As a transgender woman, I am anxious about this new government
Christopher Luxon and his family celebrating National’s election victory. Photo/Ricky Wilson/Stuff
During election night, I was sitting in the Canta office helping cover election night. As the results were coming in, the mood of the room began to drop, for me a sense of sorrow was building inside me, the results of this election have not only left me disappointed but also anxious about the future. Not just because I’m worried about wealth inequality and climate change, but also because I am transgender.
There are two main reasons why I am worried for the future of transgender rights in New Zealand. The first reason is the fact that right-wing governments like National and ACT tend to cut public services in the name of ‘cost-cutting’ and ‘smaller government.’ This election National has campaigned on lower taxes for all New Zealanders. Lowering taxes means less revenue for the government of course, and in order to be able to afford that something needs to change. Public services such as education, healthcare and public transport are often cut in order finance such cuts.
As a transgender person, the cuts to healthcare are worrying. New Zealand’s healthcare system is already suffering from underfunding, New Zealanders are already well aware of this, whether it be the long waits for surgeries or healthcare workers striking for pay that keeps up with the cost of living. I fear that under this new government the already cash strapped healthcare system will be made to do with less. In situations like this, Te Whatu Ora could be forced to make do with the money they have and that involves focusing on lifesaving medicine. I’m not saying transgender healthcare isn’t lifesaving, but sadly when it is compared to cancer treatment and emergency medicine, transgender healthcare takes a backseat.
Having the funding for transgender healthcare in New Zealand being cut because of a lack of overall funding isn’t likely, so it’s unlikely things will get worse funding wise. However, what is a worry for me is transgender healthcare and in particular surgery getting no new funding.
The last time that more specialist transgender surgeries got a funding increase was in 2019, where provisions were made to fund 15 surgeries a year. The waitlist for surgeries however has grown significantly since then, and desperately needs new funding not only to be able to provide more surgeries, but also to train more professionals so the burden doesn’t lay on the shoulders of the one doctor in New Zealand who can perform these procedures. The waitlist is already very long in New Zealand, and sadly under a National government, I don’t see transgender healthcare getting the attention it needs to meet the needs of the transgender community.
The second reason I am worried about this new government is the global trend of the right-wing conservative parties to pass anti-transgender laws. The United States is probably the first country that comes to mind when it comes to anti-trans laws being introduced. But there are also laws being drafted and passed in Britain and Canada that have potentially dangerous effects for members of the transgender community. As of writing this, the Canadian province of Saskatchewan passed a bill that required schools to inform parents on issues such as grades and discipline, but alarmingly it required schools to also ask for parental consent to allow their children to go by different names and pronouns all under the guise of ‘parental rights.’ Such a requirement would have the potential of forcing schools to out trans children to potentially hostile parents.
Transgender use of bathrooms and participation is sports has been controversial around the world, and alarmingly an issue that some parties including New Zealand First campaigned on this election. Fortunately Prime Minster elect Christopher Luxon said that New Zealand First’s policies were “on another planet.”
As a result, I don’t expect laws that have been passed in other countries being properly proposed in New Zealand, there is however, one legal area that having a National government makes me concerned about. New Zealand’s hate speech laws currently do not currently cover gender expression. The previous Labour government tried to extend New Zealand’s hate speech laws to cover gender identity as well as other things such as religion and sexual orientation. These proposals did not make law under Labour and I’m not optimistic they will under National. These laws are important, and are desperately overdue in light of Posie Parker’s visit. The change in law will protect transgender New Zealanders who are already vulnerable to discrimination.
Deep down, I am hoping that my anxieties about backsliding are wrong. But a sense of disappointment still lingers inside me. I feel progress was being made, but now I’m not sure that things will improve under this new government. I don’t see the hate speech laws that will protect trans people being passed, and I don’t see transgender healthcare getting the funding it desperately needs.
