The Warehouse puberty blockers

We've ragged on “apostle” Brian Tamaki many times in the past, but this week has seen a new crusade emerge.

Brian's co-leader of a new political party Freedoms NZ, along with another long-time topic of ours, Sue Grey. Freedoms NZ is supposed to be an umbrella party, uniting a bunch of disparate parties under the “freedoms” banner.

Their political posture is described as far-right, which, in my book, means anything but freedom. Freedom for some, but at the expense of others.

So, this week, in a political speech, Brian stated that their party would be against the perceived “transgender agenda” - that it's “gone too far”. He said they'd legislate against the whole gay/pride movement. Doesn't sound like freedom to me!

He made the claim that retailer The Warehouse was selling puberty blocker medicines on its shelves. Patent rubbish.

This prompted The Warehouse to make a public statement that it doesn't sell prescription medicines.

It seems that Tamaki is taking aim at anything vaguely promoting the pride community, and following the path of far-right groups in the US, who have recently taken to trying to boycott retail outlets such as Target and Walmart for selling products that celebrate pride. (Of course, the cynical will understand that companies will sell almost anything that will turn a profit…)

Anyway, these sorts of appeals will resonate with conspiracy minded voters, and bigots who want to erase or hide gender diverse people.

I'm doubtful that Tamaki could explain what puberty blockers are all about. I recently listened to a great episode of the Sawbones podcast which covered the topic of gender-affirming care for minors. It's a recommended listen and explains exactly why puberty blockers are so important and the dangers of not supporting children going through the experience.

And, speaking of the other leader of Freedoms NZ, Sue Grey is now going to be facing a disciplinary tribunal of her peers, after anti-vax comments made during the height of the pandemic. These things move slowly, but I'm hopeful that there are some consequences for her.