Position statement: Sexual orientation and gender identity

All people should be able to live with dignity, be visible and included, regardless of who they are, who they are attracted to and how they express who they are. In te ao Māori, self-determination over sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, and sex characteristics are fundamental to mana motuhake and hauora.

It is common for people to face violence, harassment, and discrimination based on their sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, and sex characteristics. These experiences can differ based on ethnicity and the influences of culture, racism, and colonisation. Discrimination may be from an individual, a group of people, or a system may be set up to discriminate. Historically, laws in New Zealand discriminated against people because of their sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or sex characteristics, and colonisation resulted in the erosion of traditional Māori views about gender and sexuality. Today in Aotearoa, it is against the law to discriminate against a person, or harm someone, based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. However, it is still happening in practice, which results in poorer health and social outcomes for people who identify with the rainbow community.

Discrimination includes experiencing health, social services, and education settings, that don’t meet a person’s needs or that misunderstand or make people feel uncomfortable because of their sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or sex characteristics. This includes making some people feel invisible because of assumptions about their identity, sexuality or sex characteristics. For example, a doctor may presume a client is heterosexual without considering their actual sexual partners. Or a nurse may assume someone doesn’t need a cervical screen because of their gender identity or expression, when in fact they do.

Sexual Wellbeing Aotearoa is committed to making sure our sexual and reproductive health services and information are non-judgemental, inclusive and meet the needs of all people. We strive to make sure staff understand, and can be responsive to, the reproductive and sexual health needs of people of all sexual orientations, gender identities or expressions, and sex characteristics. Health care should be affirming, inclusive and evidence based.

Sexual Wellbeing Aotearoa advocates for policies that promote inclusion and equity for people who have diverse genders, sexualities, and sex characteristics. 

Sexual Wellbeing Aotearoa strives to challenge policies and beliefs that discriminate against people because of their sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, and sex characteristics. Sexual Wellbeing Aotearoa is committed to promoting change across society, government and among health care providers to make sure all people have the chance to live a healthy life and do not experience poorer health and social outcomes because of their sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, and sex characteristics.

• The Yogyakarta Principles
• Counting Ourselves: The health and wellbeing of trans and non-binary people in Aotearoa New Zealand 2019
• Same- and multiple-sex attracted students: A Youth19 Brief 
• Transgender and diverse gender students: A youth19 Brief
• InsideOUT Kōaro 
• Rainbow Youth 
• Intersex Aotearoa