Latest Newsletter from the Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia Trust of New Zealand - March 2010
The CAH Trust is New Zealand is strong and now putting out an email based news letter.
Click on the logo for the latest pdf newsletter packed full of information on CAH. Contact the CAHNZ Trust by viewing our links.
4 May 2008 - Kim Hill interviews Mani Bruce Mitchell on Radio New Zealand
June 2008 - Mani travels to Tasmania
As some of you know I have this amazing historic linkage with Tasmania that goes back to 1998 when Pam Neeson (friend and sexual health nurse) first raised money to enable me to visit and do and educational lecture tour of the island. The trip has been repeated a number of times and I now have a very robust network of people and organizations that are aware of intersex issues and have been actively supporting my work.
This years trip had as its primary focus my attending a very large women’s conference hosted by the city of Launceston.
The second part of the trip I was based in Hobart and hosted by Susan Ditter Manager of the state funded Diversity Organisation, Out There. It was while staying with Susan that I ran the workshop for the Tasmanian Health Ministry exploring what a best practice model of intersex health might look like. It was the perfect opportunity to test the workshops that will running in the near future here in New Zealand. This workshop was very well attended with people right across the health sector and included the Tasmanian Commissioner for children.
4 May 2008 - Kim Hill interviews Mani Bruce Mitchell on Radio New Zealand
Mani profiled in the Assume Nothing exhibition talks on being intersex.
8 April 2008 The New Zealand Herald
Standing proud to break cycle of shame and secrecy
An exhibition about to open in Lower Hutt seeks to challenge preconceptions about transgender and intersex people.
Auckland photographer Rebecca Swan's black and white portraits are dramatic and bold, some searingly beautiful. Often they mask stories of discrimination and violence.
Mani Bruce Mitchell, hermaphrodite, sexual abuse survivor, counsellor and spokeswoman, is one of the photo subjects.
Topless, staring directly at the viewer, a wispy beard visible on her chin, Mitchell's expression is a curious mix of defiance and vulnerability. Scratched across her breasts are the words "I am not a monster". (click on the image for a pdf copy of the full New Zealand Herald article)
From 12 April to 31 August 2008, TheNewDowse is hosting Assume Nothing, a challenging and sensitive exploration and celebration of the complex world of gender diversity.
The exhibition features 23 outstanding images by photographer Rebecca Swan, and eight animated portraits and a documentary by award-winning film maker, Kirsty McDonald. Assume Nothing reveals the extraordinary and ordinary worlds of individuals who define their gender identity in many different ways. Carmen Rupe and Georgina Beyer, activist and spokesperson Mani Bruce Mitchell, and artist Shigeyuki Kihara are among those featured.
This exhibition is a powerful vehicle for engineering change. If your organisation is interested in utilising the unique opportunity that this exhibition provides please contact:jayne.cooper-woodhouse@huttcity.govt.nz. phone 04 560 1483. TheNewDowse prides itself in being an accessible friendly space, and has meeting rooms and conference facilities available.
The opening night went well with approximately 200 of Wellington's most diverse range of people packed into the gallery for this thought provoking exhibition.
Click on this link for some words from Mani on the evening
We were Out in the Square at the Fair 1st March 2008
While many intersex adults would not necessarily identify as gay, lesbian we all affected by homophobia and prejudice which sadly remains in our society today.
Treatment protocols of the past used to reassure parents that medical procedures which include, assigning a gender and reinforcing it with hormones and invasive normalizing genital surgery would ensure the child would grow up normal. That is to say, the expectation was their child would be heterosexual. That the child would grow up identifying with the gender which had been assigned at birth.
A team of people lead by Sue Russ had been collecting used clothing for weeks
we had over a 1,000 items donated
much of the stock was of a high quality
on Thursday a working bee sorted and priced everything
this is my niece Annabel in the square this morning
with our beautiful new flag...
And exclusively, beautiful rainbow wrist bands. We were OUT in the SQUARE.
30 March and 17 February - Radio New Zealand - National - Two One in Five programmes
30 March 2008 - An interview about the 'Assume nothing' exhibition
17 February 2008 - An interview with Mani Bruce Mitchell who is the Executive Director of the Intersex Trust Aotearoa New Zealand, consultant, educator and advocate about intersex issues. We discuss barriers faced by people, both within the medical system and within wider society; who for physical, biological, genetic, or environmental reasons do not fit neatly into a definition of female or male.
12 January 2008 - Joseph (Max) Beck dies
It is with great sadness IANZ reports the death of Joseph (Max) Beck, long time intersex activist, historian, visionary, friend, inspiration, father and husband. Max died peacefully at home on Saturday the 12th of January after a three year battle with cancer.
This link is to 'Max's Cafe' a website put together by his friends.
"This is a place to have a cup of coffee and share what is beautiful and meaningful in our lives: poetry, photos, artworks, essays, conversations.
We share these things in a spirit of respect, kindness, and wisdom.This spirit informs and enlightens our intersex lives and shows us, and the world, the wonder that is our reality.
Max loved coffee and great conversation and we dedicate this site, this cafe, to his spirit and memory."
