30 Queer Lives: Conversations with LGBTQIA+ New Zealanders [Paperback]

Soldiers, politicians, Olympians, doctors, musicians, academics, businesspeople, farmers, writers and faafafine . . . the thirty LGBTQIA+ New Zealanders in this book are remarkable individuals. They each speak with candour and honesty about their challenges and successes, and together they show how LGBTQIA+ people strengthen the rich culture of Aotearoa.

From the famous  Grant Robertson, Gareth Farr, Chl?e Swarbrick  to the less well known, these stories encourage empathy and understanding, challenge stereotypes, and offer courage and hope.

Identity, understanding and celebration through the stories of thirty remarkable New Zealanders

Matt McEvoy completed a Bachelor of Music degree between Auckland and Otago Universities. Later, a holiday job at an Auckland tech company turned into 10 years of working in communications technology around Europe and finally Qatar, where he joined a small team creating the first outpost of Vodafone in the Middle East. Returning to Auckland, Matt now spreads his time between teaching piano, accepting the occasional local technology contract and writing, with a particular interest in social history and the diverse stories of extraordinary people who are seldom given a voice in New Zealand culture. His first book,The Grey Lynn Book, was published in 2018.

An important contribution to the social history of Aotearoa New Zealand6 Introduction11 Grant Robertson21 Takunda Muzondiwa31 Leilani Tominiko39 Nathan Joe49 Eliana Rubashkyn57 Scott Mathieson67 Henrietta Bollinger75 Andy Davies87 Sawyer Hawker97 James Dobson107 Taupuruariki ‘Ariki’ Brightwell121 Jonny Rudduck135 Chlöe Swarbrick145 David Sar Shalom Abadi157 Sarah Bickerton165 Peter Macky179 Carole Beu191 Gareth Farr199 Shaneel Shavneel Lal209 Tom Sainsbury217 Six231 Robbie Manson241 Charlotte Goodyear251 Meagan Goodman261 Edward Cowley271 Ross and John Palethorpe285 Ramon Te Wake295 Victor Rodger303 Loughlan Prior313 Ann Shelton326l#g