"Birds of a feather flock together." It's true. We do. We like to hang out, associate, and spend time with people who are similar to ourselves. Because although we love finding out new things, meeting people who are completely different, and being somewhere completely foreign, it is so much easier when you are with people like yourself. You can relax, be yourself, and feel safe and secure in the fact that the people around you know what you're talking about. They've been through it. They 'get you'. Even if you're not exactly the same - and no one ever is! - it's nice when there are certain things you can just take for granted.
But sometimes it's hard to find people like you. And it's hard to find your 'flock'.
If you're in a minority, you're less likely to see people like you represented in books, movies, news. That's just a fact. Although we are getting much better at including diversity in all areas of society, there is still a ways to go, and we do still need to highlight and celebrate difference as much as we can.
Which is why Samoan Queer Lives, by Dan Taulapapa McMullin and Yuki Kihara, is so important. This book is a collection of photos and stories of Samoan people who are 'fa'afafine' - transgender, intersex, gay, or other parts of the LGBTQ* rainbow community. These are photos and stories that cover the decades since the 1940s, and show that this community is nothing new – it has been around for years. This is an opportunity for people to see others like them, and to know they are not on their own. Their 'flock' is out there, and they will find it.
This September, we will have the opportunity to see some of Yuki Kihara’s photos for ourselves, when Samoan Queer Lives launches at Christchurch for one evening only (TSB Space, Tūranga, Thursday 12 September 6pm to 7.30pm). It’s free, so come along, celebrate diversity, and – whether you identify as queer* or not - maybe you’ll leave knowing just a bit more than you did when you went in.
Who knows – maybe this will be the evening you find your ‘flock’ for the first time.
Samoan Queer Lives Thursday 12 September 6pm at the TSB Space, Tūranga
First of its kind, Samoan Queer Lives features a collection of autobiographical pieces by fa`afafine, transgender, and queer people of Samoa, presented by artist Yuki Kihara.
- Borrow Samoan Queer Lives from the library.
- Find more books by Yuki Kihara in our collection.
- Subscribe to the Facebook event.
WORD Christchurch Shifting Points of View
WORD Christchurch presents Shifting Points of View — a spectacular line-up of New Zealand and international speakers to warm you up and get you thinking. Shifting Points of View runs from Sunday 18 August to Saturday 14 September 2019. Visit our page on WORD Christchurch Shifting Points of View for more information, previews, reviews, and WORD reading.
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