This link is to an article is from the paper the Southern Voice tells of a remarkable man of great courage and strength.
This picture below was put together by placing Max's words and onto one of Mani's photos of the south coast of Wellington.
November / December 2007 - Mani travels via Hawaii to USA linking up with Max Beck, Milton Diamond, Cheryl Chase and the Intersex community.
Attached is Mani's summary of the trip.. not and easy one with Max being sick, good contacts made and retained with the Intersex community in the USA by the Intersex Trust Aotearoa New Zealand.
Marriage equity is still an issue in the USA this link from David Cameron into the Marriage Equity site. Mani shared thanksgiving dinner with Anne Tamaris, talked about her new Trust. Advocates for Informed Choice (AIC) www.aiclegal.org. AIC is the first organization in the USA to undertake a coordinated strategy of legal advocacy for the rights of children with intersex conditions or DSDs.
December 2007 - Interesting link to Oprah show archive from 21 September
This information came in via an email from ISNA a few months ago. "On Friday, September 21, the Oprah Winfrey Show screened segment in which Oprah talks with Katie Baratz, Lynnell Stephani Long, Hida Viloria, and Katie's mother Arlene Baratz MD about their experiences of growing up with an intersex condition."
On the day this was difficult to view from New Zealand, but great in raising the awareness of intersex in the USA. The link to this interview can be found on the Oprah web site archives. When looking through this, a simple but good explanation of intersex by Dr Alice Dreger was found.
17 October 2007 - New Trust Members
ITANZ says farewell to three long serving trust members. We thank them for their support and hard work and wish them all the best for the future. The out-going members were Lorae Parry, Nigel Christie and Jenny Rowan.
The new trust members were confirmed as Mani Mitchell, Margaret Sparrow, Gay Kahu, Graham Brandreth-Wills, Susan Sayer, Joy Liddicoat and Drew Mackenzie.
The Annual Report tabled at the meeting can be downloaded as a pdf from this link.
14 October 2007- View the award winning film "Black and White" on line film festival
Imagining Ourselves: Online Film Festival
No need to line up for tickets or even get out of those pajamas: Just log on to experience the cinematic voices of talented young women from around the world.
The International Museum of Women premieres it’s first ever Imagining Ourselves Online Film Festival featuring a film a day for the month of October.
For 31 days, we will present original and captivating animations, feature films, documentaries, shorts, music videos and experimental films from around the world.
Click this link to get to the Black and White page.
October 2007 - News
Black and White showing at Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec. Canada. This link is to the Concordia online newspaper The Link and a recent interview with Kirsty MacDonald. Interesting comments, but hey this website gets a mention!
September 2007 - News
Exploration of difference pre workshop with KuneKune and workshop underway
Mani and Drew at Kapiti Counsellors workshop - "Conversations around difference" Approximately 40 counsellors/social workers and medical staff from the Kapiti Coast attended a workshop on difference run one evening by Mani with help from Drew.
6 - 7 July 2007 - News
Mani returned to
27 - 29 June 2007 - News
Mani has been out travelling Intersex Awareness on the road visiting the Lands of Ngai
Tahu.
9 June 2007 - News
The Any Body session at the Out Takes Queer Film Festival was sold out on Monday night.
Because many many people were disappointed, Reel Queer arranged another screening on Saturday
9 June, at 11:45 am.
Mani Bruce Mitchell - star of the prize-winning documentary "Black and White"
which is part of the session, founder of the Intersex Trust Aotearoa New
Films to be shown at this
session were,
Any
Body
This documentary explores the societal context and personal experience of growing up
intersex.
Black and White
Fifty years later this documentary explores the creative collaboration between Mani
Bruce Mitchell and photographer Rebecca Swan.
Mani’s identity is fluid, challenging rigid gender categories with strength, humour
and a fierce commitment to social justice.
Harsh Beauty
The documentary doesn’t explain its subjects, but simply offers a rare glimpse into
their often misunderstood world.
4 June 2007 - News
The Intersex Insight talk was held as part of the Any Body session of the Out Takes Reel Queer Film Festival 8.30 PM Monday 4 June 2007 at the Paramount in Wellington. www.outtakes.org.nz
Before the screening, the Intersex Trust Aotearoa NZ hosted about 50 people to drinks and nibbles and a narrated slide show presented by Mani Bruce Mitchell and Rebecca Swan, on the making of 'Black and White' & photo model in the award winning book 'Assume Nothing' a copy of which was raffled before the screening.
The photo shows the group Tiwhanawhana lead by Elizabeth Kerekere opening the slide show.
'Assume Nothing' a stunning and beautiful book introduces the reader to the blurring, bending and cementing of gender. The images by Rebecca Swan are flanked by individual autobiography. This book was 8 years in the making and available through Rebecca's website or Unity Book, 57 Willis Street, Wellington, unity.books@clear.net.nz.
26 May 2007 - News
The IANZ Website goes online.
17 May 2007 - News
Hermaphrodites who don't know it - Mani and Milton Diamond quote from this website article. "People of ambiguous gender are more common than society realizes and many do not even know they blur the line line between male and female, a visiting expert says."