Congratulations, Rock and Ryan!

It’s been a while since we’ve had an all-day festival for lesbians, especially one focused  on issues like lesbian visibility and social justice.  So we were delighted to take a day off on Saturday 4 November,  at Toi Tu in Ponsonby, for the Auckland Lesbian Festival 2017, organised by Cissy Rock and Violet Ryan, and featuring as panelists some of the stalwarts of Tamaki Makaurau activism over the years.

Instead of being asked just to tell their stories, a range of women from different cultures were asked to talk about their visibility as lesbians, over the years, and their involvement in social justice issues.

So inspiring to spend time with these amazing women, including some we know such as Sharon Hawke, Betty Sio,  Prue Kapua, Louisa Wall, and many whom we haven’t met before.  Great also to celebrate the progress we’ve made as a society since many of us were young, fearful  and secretive about our love for women.  New issues and challenges were also shared, and will be explored- we hope – in similar events to come.

Nga mihi nui ki a Cissy and Violet for their inspiration, organisation and facilitation – we’re hoping days like this will become a frequent feature of the political scene in Tamaki Makaurau.