A tribute to Georgina

On Monday afternoon Aotearoa lost a Kiwi icon and trailblazer – Georgina Beyer. An amazing woman and an inspiration to many. She will be fondly remembered and sadly missed, not only by New Zealanders, but by discriminated against minorities in many parts of the world. I’ll leave it to others better skilled than I to sing her praises.

Georgina Beyer remembered as trailblazer by Prime Minister, Labour’s Rainbow caucus chair

‘Georgina had guts’: Chris Carter remembers Georgina Beyer

Georgina Beyer: Tributes pour in for world’s first openly transgender MP, former PM Helen Clark remembers her as humorous, courageous

World’s first transgender mayor and MP, Georgina Beyer, dies aged 65 | Newshub [3:35}

Trailblazing MP Georgina Beyer dies aged 65 [5:43]

Georgina Beyer; Rainbow Voices interview | NZ Parliament [12:56]

Matangireia S2 | Episode 2: Georgina Beyer | RNZ [46:02]

MPs react to death of Georgina Beyer [3:28]

Former MP Georgina Beyer remembered as ‘anchor for the rainbow community’ – Louisa Wall [8:05]

Musical Monday (2022/10/31) – Victoria

One of my all time favourite songs and ranks at number 8 in New Zealand’s Top 100 songs of all time. The song tells of a real life person known as vicky who used heavy makeup to hide the bruises inflicted by her then boyfriend and pimp. Often she used makeup and unusual clothing to hide the bruises on her body, arms and legs as well. It tells of the life of many caught in the sex trade before it was decriminalised in Aotearoa in 2003.

Victoria was the debut song of the Dance Exponents when they first appeared live at the Hillsborough Tavern on 15th October 1982, making this song 40 years old at time of writing. It was written by band member Jordan Luck, who as a naive eighteen year old didn’t at first realise why Vicky wore such heavy makeup. The song is just as valid today for many people (mostly, but not always women) who find themselves in an abusive relationship but unable (or unwilling) to escape from it.

Victoria – Dance Exponents. Song writer: Jordan William Hunter Luck

Victoria

She gets glances since they first greeted
Sent salutations that can't be repeated
She's become a social institution
Prepares her prey like an execution

Victoria
What do you want from him, want from him?
Victoria
What do see in him, see in him?

She's up in time to watch the soap opera
Reads cosmopolitan and Alvin Toffler
Meeting in the places that she's never been to
She's got a mind but it's the clothes they see through

Victoria
What do you want from him, want from him?
Victoria
What do see in him, see in him?

She lives with a man who sees her as money
Laughs at his lines that aren't even funny
She's in bed but she's not sleeping
is he a customer that's really worth keeping?

Victoria
What do you want from him, want from him?
Victoria
What do see in him, see in him?

There's no such thing as romance blooming
Sundays are for washing and doing the hoovering
Talking to her friends on the telephone
Another jerk rings up who won't leave her alone

Victoria
What do you want from him, want from him?
Victoria
What do see in him, see in him?

Victoria
What do you want from him, want from him?
Victoria
What do see in him, see in him?

Victoria
What do you want from him, want from him?
Victoria
What do see in him, see in him?

Musical Monday (2022/09/05) – Maxine

I am not, by any stretch of the imagination, a romantic. The typical love found, love betrayed, love lost content of oh so many popular songs seldom appeals to me. On the other hand songs that express pure emotion do get to me, and the same is true of songs that comment on (non-romantic) aspects of life. This applies particularly to this song by Kiwi singer songwriter Sharon O’Neil.

O’Neil moved to Australia in 1981 and took up residence in Kings Cross – the red light district of Sydney. She wrote the song after observing a sex worker regularly worked the neighbourhood in the small hours of the morning as O’Neil returned from her late night performances. The music video was recorded 39 years ago and it’s still just as relevant today as it was in 1983. Maxine chronicles life of a corner of 1980s society that most like to pretend never existed, and let’s be honest still exists in almost every city in almost every nation on this planet.

Maxine peaked at number 16 in both Australia and Aotearoa.

Maxine – Sharon O’Neil

Maxine

Creases in your white dress,
Bruises on your bare skin.
Looks like another fine mess
You've got yourself into.
What's the matter with you?
Has the cat got your tongue?
Well, if you don't like the beat,
Then don't play with the drum.

Maxine,
You're not the only one
To take the whole world on,
But no one's ever won.
Maxine, Case 1-3-5-2.
A red and green tattoo,
Eyes cold steel blue

On a rain-slicked avenue, (ooh-ooh)
Long shadows in the night. (ooh-ooh)
Take off your spike-heeled shoes, (ooh-ooh)
You've gotta run for your life.
(Run for your life)
Razor blade in your pocket (ooh-ooh)
From an ex-marine, (ooh-ooh)
Makes you speed like a rocket. (ooh-ooh)
Ooh, it cuts so clean.

