The ILGA Oceania Co-Chairs, Vanessa Lee-AhMat and I (Ken Moala), are breathing a big sigh of relief. We have a great sense of satisfaction and achievement over the fact that the 2020 ILGA Oceania Virtual Regional Conference and Annual General Meeting (AGM) were held successfully online. The Conference itself was beamed live from Nouméa (New Caledonia), which was conducted and sponsored by the "Pacific Community" ("SPC"). The AGM, was beamed live from University of Sydney under the auspices of "Access Innovation Media" ("AI Media").

Acknowledgement needs to be given to the following organisations and people for their work towards the 2020 ILGA Oceania Regional Conference and AGM:-

CONTRIBUTORS

1) Pacific Community
2) New Caledonian Government
3) New Caledonia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs
4) United Nations IE SOGIESC
5) Diversity New Caledonia
6) Diversity Wallis & Futuna
7) Alliance LGBTI French Oceania
8) Cousins Cousines de Tahiti
9) Miss Butterfly Committee
10) The Refuge Foundation
11) The Reception Foundation
12) The Caravan
13) Adie
14) New Caledonia La PremiereTV
15) Ethno Tracks Production
16) Sign Access
17) Gourmandie
18) Kanak Language Academy
19) Hous of Khameleon

ADMINISTRATORS

20) Vero Voting
21) Access Innovation (AI) Media
22) Joe from Victoria Switchboard
23) University of Sydney

ILGA

24) Tusina Ymania Brown (ILGA World Co-Secretary General)
25) Luz Elena Aranda (ILGA World Co-Secretary General)
26) Andre du Plessis (ILGA World Executive Director)
27) ILGA World Staff
28) ILGA Oceania Executive Board
30) ILGA Oceania Members

This week marked the annual "Trans Awareness Week" [Friday, 13 November 2020 - Friday, 20 November 2020], which culminated in the "Trans Day of Remembrance." (TDoR) (Friday, 20 November 2020]. ILGA Oceania has produced a few press releases on various trans issues during this internationally recognised celebration of trans culture and review of issues facing trans people:-

TRANS EVICTION

The New Zealand Human Rights Commissioner ruled that a trans person was legally evicted for being trans, an event covered initially by RNZ.

ILGA Oceania put out a media release on the issues. That ILGA Oceania media release was the basis of one New Zealand local news story [Gay Express) and one international news story [Pink News), which quoted ILGA Oceania's executive board's stance on this disturbing turn of event.

ILGA Oceania has also been pursuing members of Jacinda Ardern's incumbent New Zealand Labor government to see whether there can be some legal reform to prevent this type of situation from arising again. We will report back on how that goes!

2020 TRANS DAY OF REMEMBRANCE

For the 2020 International "Trans Day of Remembrance" ("TDoR"), ILGA Oceania produced a media statement to raise more exposure on this important calendar event.

One of the success stories of the event was the four Sub-regional hubs in the Pacific which consist of:-

1) Kiribati
2) Fiji
3) Tahiti - French Polynesia
4) Papua New Guinea

Kiribati

Here is some positive feedback from Kiribati, Atolls located in the Central Pacific.

Appreciation Message

A special "thank you" to ILGA World and ILGA Oceania for ensuring that BIMBA is financially able to establish and utilise the regional hub for the conference. This is our Executive Committee's first ILGA Oceania Conference and they have learned so much in the 2-days of e-meeting, presentation and 'talanoa'. Hopefully such an initiative would also be made possible for future ILGA Conferences.

Thank you so much, Papa Ken Moala, for your assistance prior to the event. BIMBA congratulates you for being re-elected as the Co-Convenor (General) to ILGA Oceania Board...a word of congratulations and 'katekeraoi' should also go out to the rest of the team in the region that had made it to the ILGA Board during the election that was announced during the virtual AGM.

Kamrarabwa Ao Kam Na Tekeraoi Nni Kabane.

Fiji

This is a short clip of the Fijian Sub-regional Hub, under the supervision of Isikeli Vulavou, participating in the 2020 ILGA Oceania regional conference and AGM.

Papua New Guinea

Iru Tau (Kapul Champions) reported that the Papua New Guinea sub-regional hub for the 2020 ILGA Oceania regional conference and AGM went well and that the Papua New Guinea conference attendance level was very good. The only issues faced concerned the internet connection, which on some occasions would get cut off, and the delay in receiving the funds. These problems did not make them give up, and the rest of the event went perfectly.

Tahiti

The ILGA Oceania board thanks the organiser of the Tahiti sub-regional hub, Teriihauroa Karel Luciani, for putting together that country's team.

The elections at the 2020 virtual ILGA Oceania AGM (24 October 2020) have given the region a lot of fresh faces for its 5th ILGA Oceania board. Check out the ILGA Oceania website for the returning officer's report!

