Joint statement from the Rainbow Funders Ropū on the recent arson of the Tauranga rainbow centre
Tēnā tātou katoa,
Ki te kotahi te kakaho ka whati, Ki te kapuia e kore e whati.
Alone we can be broken. Standing together, we are invincible.
As funders of Rainbow communities in Aotearoa, we acknowledge the impact on Rainbow people of the arson of the RainbowYOUTH and Gender Dynamics centre at the Historic Village in Tauranga. This rise in anti-Rainbow rhetoric and visible hate crimes cannot be allowed to go unchallenged. To do so suggests a sense of acceptance and normalisation of the harm inflicted on Rainbow people, whānau, and communities. Anti-Rainbow rhetoric and hate crimes are not acceptable in Aotearoa and we are working to increase support for mahi that tackles the cause and effects of them.
As Tauranga rebuilds from recent events and Rainbow communities across the country deal with ongoing rhetoric, the Rainbow Funders Ropū hopes to amplify this work. We can support Rainbow communities to communicate with us and the wider philanthropic sector better.
As the Rainbow Funders Ropū, we stand with Rainbow communities and their allies at this time. We affirm that all Rainbow people, whānau, ropū, organisations and communities have a right to live free from discrimination and fear. We acknowledge the many people doing excellent work to support the health and wellbeing of Rainbow communities in Aotearoa and emphasise the importance of this mahi.
Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou katoa.
Signatories:
Rule Foundation
Wayne Francis Charitable Trust
Len Reynolds Trust
Bay Trust
Rata Foundation
The Todd Foundation
JR McKenzie Trust
The Tindall Foundation
D.V. Bryant Trust
Clare Foundation
The Sutherland Self Help Trust
Nikau Foundation
*We use rainbow as an umbrella term to describe people whose sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression or sex characteristics differ from majority, binary norms. This includes people who identify with terms like takatāpui, lesbian, gay, bisexual, intersex, transgender, queer, non-binary or fa’afafine, as well as people who don’t use specific words for their identity, people whose identity changes over time, and people who are in the process of understanding their own identity and may not have ‘come out’ to themselves or others. Adapted from Te Ngakau Kahukura: https://www.tengakaukahukura.nz/language
Image courtesy of The Tindall Foundation.