I can’t help but notice the difference in what people are doing …..
The devastation from Cyclone Gabrielle in the mid east coast of the North Island of New Zealand is huge. To date, there are countless people without homes, without power, and without drinkable water. Ten people are confirmed dead, including a two-year old girl and two volunteer firefighters, and around 3,500 people are still reported as being uncontactable. Roads and bridges are broken, and mud, silt, and debris from the floodwaters are everywhere. Thousands of animals have drowned, and orchards and crops have been destroyed.
Emergency services, civil defence, the navy, the air force, and the army are working with ordinary people to bring what help they can to the affected regions.
The recovery from this cyclone will take years.
Meantime, while all this is going on, I can’t help but notice how trans activists here in NZ are planning to hold a vigil for the murder of a young man who identified as a woman on the other side of the world.
No vigil for the lives lost here, nor the devastating losses that people have experienced, and no asking “what can we do?” No, the best action that the organiser and attendees can think of is to have a vigil for a person’s death in the UK, 18+ thousand kms away. At one level, this tragedy almost comes across as being mined for its political capital. The UK police say that there is no evidence this was a hate crime, but that didn’t stop the chant of “fuck Keir Starmer” at a vigil, apparently for his silence on the matter. The family of the young transwoman themselves have also remained dignified and quiet.
A couple of weeks prior to the east coast being devastated, Auckland got a monstrous deluge and widespread flooding, too. The damage and homelessness is extensive. The protest that trans activists had planned there in order to demand the government chuck more money at transpeople had to be postponed. But the plucky souls managed to squeeze it in the following weekend, in between the next round of devastation.
I’m glad that we here in NZ have the right to have peaceful marches, protest, and vigils – but, fuck me, read the fucking room! These trans activists’ latest displays have all the hallmarks of them only being vaguely aware, if that, of there being two national disasters and people needing real help right now. Genuine question: are there any ‘blue hairs’, trans or not, actually doing anything to help? Or are they all busy holding protests and marches for themselves, and vigils for a stranger on the other side of the world?
I’m aware that possibly I’m being a little unfair. I accept that – but, tough, life can be unfair and can send unasked-for disasters. I’ll continue to maintain that people who are well-fed and capable can do more for their own and other communities right here and now, than hold ‘luxury’ events.
If a disaster coincided with Kellie-Jay Keen’s ‘Let Women Speak’ rallies¹ in Auckland or Wellington in late March, I’d put money on it that she would be the first to say: “forget the rallies, go and help”.
¹ Kellie-Jay Keen’s ‘Let Women’ Speak rallies here in NZ are being spearheaded by Mana Wāhine Kōrero and LOUT, but are fully supported by Speak Up for Women NZ. Keep an eye on their Facebook page for more details.
Widespread damage: Cyclone Gabrielle in pictures | RNZ News
Cyclone Gabrielle: Friday's response in pictures | RNZ News
Cyclone Gabrielle: Police find body in Hawke’s Bay; water crisis and power outages - NZ Herald
Cyclone Gabrielle: Thousands displaced, communities remain cut off and death toll rises | RNZ News
Have you noticed The Warehiuse is selling Disney rainbow crap and giving a percentage to some Trans school charity.
Thank you, Katrina, for your as usual 'hitting the nail on the head' commentary. One thing that has long bothered me is the UK "Day to remember the murdered trans people" (not it's real name, but this is the purpose) when it has been YEARS since any have been killed there. Contrast this with the number of women murdered (nearly 200/year as of the most recent stats show). In fact, looking just at the statistics, it would appear that identifying as trans is protective against being killed by another person. And like you I question what legacy these virtue signaling keyboard warriors are leaving behind them (well, other than the mutilated bodies of children that is).
Perhaps someday they can have a vigil for all those young people who were sterilised by their "treatment" for a mental health disorder and all the babies who were born to mothers who could not feed them because an ideology had persuaded them that breasts were too problematic to keep.