Gender Minorities Aotearoa
Gender Minorities Aotearoa (GMA) is a nationwide transgender organisation run by and for transgender people, which includes all the various labelled gender types, from all ages, cultures and backgrounds. It provides a great deal of information about gender identity beliefs along with a network of support including one to one peer guidance. Â
On doing an overview of this organisation, what is astounding is the vast amount of funding it has access to. Those organisations which sponsor GMA include the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Justice, Wellington Airport, Wellington City Council, Wellington Community Trust, The Tindall Foundation, and The Rule Foundation.
GMA is one of 12 organisations that has received an unspecified share of $200,000 of funding from the Rule Foundation.
In most cases details of the donations are not available because the amounts are hard to identify in the donating organisation’s accounts, and GMA itself has been exempted by the Charities Commission from providing annual accounts.
GMA is likely to be one of the rainbow groups sharing in the extra $2.5million allocated for transgender health care in the 2022 Budget.
Wellington City Council’s annual reports show that GMA was given $110,000 between 2019 and 2021 and, in May 2022, was granted a further $42,000 for each of the next three years.
A substantial grant appears to come from the International Trans Fund (ITF) a well- resourced international group of trans activists and donors, active since 2015.The Rainbow WellBeing Legacy Fund (RWLF), also a sponsor, currently has applications open for a grant of up to $200,000 for projects, activities and organisations that work to improve mental outcomes for the rainbow community. A hui is available to help successfully process the application.
Feminist and women’s advocacy organisations have never had such generous financial support for their campaigns to benefit the various needs and welfare of biological women and girls.Â
Gender Minorities Aotearoa’s goal is for all transgender people to be empowered by a range of choices across all aspects of their lives to enable them to participate fully in society without prejudice and barriers.Â
Their website, which has annual reports for 2020-2021 and 2021-2022, includes a comprehensive list of where and how to get support and access services such as Rainbow housing NZ and getting access to breast binders. The site lacks any information or advice about possible adverse side effects on health and risks to well-being of using breast binders, puberty blockers, and cross sex hormones.Â
Gender Minorities Aotearoa received the 2021 Regional Community Award from Wellington City Council as a Health and WellBeing Winner.