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Senior Executive

1) Co-Chair (Female) - Vanessa Lee
2) Co-Chair (General) - Ken Moala
3) Alternate Co-Convenor - Iru Tau
4) Alternate (Female) - Miki Wali
5) Treasurer - Simon Margan
6) Secretary - VACANT

Portfolio Subcommittee Chairs

7) Women's Subcommittee Chair - Maria Nailevu
8) Trans Subcommittee - Eroni Ledua Dina
9) Intersex Subcommittee Chair - Mani Mitchell
10) Disability Subcommittee Chair - Margherita Coppolino
11) Bisexual Subcommittee Chair - VACANT
12) Youth Subcommittee Chair - VACANT
13) Elder Subcommittee Chair - VACANT

Regional Representative

14) Regional Representative (Pacific Islands) - Terrihauroa Karel Luciani
15) Regional Representative (New Zealand) - Rāwā Kareai
16) Regional Representative (Australia) - VACANT

Conference Convenor

17) Conference Convenor - Laurent Garnier-Regal

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Congratulations on those that were elected!

ILGA Oceania Constitution

The ILGA Oceania Constitution was dramatically changed, as was how ILGA Oceania functions. The current version of the constitution needs approval by the "NSW Department of Fair Trading", however, the version approved of by the ILGA Oceania Annual General Meeting (AGM) [Saturday, 24 October 2020], is now on the ILGA Oceania website.

The ILGA Oceania website also contains an archive of the changes made to the ILGA Oceania constitution, since ILGA Oceania's incorporation at the 2014 AGM [Wednesday, 14 May 2014 (Darwin - Northern Territory, Australia )].

ILGA Oceania Standing Orders

The ILGA Oceania standing order governs how the ILGA Oceania regional conferences are run. This document was also changed radically. The current version of the standing orders, with the changes approved of by the ILGA Oceania Annual General Meeting (AGM) [Saturday, 24 October 2020], is also now on the ILGA Oceania website.

The ILGA Oceania website also contains an archive of the changes made to the ILGA Oceania standing orders, since their initial adoption at the 2018 AGM [Saturday, 01 September 2018 (Apia, Samoa)].

ILGA Oceania Conference Guidelines

For the very first time, the ILGA Oceania standing orders now contain a specific set of guidelines on how to promote respectful debate at ILGA Oceania conference. These guidelines direct how the conference chair is to conduct debate in an impartial manner, so that everyone on the conference floor gets an equal opportunity to be heard.

ILGA Oceania Staff Grievance and Dispute Resolution Document

Another first for this AGM was the creation of a document to handle Staff Grievances and Disputes. This document will enable disputes to be tabled, discussed and remedied in a mutually safe and non-confrontational environment.

NEW ZEALAND - AUCKLAND

TRANS TENANT LEGALLY EVICTED

A New Zealand tenant (Kristine Ablinger) was given 3 hours' notice, after which the Landlord evicted the tenant for being transgender. The eviction was ruled as lawful, due to the prohibition on discrimination in the provision of "Land, housing, and other accommodation" [Human Rights Act 1993 (NZ), s53], exempting homeowners who share accommodation with their flatmate [Human Rights Act 1993 (NZ), s54]. Another problem which has been highlighted is that the Human Rights Act 1993 (NZ) only protects against discrimination on the ground of "sex" & "sexual orientation" [Human Rights Act 1993 (NZ), s21], not "gender identity". Whilst the NZ Human Rights Commission has interpreted "sex" to include gender, this is an unacceptable situation. The failure of this legal challenge highlights the need for reform:-

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1) "Gender" needs to be explicitly included for anti-discrimination protection.
2) Share accommodation should not be exempt from the general protection against accommodation discrimination (The reason the Ablinger legal challenge ultimately failed).

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AUSTRALIA - VICTORIA

VICTORIA (AUSTRALIA) WILL BAN CONVERSION THERAPY

Victoria, Australia, in consultation with survivors, is preparing to ban gay "conversion therapy", the widely discredited practice based on the notion that a person's gender or sexual identity can be changed or suppressed through psychiatric treatments, counselling therapies or spiritual intervention.

HOMOSEXUALITY AS MENTAL ILLNESS IN TEXTBOOKS

A Chinese student's lawsuit against the classification of homosexuality as a "mental illness", has highlighted the difficulty in changing homophobic attitudes in the educational system in China. China decriminalized homosexuality in 1997 and removed it from an official list of psychiatric disorders in 2001, but discrimination persists in employment, health care and other areas.

More News Next Week!

In the newsletter reporting on the activities for next week [Week Ending: 27 November 2020], you will find out what the first ILGA Oceania board has planned for the 2020-2021 period. By that stage, the first ILGA Oceania board meeting of the newly elected 5th ILGA Oceania board will have been held.