NO SELF ID

In New Zealand we lost the right to exclude male-bodied people from the category ‘lesbian’ or 'woman'.

 

1. We want re-instatement of female-only safe spaces:  

We Lesbians deserve the right to participate in public life and the means to meet life partners. This is made possible by the existence of female-only safe spaces, including change rooms and restrooms, where lesbians can undress, shower, or use the toilet free from the risk of male violence. When lesbians can access female-only safe spaces, our risk for victimization goes down, and our comfort level goes up. 

​

We deserve the right to create our own lesbian-only safe spaces and hold lesbian-only events, and to have men, heterosexuals, and bisexuals respect our boundaries.  

​

When a state dictates that Lesbians have to have males in their dating pool, the state is pressuring Lesbians to be straight. Lesbians aren’t hurting anyone by having boundaries, or by enjoying their relationships. When the State or the Queer & LGBQT+ community and activists pressure lesbians to “try” heterosexual sex, or to “unlearn” our homosexuality, its simply regressive. Lesbians should not be coerced into straight dating, to comply with outdated attempts to change our sexual orientation – that is conversion therapy.
 

2. Lesbians have a right to live authentic lives and not be pressured to identify as men
We have seen a push in Schools and from the Queer & activist lobbies for gender non-conforming youth in particular girls to believe they are in the ‘wrong body’. This is to conform their appearance to a heterosexual norm if they’re attracted to the same sex. A boy who would normally grow up to be gay is expected to become a ‘trans girl’, a girl who normally would grow up to be a lesbian is expected to be a ‘trans boy.  This is at the heart of gender identity ideology, making homosexuals invisible, putting them through another door to the same old closet. 

 

Living an authentic life isn’t conforming to gender norms and stereotypes. It means accepting your own body, personality, and sexual orientation. By accepting same-sex relationships and embracing women who don’t dress to attract men, we empower lesbians to accept and embrace themselves, and live authentic lives. 

 

When lesbians feel pressure to conform to society’s stereotypes, they may turn to artificial hormones and plastic surgery, impersonating heterosexual men as a means of fitting in. Instead, all lesbians should be encouraged to practice self-love, accept their same-sex attraction, and take good care of their bodies.

When we push Lesbians to be ‘queer’ and to ‘emulate men’ we deny Lesbian visibility. Without Lesbian visibility young lesbians don’t have role models.  

 

It’s important for girls to have role models who are strong and independent, who have positive relationships with other women, and who don’t dress for men’s pleasure. Having strong female role models teaches girls that it’s okay to break stereotypes, and that you don’t have to be born male to be happy and successful. 

 

When we embrace lesbians as women worthy of respect, we work toward true diversity by empowering women and girls to see the possibilities in their lives. Lesbian visibility teaches younger generations of women and girls that their sex doesn’t determine where they go in life. They’re free to live independently, dress however they want, and love whoever they choose. 

Lesbian visibility teaches girls that it’s okay to break stereotypes. 

 

Lesbians shouldn’t have to keep their sexual orientation hidden behind male impersonation to ‘fit in’.  

Banning female-only safe spaces excludes lesbians from public life.
We cannot build a truly inclusive society if we push women and lesbians to have their personal boundaries violated and the boundaries of our community.  

 

3.Influential LGBQT+ lobby groups are persuading politicians that exploration of issues or talk therapy related to gender identity entails the same harmful practices as past conversion practices used to change sexual orientation. This is false.

Here’s the rub: any so-called conversion therapy ban that includes 'gender identity' is harmful to gender non-conforming, LGB and other vulnerable children and young people including those affected by social contagion, autism or have mental health co-morbidities.

  

​At this time, LGB Defence Australasia is working with health professionals and a collection of  detransitioners, young people who received ‘gender affirming care’ for their distress or confusion related to their biological sex and as a result of that, their once healthy bodies are now damaged, and many are sterilised. Putting that into context, in 2016 Census identified 1260 gender diverse people of whom only 340 identified as transgender.

 

Now it’s 2023. 

 

We want to keep children and young people intact, whole and address the root causes of self-hate, abuse, internalised misogyny, exposure to gender identity indoctrination and internalised homophobia that gender non-conforming young people experience. Working these issues out with exploratory talk therapy, is preferable to automatically putting them on a one size fits all pathway of drugs, hormones and surgery. ..