01/07/2026
Hey pals, you have until 11:59pm
Thurs 2 July (tomorrow) to make a submission on The Legislation (Definitions of Woman and Man) Amendment Bill. This bill really rips my un**es. I submitted the following, you don’t have to make as lengthy a submission though - just a few lines also counts!
https://www3.parliament.nz/en/pb/sc/make-a-submission/document/54SCSSC_SCF_9E8E8A14-A51C-4567-AB33-08DE9053A7D1/legislation-definitions-of-woman-and-man-amendment-bill
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[personal intro]
Gender identity and biological s*x are related but distinct concepts. Gender is socially constructed, so a person can be a woman (gender) without female biology (s*x). The Legislation (Definitions of Woman and Man) Amendment Bill seeks to collapse gender and biological s*x into a single legal definition, which will have harmful consequences.
A person’s anatomy is deeply private. A legal definition based on anatomy invites scrutiny of people’s bodies and may require transgender, inters*x and gender-diverse people to justify their identity. This will undermine the privacy and dignity of trans, non-binary and inters*x people.
The reductive division of all people into ‘biological men’ and ‘biological women’ does not align with the reality of human biology, which is diverse. As many as 1.7% of the population are inters*x - this is a similar proportion of the population to people with red hair. [Citation: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12476264/ ]. This bill fails to recognise the existence of inters*x people and oversimplifies biological reality.
This bill is a failure under Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Gender queerness and Takatāpuhi identity in Māori culture predate colonisation. This bill is inconsistent with treaty principles as it fails to respect Māori concepts of identity and self-determination.
As a performer, I have regularly shared both toilets and changing rooms with transgender performers, including trans women. Even while changing clothes I have always felt completely safe. My experience reflects what research consistently shows: transgender women are not a threat to cisgender women in these spaces. Trans women deserve to use public spaces safely and with dignity, just as I do.
This bill removes protections for trans people. It has the potential to force trans people into spaces where there may be in increased danger of violence perpetuated against them. Trans women are at a 4x greater risk of being victims of violence than the general population [Citation: https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/press/ncvs-trans-press-release/ ] rather than perpetrators of gender based violence. It is our responsibility to use legislation to protect trans people.
I urge the committee to reject this bill. It is a hateful and discriminatory piece of legislation. It would reduce the privacy, safety and dignity of our trans, inters*x and non-binary whanau, without providing any demonstrated public benefit. It is inconsistent with the values of fairness, inclusion and respect that we expect the laws of Aotearoa to uphold. I ask the committee to recommend that the bill not proceed.
Transgender people are over four times more likely than cisgender people to experience violent victimization, including r**e, s*xual assault, and aggravated or simple assault, according to a new study by the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law. In addition, households with a transgender person....
