In New Zealand, events to commemorate the IDAHOT 2014 took place in six different locations, and included an art project and series of nationwide picnics.

Kia ora! Big Gay Picnics

Across New Zealand, communities came together for picnic events across the country which were organised to celebrate love, equality and acceptance, around the IDAHOT 2014. Everyone was invited to bring a rug and some food, and spend a great time with some great people.

‘The Big Gay Picnic’ took place in five different locations, including Dunedin, Rotorua, Hamilton, Auckland and Wellington.

Poster for New Zealand’s Big Gay Picnic for IDAHOT 2014 – held in five cities

I stand with you poster exhibition

A poster exhibition was also organised and took place in Otara, South Auckland, New Zealand from May 12-17 2014. ‘I stand with you’ is a collaborative project between final year Visual Arts majors, Tara Simon and Luisa Tora of the Faculty of Creative Arts at Manukau Institute of Technology (MIT).

Timed to coincide with the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, the project and its contributing artists and partners stood in solidarity with MIT’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex students and staff, and their broader communities.

I Stand With You, South Auckland. Source: Out at MIT

The participating artists were Sharon Fitness, Tanu Gago, Rebecca Ann Hobbs and Thomas Fonua, Leilani Kake, Nicole Lim, Steve Lovett, Jo Mears, Richard Orjis, Molly Rangiwai-McHale, Sangeeta Singh, Luisa Tora, Pati Solomona Tyrell, and Kerrie-Anne Van Heerden and they were asked to respond to the IDAHOT 2014 theme ‘Freedom of Expression’.

The art work is in the form of posters, and many of the works explicitly blend political activism together with artistic creativity. I Stand With You was created to help foster a safe and nurturing environment for LGBTQI students and staff at the Faculty of Creative Arts and greater MIT.

I Stand With You Poster. Source: Out at MIT

The posters were installed at MIT’s Faculty of Creative Arts and at Fresh Gallery Otara in South Auckland. The events also included talks by the artists and LGBTQI youth service providers. For more details check out the project’s blog. More information about the Out at MIT LGBTQI students at Manukau Institute of Technology can also be found here.

This video was also created to give an introduction to the project:

Clark underscored that “Last month, my country, New Zealand, became the thirteenth country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage, and the first in the Asia-Pacific region. When the results were announced, lawmakers and onlookers to the historic vote in Parliament began singing a Maori love song in celebration.” The statement can be read in full here.

She was not the only high profile politician to highlight the Day’s falling exactly one month after the legalisation of same sex marriage in New Zealand, on April 17, 2013. Labour MP and champion of marriage equality in New Zealand, Louisa Wall, also used this coincidence, as a point for reflection on gains and challenges that remain for LGBT people in New Zealand and around the world.

Various other politicians in New Zealand also spoke out on the Day, and many wore pink as a sign of support.

Media Reports:

• Gay Express: The importance of the international day against bi, trans & homophobia

Activities included awareness-raising about IDAHO and New Zealand’s Pink Shirt Day – a general anti-bullying campaign – through social media; the targeting of schools to let them know about IDAHO, educating them about homophobic and transphobic bullying and how schools can create safer spaces; and distributing “It’s OK To Be Who You Are” posters to schools throughout the country.