year old mother passed away. The funeral last week went well and over 120 people came, many from the farming district where I grew up. It was one of those rare occasions where the past catches up with the present and by the end of the service, after the celebrant had introduced me and my partner Stephen, everyone knew that mum had a gay son. Mum would have chuckled at the look on some people’s faces, but they were all great about it. It just goes to show that we never stop coming out! And it shows how times have changed for the better.

Stu

Welcome back Stu, our heartfelt thoughts were with you during this sad time. Kura