Meet the

research team

The research team are rainbow people, who are driving rainbow research for us, by us. Amongst us, we identify as queer, takatāpui, trans, cis, gay, lesbian, Māori, Pākehā, German, Asian, Pasifika, bisexual, and asexual.

John Fenaughty

He/him

I’m the lucky person who gets to work with all the amazing people here to co-ordinate and direct the research. As a cis queer/gay Pākehā man I’ve been advocating for rainbow young people since I was a young person myself, when I helped set up a rainbow youth group in the 90s. After working in schools and bullying prevention for over ten years, I’m now at the University of Auckland and dedicate my research time to rainbow young people. I am hoping that this study will identify a whole range of ways that we can strengthen great experiences and supports, and prevent negative ones, so that all Takatāpui and Rainbow LGBTQIA+MVPFAFF young people can be free and supported to be their best selves.

Elizabeth Kerekere

Elizabeth is a life-long grassroots activist, a fierce voice for takatāpui and young people and a ground-breaking researcher. She founded Tīwhanawhana Trust in 2001 to advocate for takatāpui to “tell our stories, build our communities and leave a legacy.” Elizabeth has focused on kaupapa Māori and Te Tiriti issues for 40 years. She works on local, national and international projects across indigenous rights, health, mental health, suicide and violence prevention and youth development. She says: “I hope this survey will help identify the issues going on for takatāpui and how their Māori cultural and spiritual values contribute to their lives and identities.”

Pooja **Subramanian**
They/them/she/her

I'm Pooja, the new Executive Director at RainbowYOUTH. RainbowYOUTH provides information, support and advocacy for rainbow young people across Aotearoa, with drop-in centres in Auckland, Tauranga and New Plymouth. Considering the huge lack of relevant research around rainbow young people in Aotearoa, I'm really excited for us to partner with the team at Identify. I'm interested to see how this study identifies the positive relationships in the lives of rainbow young people, and how this can/does impact on their mental health and wellbeing.

Tabby Besley

She/her

Tabby Besley (she/her) identifies as a Pākehā queer femme and is the founder and Managing Director of InsideOUT Kōaro. She has been volunteering and working in rainbow communities since she was 15 when she led her high-school queer straight alliance, and is passionate about every young person feeling safe at school, as is their human right. Tabby hopes that the survey will help identify how crucial the school environment and peer support is for rainbow rangatahi. She is also eager to learn more from the survey about how rainbow young people experiencing multiple marginalisations can be further supported in Aotearoa.

Jamie Veale

Kia ora, I’m Jaimie Veale, based in the School of Psychology at the University of Waikato / Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato. I help to lead the Counting Ourselves project. I am originally from Ashburton / Whakatere, and I am a Pākehā trans woman. I am interested in learning about the mental health of rainbow rangatahi through this project. In particular, I’m interested in how mental health problems are associated with stigma, discrimination, violence, and other minority stressors, as well as the role of positive protective factors, such as support from schools, families, and whānau.

Patrick Thomsen

He/him

Seuta’afili Dr Patrick Thomsen (he/him) is a Lecturer in Pacific Studies (soon-to-be Lecturer in Global Studies) at the University of Auckland. Born and raised in South Auckland, and receiving his PhD from the University of Washington -Seattle, he is now the Principal Investigator for the Manalagi: Aotearaoa Pacific Rainbow LGBTIQA+ MVPFAFF Health and Wellbeing Project funded by the HRC. He is also the Pacific Data Co-Lead for the Human Rights Measurement Initiative. He hopes the survey will help to identify ways in which policy interventions can be better attuned to support the health and wellbeing aspirations of Pacific Rainbow Rangatahi in Aotearoa-New Zealand.

Mohamed

Alansari

I'm a senior researcher at the New Zealand Council for Educational Research, and an honorary academic at the University of Auckland's Faculty of Education and Social Work. My research spans educational and social psychology, with a specific focus on institutional and classroom practices that impact the social and academic trajectories of student learning. I’m hoping this study will identify some of the crucial factors that could sustain and uplift the educational experiences of rainbow youth in our community.

Alex Ker

Kia ora koutou! My name is Alex and I’ve been helping to put together this survey with the team. I’ve been involved with InsideOUT since 2014 and my research interests include gender-affirming healthcare and positive youth development among rainbow young people. I hope this survey will identify the ways that being connected to our whānau, friends and communities play apart in our health and wellbeing.

Peter Saxton

Hi, I’m an epidemiologist and public health researcher at the University of Auckland School of Population Health. My expertise is in HIV prevention, sexual health and sexual behaviour and I work primarily with gay and bisexual men. I’m passionate about health equity for Rainbow communities; our most recent research tackles blood donation, HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), substance use and improving sexual orientation data collection. I’m hoping that this study will identify which factors foster resilience: Rainbow communities deserve to thrive, not just survive. To make that happen we need more supportive environments and more responsive services – and better evidence!