- Location: Melville, Hamilton
- Room: Melville, Hamilton
- Start Date: Thursday 13th Feb, 2025.
- End Date: Thursday 27th Mar, 2025.
- Time: 6.00 - 9.00.
- 7 Weeks.
- 3 hours per week.
ENROLLING NOW FOR TERM 1, 2025 - START DATE 13th of FEB 2024!
Are you new to the Rainbow community?
Are you an adult (18+), just starting to question your gender or sexuality?
Have you been wondering how to connect with other people who are also on this journey?
This course is for you!
As a group we will talk through all the big questions you have – you will learn about terminology and the history of our communities in Aotearoa New Zealand. We will talk through the fears and joys of coming out and how to negotiate this with family and friends. We discuss relationships in the Rainbow world - dating, dancing and dynamics. You will be invited to think and learn about takataapui-tanga, and you will meet a group of people who are all on the same journey, with very different perspectives.
About your Facilitators
This course is co-facilitated by Bex Fraser, Caya Divakalala and Carole for Hohou te Rongo Kahukura.
Bex is a non-binary bisexual pākehā person who has been a part of Waikato Rainbow community since they were 27 – that’s more than 15 years now! :) They live in rural Waikato with their partner Sandra, and they have a trans son in Wellington. They work as a facilitator and strategic development consultant, most recently with Hohou te Rongo Kahukura, Rainbow Hub Waikato, Red Cross and Shama Ethnic Women’s Trust.
Cayathri is a queer person of colour from the mountains, waters, lands and flora and fauna of Lanka (popularly known as Sri Lanka). Caya first identified as queer in the early 2000s and has done lots of social justice and queer activism, as well as facilitating groups for people understanding and exploring their identities. In Kirikirioa, Caya works with a couple of collectives and research initiatives. She is the co-founder of Adhikaar Aotearoa, a charitable Trust that aims to diversify the realm of queerness and sex, gender and sexual diversity through support, education and advocacy for queer people of colour in Aotearoa. Caya brings an eclectic approach to creating and exploring spaces that work for you!
Carole is a non-binary/trans/bi pākehā participant from the first Big Qs group. They have facilitated a group for trans women working on transition through the Waikato Hospital. They set up a LGBTQ+ addiction recovery group and have given individual sessions to recoverers of any identity for over 20 years.
Before terms such as transgender and gender-fluid existed, Carole first identified as queer in 1976 while living and working in France. They have worked in teaching both adults and adolescents. They retired from education in 2008 to give more time to visual art practice.
They live with their wife, have four children and nine grandchildren with whom they are closely engaged.
Hohou te Rongo Kahukura is a rainbow and takataapui organisaton dedicated to creating safe communities for us to flourish in. You can find lots of resources about healthy relationships and safety on our website.
Tutors:
Bex Fraser
This course is supported by the TEC (Tertiary Education Commission) to assist with literacy, numeracy and wellbeing needs of students. You must attend 80% of the class. At the same time we hope you will learn other useful and interesting skills and have a lot of fun learning with us.
