We can’t always act up, we can’t always speak up, but we can always turn up
Women are being called on to turn up at Parliament at 1pm, next Thursday, 8 June, to highlight concerns over the impact of changes to the Births Deaths Marriages Relationships Registration Act that will come into effect in June.
Tania Sturt, a founding member of the Women’s Rights Party and the activist group Women Act Up, and Suzanne Levy, from Speak Up For Women, are collaborating on the ‘Turn Up For Women’ protest, which will be similar in format to Kellie-Jay Keen Minshull’s Let Women Speak events and canvas a range of issues relating to women’s rights.
The event will have scheduled speakers from different activist groups in New Zealand. All speakers are lesbian or gay to reflect that June is also International Pride Month.
“We chose the tagline of ‘We can’t always act up, we can’t always speak up, but we can always turn up’ as a nod to the cancelling of women’s voices at Auckland’s Albert Park and the subsequent decision to cancel the Let Women Speak Wellington event,” says Tania.
Speak Up For Women and Women Act Up have purchased a PA system ahead of similar events they are planning around the country.
“In July we’re looking at an event in the South Island,” says Tania. “We’re not sure what our reception will be in some places, but wherever we go, we can promise that we’ll definitely Turn Up.”
Thursday’s protest is the second event organised by Tania and Suzanne. The first, held on Parliament grounds on 3 May, was publicly advertised so counter-protesters were expected.
“We decided to get permission to hold a protest on Parliamentary grounds because we wanted to send a message to the sitting MPs on the day, and also it would be well managed with Parliamentary security,” says Suzanne. “As it turned out, we had excellent support from security and police and we were really happy with the turn out and participation.”
Suzanne says women spoke with passion and urgency about their concern over threats to their rights from gender ideology, concern for children caught up in an ideology, and some spoke with compassion for transgender people (often while being abused by counter-protesters).
“We were so pleased with this event, we intend to do them on a regular basis,” says Suzanne.
The events are livestreamed on https://www.youtube.com/@TurnUpNZ