A new gender affirming wardrobe has been set up in one of the rooms on the city campus’ Queerspace. Queerspace can be found if you go up the stairs closest to Gong Cha/Uni Sushi, then walk in the direction towards Albert Park!
The purpose of having a gender affirming wardrobe is for genderqueer people to have more options to find clothing that help express themselves.
Most clothing options in stores are distinctly gendered. They are either meant for men or women. It’s hard to find anything in between, or sizes that complement the diverse range of needs. Whilst we can’t disrupt the gendered clothing binary (immediately anyway), we can create a completely separate structure for queer and genderqueer people to be able to find clothing without these pressures.
The gender affirming wardrobe is a really good opportunity for queer folk who are still figuring out their gender identities to just come into the wardrobe, try on some clothes, and if it suits them, take them! The point of the wardrobe is not to present any barriers for rainbow-identifying people, but rather to act as an enabler to help people explore and understand their identities better.
New clothing can be quite expensive, and so this wardrobe is a really good way for people to be able to take some clothes without needing to pay!
So, if you’ve got any spare clothes, shoes, accessories or make-up that you don’t seem to use anymore, the wardrobe would love to have them! Please make sure they are in good condition. The best place to drop them off is at the AUSA house reception!
Alternatively, if you are wanting some new clothes, the wardrobe is available for you to take any clothes you want or need!
All AUSA spaces are closed until we go back to Alert Level 1, so unfortunately, this has to wait until we all go back into campus. But get hyped, and tell all your friends!!
If you have any questions, flick me an email on qro@ausa.org.nz (also flick the queer student council page a like on FB and flick us a follow on insta @queer_council). And come to Queerspace for good vibes!!