Event ‘helps
Transsexual celebrates Auckland Pride Festival after long g
After nearly 15 years since she came out about her sexuality, 29-year-old transsexual Cecilia Kang still gets hurtful things said to her.
“People have told me ‘ you don’t deserve to live’, called me a freak and say I am ugly,” said Kang, a freelance fashion designer.
“It used to really hurt and it has made me wonder if life is worth living.”
But each year, she looks forward to one festival she says makes her “feel human” and celebrates who she is.
The Auckland Pride Festival starts today, the biggest LGBTIQA (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual, intersex, queer and asexual) community celebration in the country.
The festival runs through to Sunday February 26, and will feature a wide range of events ranging from gala performances and a day-long harbourside celebration to the popular pride parade.
“Pride [Festival] helps us feel proud of who we are, and I hope people who attend the events will see that we are people too and be more accepting of those in the rainbow community,” said Kang.
Being Korean, Kang, who moved here from her homeland when she was 10, recalled how hard it was to get her family to accept her transsexuality.
Although feminine since childhood, Kang said it was during her Westlake Boys’ High School years that she made the transition to becoming a woman.
“The Korean community is very con- Featuring guest speakers and performances from Ahakoa Te Aha. Today 6am, Western Park, Ponsonby Black-tie extravaganza, performances, including guest appearances from rainbow community icons.
Today 8pm, Q Theatre servative, and being gay or transsexual was taboo,” she said.
“I didn’t actually make any announcement, but just gradually started to dress like a woman and grew my hair.”
Her family continued to object and reject her, but she found support in friends.
Kang said events that brought the rainbow community together was what kept her “feeling alive”.
Her pinnacle was reached last year when she was crowned Miss Transsexual 2016.
“It’s a dream come true to be a beauty queen, and you get respected so much from the people around you,” Kang said. Parade, carni commencing Ponsonby Rd Western Park
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