Safe Space Alliance Member

Takatāpui

Takatāpui is a Māori (indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand) word, historically meaning ‘intimate companion of the same sex’. The term was reclaimed in the 1980s and used by individuals who were gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, intersex or part of the rainbow community.

The use of ‘takatāpui’ as an identity is a response to western ideas of sex, sexuality and gender, and emphasises one’s identity as Māori as inextricably linked to their gender identity, sexuality or variation of sex characteristics.

From: www.takatapui.nz

MVPFAFF

An acronym to describe Pasifika/Moana a Nui a Kiwa identities. The abbreviation is gaining increasing use to signify the existence of different Pasifika cultures that have a strong presence in Aotearoa New Zealand. Other terms include Fakaleiti, Rae rae, and Fafafine.
Mahu (Hawai’i and Tahiti)
Vaka sa lewa lewa (Fiji)
Palopa (Papua New Guinea)
Fa’afafine (Samoa)
Akava’ine (Rarotonga)
Fakaleiti (Tonga)
Fakafifine (Niue).

LGBTQIA

An acronym used to describe:
Lesbian: Usually refers to a woman who has a romantic and/or sexual orientation toward women. Some nonbinary people also identify with this term.
Gay: Used in some cultural settings to represent men who are attracted to men in a romantic, erotic and/or emotional sense. Not all men who engage in same-gender sexual behavior identify as gay, and as such this label should be used with caution.
Bisexual or Bi: A person who experiences sexual, romantic, physical, and/or spiritual attraction to more than one gender, not necessarily at the same time, in the same way, or to the same degree.
Transgender: A person whose sense of personal identity or gender does not correspond to the sex they were assigned at birth, or does not conform to gender stereotypes. Sexual orientation varies and is not dependent on gender identity.
Queer: a multi-faceted word that is used in different ways and means different things to different people. 1) Attraction to people of many genders. 2) Don’t conform to cultural norms around gender and/or sexuality. 3) A general term referring to all non-heterosexual people. Some within the community, however, may feel the word has been hatefully used against them for too long and are reluctant to embrace it.
Questioning: An individual who is unsure of and/or exploring their gender identity and/or sexual orientation.
Intersex: An umbrella term that describes people born with any of 30 different variations in sex characteristics including chromosomes, gonads, sex hormones, or genitals.
Asexual: A person who experiences little or no sexual attraction to others and/or a lack of interest in sexual relationships/behaviour. They may or may not experience emotional, physical, or romantic attraction. Asexuality differs from celibacy in that it is a sexual orientation, not a choice. People who are asexual may call themselves ace.