You, Me, Us

You, Me, Us - Helping Create Healthy Relationships for Queer & Gender Diverse People

Everyone deserves to be in healthy and violence-free relationships. It’s also vital that people in marginalised communities have easy access to information and support for when things go wrong. RainbowYOUTH and the Ministry of Social Development’s ‘It’s not OK’ campaign have collaborated to provide a resource about healthy relationships for the queer & gender diverse community.

Tackling a topic rarely acknowledged or discussed in the mainstream society, You, Me, Us is all about healthy relationships for queer, takātapui* and gender diverse people. It contains information about sex and consent, identifying and preventing abuse, and asking for help, alongside positive role models from the rainbow community.

Duncan Matthews, General Manager at RainbowYOUTH: “Watching different areas of the community come together to collaborate on this resource was hugely exciting, and gives me confidence that the resource produced will provide accurate, up to date and accessible information for many queer, gender diverse
and takatāpui people in our communities on healthy relationships, identifying
unhealthy behaviors and accessing support.”

Originally produced in 2010, RainbowYOUTH, along with many community partner organisations bringing specific knowledge and expertise, was funded by the Ministry of Social Development's ‘It's not OK’ campaign to produce an updated version of this popular resource. The booklet contains contacts for support available nationwide from social services and groups with expertise working with people in queer relationships.

The It’s not OK Campaign: “Everyone deserves to be in relationships that are healthy and violence-free. It’s important that people in LGBTI relationships don’t get isolated and feel ok asking for help when things go wrong. You, Me, Us provides practical advice on what people can do when they need support and
where to go for help. The It’s not OK campaign was pleased to support the update
of the booklet to keep it relevant. It was designed for and by the LGBTI
communities and will be made widely available.”

The launch of the resource is being celebrated on Monday 4th May, and will be available for online download and distribution by request to community organisations from RainbowYOUTH and the It’s not OK campaign. Visit the You, Me, Us website for more information: www.youmeus.co.nz

RainbowYOUTH and the ‘It’s not OK’ campaign thank the individuals and community organisations that have helped make this resource possible - including Women’s Refuge, Help Auckland, as well as those featured in the resource as faces for positive relationships within the rainbow community.

RainbowYOUTH is a charitable organisation that works in a peer based model to support queer and trans* young people in Aotearoa New Zealand. RainbowYOUTH provides information, advocacy, peer support groups, education in schools and Professional Development.

The Ministry of Social Development’s ‘It’s not OK’ campaign is a community-driven behaviour change campaign to reduce family violence in New Zealand. Its goal is to change attitudes and behaviour that tolerate any kind of family violence.

*takātapui = a term used by people who identify as both Māori and queer.

ENDS

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