Approximately 50 transgender advocates and allies marched up Queen Street to Aotea Square earlier today, in memory of
Leelah Alcorn, a 17 year old trans woman who took her life late last year.
The organisers asked the public to reflect on the treatment of transgender people in light of Alcorn’s death.
Jen Shields, an Auckland-based advocate who spoke at the rally, says, “Leelah Alcorn suffered massive abuse from her
parents and bullying in school, both influenced by the culture of transmisogyny under which our society operates.”
She argues that a lack of sex and gender education in school creates an environment in which queer and trans students
receive no acknowledgement or attention.
“Currently sex and gender education is optional in NZ, with many principals believing they have no queer or trans
students in their schools.”
“We don’t even have a clear idea of how safe or accepting schools are for queer and trans students,” she says. “We found
out in a recent review that the Education Review Office doesn’t investigate this factor or report on it.”
Ms Shields says, “Young trans people suffer heightened rates of depression, self-harm, and suicide”.
They also report lowered rates of support from parents and friends, and higher rates of fear of being harmed at school,
according to a recent study published by the University of Auckland.
“Teaching gender in schools will go a long way towards beginning to dismantle this culture of transphobia and
transmisogyny, and improving the living conditions of trans youth in our country.”
A young genderqueer activist also spoke about how the lack of gender education in high school led to years of confusion.
“If gender had been taught in high school I would have come to my identity years earlier,” they said.
In the note left on her tumblr blog, Leelah wrote about how she lived through “10 years of confusion” before learning
about transgender identities at age 14. She left the wish that gender be taught in schools, “the earlier the better”.
Ms Shields says that it’s time for New Zealand to proactively teach gender in schools.
ENDS