Make a rainbow connection with Tāmaki Pātaka Kōrero Central City Library
Our libraries are an inclusive and supportive space for everyone – members of the rainbow community can and should feel safe at their local library.
Drawing from their own experiences, staff at Tāmaki Pātaka Kōrero Central City Library who identify as LGBTQ+ – and their allies – came up with the idea for Rainbow Connection. This pen pal programme has been designed for people to connect with others with similar stories and experiences.
If you or someone you know would like to get involved, sign up before 19 June and we will match you up with a pen pal. You must be aged 18 or over to take part.
Below are some stories from a few of our staff about their experiences being queer in Aotearoa and how pen pals have helped them find support, understanding and joy.
Rhi Lennox (they/them)
I’ve been writing letters to one of my best friends for a few years now – ever since she moved down to Wellington for uni. These letters feel really meaningful to me and are an important part of our friendship.
"I think they strengthen our connection because we both have to set aside time to write to each other; rather than just typing out a message or having a quick phone call."
Also, during the most recent lockdown, I felt very isolated from my friends – and several of my close friends are queer, like me. I started thinking about how some folks may feel isolated even after alert levels go down – maybe because they’re immunocompromised, or are dealing with mental illness, or another reason. So, the idea of building strong connections through letter-writing, and being connected with other LGBTQ+ folks, came together to form Rainbow Connection.
Nick Weijermars (he/him)
I’ve had many pen pals over the years, especially among online friends who moved or lived overseas. I have some that continue even to this day, and they’ve become some of my warmest lifelong friendships that I’ve come to treasure greatly.
I’ve found that for LGBTQ+ people especially it can be a challenge to be understood the way you want to be, so when you find people who have the same perspective and struggles as you, you want to hold on to them as long for as you possibly can. Because of that, my pen pals have been a constant source of joy for me in a way that was different from other friendships. I think it was the constancy – something solid and unchangeable that stayed with me no matter where I went in life. It meant that no matter how much things were changing around me, or how hard it was to find like-minded people in person, I always had a long chain of messages on the horizon from someone who was cheering for me just as much as I was cheering for them. It always made things easier to deal with knowing that I had that support, and there was no shortage of times when something would happen in my life, and I just couldn’t wait to tell my friends overseas about it.
Over the years I’ve ended up surrounding myself with many like-minded people who love to type out longer messages even if it means waiting longer for them.
"We never end up minding if there’s a delay between responses – that just means we’ll have even more to say next time!"
Sign up for a pen pal
If you’re aged 18+ and are interested in being matched with a pen pal, sign up before 19 June 2022.
If you're ever looking for more support, there are many organisations dedicated to supporting Aotearoa New Zealand’s rainbow community, including:
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