Maxine, (who's that walking?)
You're not the only one (walking behind you)
(Who's that talking?)
To take the whole world on, (talking about you)
(Who's that walking?)
But no one's ever won. (walking with you Maxine)
Maxine (who's that walking?)
Case 1-3-5-2. (walking behind you)
(Who's that talking?)
A red and green tattoo, (talking about you)
(Who's that walking?)
Eyes cold steel blue. (walking with you Maxine)

How come you're paying for borrowed time, (Ooh-ooh)
Staring out into space. (ooh-ooh)
Bad boys and cold comfort (ooh-ooh)
And a smacked-up face.
Maxine, (who's that walking?)
You're not the only one (walking behind you)
(Who's that talking?)
To take the whole world on, (talking about you)
(Who's that walking?)
But no one's ever won. (walking with you Maxine)

Maxine (who's that walking?)
Case 1-3-5-2. (walking behind you)
(Who's that talking?)
A red and green tattoo, (talking about you)
(Who's that walking?)
Eyes cold steel blue. (walking with you Maxine)
Maxine, (who's that walking?)
You're not the only one (walking behind you)
(Who's that talking?)
To take the whole world on, (talking about you)
(Who's that walking?)
But no one's ever won. (walking with you Maxine)

Who's that walking, walking behind you?
Who's that talking, talking about you?
Who's that walking, walking with you, Maxine?
Who's that walking, walking behind you?
Who's that talking, talking about you?
Who's that walking, walking with you, Maxine?

Local fund raising event hits world headlines

During my rounds of various blog sites this evening I stumbled across a site in the UK that had an article about a small business in a small NZ township that was opening its doors to the public for one day in order to raise funds for a local charity. This has raised the ire of a conservative Christian group. Unfortunately they are angry for the wrong reason, and I’ll come to that shortly.

Until the late 1970s New Zealand was probably the most egalitarian society on earth. With a comprehensive social welfare system and full employment poverty was almost unknown. Now we are in the unenviable position of having that fastest growing divide between rich and poor in the OECD.

The fund raising event is for a charity that provides meals to school children whose families are unable to provide the necessary nourishment. That is what the Christian group Family First should be angry about. A society that denies disadvantaged families through no fault of their own the dignity of adequate meals for their children is something that should not be seen as acceptable in a modern liberal society.

But is Family First concerned about the rise in the number of families living below the poverty line in the face of increasing national wealth? Apparently not.

So what has upset Family First?  It appears that they don’t like the nature of the business that is opening its doors for the day. It seems they would prefer children go hungry rather than allowing the public to learn how a seldom discussed business is run.

Admittedly, the type of business involved can be exploitative and is illegal in most parts of the world. Neither are are true here. It’s a legitimate business and can be found in almost every suburb in the country.

The business is a brothel and this is why Family First are so upset. But as they are firmly convinced that what goes on in private between consenting adults should be regulated and mostly banned, perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised by their reaction. No doubt they are firmly convinced that the plight of the disadvantaged is justly deserved punishment from God for undisclosed sins.

What I find fascinating is the number of articles this whole affair has raised in overseas publications, yet has received very little here. An extensive search of Google failed to find any NZ sources but dozens in overseas media including The Guardian and the Daily Mail. The only NZ publication I can find is the original article in the Taranaki Daily News.

While I’m no supporter of prostitution, it’s probably the oldest profession next to midwifery and unlikely to disappear any time soon. For that  reason it’s better that it’s out in the open where employment laws can make it safe for all concerned. The alternatives leaves all those involved in the industry open to exploitation and control by the criminal world.

As far as I am concerned, the greater of the two “evils” is poverty, not prostitution.

Double standard?

With the exception of a few counties in Nevada, The exchange of sex for money is illegal in the USA…

unless the event is recorded and copies are made available for distribution.

The oldest profession: what’s its status?

Although midwifery is probably an older profession, everyone knows what is being referred to when mentioning the “world’s oldest profession“, and that’s prostitution. So how is prostitution faring these days? It really depends on where you look.

In most parts of the world prostitution is illegal. Penalties range from fines to life imprisonment. Again, depending where you are, the penalties will apply either to the seller, the purchaser, or both. However, the illegality of prostitution in these counties has had little, if any, effect in stopping the practice. The most noticeable effect is that prostitution is controlled by the criminal world.

Some other countries have taken another approach and while not criminalising prostitution itself, criminalise activities around prostitution, such as soliciting, running a brothel and living of the earnings of a prostitute. In these countries too, organised crime are big players in the sex industry.

A few, a very few, have decriminalised prostitution. New Zealand has probably the most liberal prostitution laws of any country. These were liberalised in 2003 and although some religious groups were predicting our streets would become awash with sex, debauchery and organised crime, little has changed except sex workers are protected by our employment laws.

There has not be a rise in the number of sex workers. In fact there may have been a small decline as it is now much easier to leave the industry. And because prostitution is not criminalized, there is little room for the criminal underworld to manoeuvre.

The Prostitutes Collective have a web page summarising the current law, and there is an interesting,  2007 Report on The Impact of the Prostitution Reform Act on the Health and Safety Practices of Sex Workers (213 page PDF document) carried out by the University of Otago in 2007, if you’d like dig a little deeper.

While I’m not condoning prostitution in any way, from the evidence I have seen, I believe decriminalisation is the least harmful method of dealing with it. What’s your view?