Hilary Oxley

Hilary is involved in Lesbian Action for Visibility in Aotearoa (LAVA), formed in 1988 to promote lesbian visibility and fight for protection from discrimination. Wellington lesbians had become aware that the then Labour Government was planning to introduce a bill that would give homosexuals and people with HIV/AIDS protection from discrimination under the Human Rights Act. LAVA set about organising a lesbian visibility campaign and support for the proposed legislation.

Since 1994, LAVA has been involved with lesbian campaigns opposing men identifying as lesbians. They also oppose the Human Rights Commission’s interpretation of the words “woman” and “lesbian”, arguing that while the Human Rights Act protects lesbian rights, the Commission’s interpretation undermines them. LAVA says lesbians should retain access to lesbian-only resources and spaces.

LAVA says that young lesbians are now facing homophobic pressure to transition because of their gender non-conformity—pressure both from wider society and from LGBTQ+ activists.

In 2021, LAVA was denied access to displaying its local lesbian history exhibit at a Pride Fair in Wellington. Following that exclusion, Hilary became one of the complainants in a Human Rights Review Tribunal case against Wellington Pride Fair Incorporated.

Hilary says, “We know that lesbians are exclusively same-sex-attracted women, not same-gender-attracted: sex and gender are different.”

Hilary was born in Lower Hutt, “came out” in Auckland, and has lived in the Manawatū for 40 years. She has been an out and proud lesbian speaking up for Women’s Liberation for 50 years.

Hilary is (mainly) retired and currently works part-time as a support person. Over the years she has been a dishwasher, Easter Bunny, courier, accounts clerk, waitress, university student, community worker, social research door-knocker, lawn mower, house cleaner, declutterer, reader/writer aide, and eventually studied to earn a Bachelor of Interior Design.