Interview with Cherise Witehira

It is with both joy and deep admiration that I introduce Cherise Witehira, a radiant voice of strength, wit, and unshakable authenticity in Aotearoa’s transgender community. Cherise’s life has been anything but linear. From working as a butcher’s apprentice, hairdresser, sex worker, and public servant, to serving as the President of Agender New Zealand, her path has woven through pain and resistance, but also through purpose and pride. Each chapter of her journey has added a layer to her resilience, and to the love she continues to pour into her people. Cherise is not afraid to speak with blunt honesty. Her candor is disarming, sometimes confronting, and always needed. She has stood boldly at the crossroads of public advocacy and personal survival, challenging institutions that diminish trans lives while holding space for the brokenness and brilliance of her own community. 

 

Cherise’s legacy includes shaping the voice of Agender New Zealand, confronting government failures in housing, healthcare, and employment for trans people, and pushing for a more united, empowered trans movement in Aotearoa. She is a trailblazer who refuses to be tokenized, a leader who laughs in the face of superficial beauty standards, and a woman who believes that true transformation begins with self-acceptance, and a good toasted sandwich. Whether sitting next to ambassadors or dancing at UpRising Trust parties, Cherise carries with her a grounded grace and fearless heart. She reminds us that beauty is not what we wear, but who we become when we claim our place in the world without apology. 

 

Monika: Cherise, it’s such a pleasure to have you here! Your story and your voice have inspired so many , thank you for joining me on the blog.

Cherise: Kia ora, my sis!

Monika: For those meeting you for the first time, how would you introduce yourself , in your own unapologetic words?

Cherise: Trigger alert: blunt, offensively honest, etc...

Monika: You’ve spent many years fighting for the rights and dignity of transgender people. From your perspective, what are the biggest challenges currently facing the trans community in Aotearoa New Zealand?

Cherise: Please forgive me for the long-winded response to this question. To be honest, Monika, there are many challenges faced by the trans community here in Aotearoa, NZ. The five main issues I see currently affecting the community in NZ are housing, healthcare, education, employment, and poverty.

These issues have been evident for many years, and successive governments have chosen to ignore them as they “are not a priority.” This is quite sad really, as there are many within the community who require support but, for various reasons, cannot seem to access the services that are required in order for the person to become, for want of a better term, valuable, contributing members of society.

Cherise & the former US Ambassador to NZ, David Huebner.

In saying that, the onus doesn’t just lie with government services; it also comes down to the person and whether they want to change their lives for the better. Some are very comfortable where they are at and do not wish to change that, and that’s absolutely fine. However, there are still many within the community who want to contribute but are almost sidelined by the government agencies they have to deal with. A perfect example would be a trans woman I know very well (name withheld), who has a university education and is very much employable. However, the social welfare system here in NZ wants to send her on a course to upskill her in the hospitality industry.

This I find quite offensive, as she is an academic and could be working for the department she is dealing with, but for some reason, the department wants her to make coffee for a living.

Monika: It must be incredibly disheartening to see someone’s education and potential dismissed like that. How do experiences like this affect a person’s sense of self-worth and their place within both the trans community and society at large?

Cherise: This is very discouraging for the person, as she has spent thousands on her university degree only to be told she must attend these courses in order to satisfy the department’s criteria to continue to financially support her. This creates a belief within the person that the degree she studied isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on, which in turn devalues the person’s self-worth, and she will then turn to other avenues to deal with the subsequent dysphoria due to the insufficient support she requires from the social welfare system.

I could go on about more examples of how the government is failing the trans community, but realistically, the community is failing itself and doing itself no favors with the lack of unity in ideas and solutions to the problems. The community needs to sort their own dramas out before they try to get society to accept them, because how in the world can we as a community expect the world to accept us when we don’t accept each other?

Monika: You previously served as President of Agender New Zealand, an organization that has played a significant role in the country's trans advocacy landscape. Looking back, how has Agender evolved over the years, and what do you feel its role is today in supporting transgender people and their families?

Cherise: I haven’t been the President for over two years now. The current President of Agender New Zealand is Claudia Mackay, who is also the founder of the organization. The organization is a valuable asset to the trans community here in Aotearoa, although there are many in the community who wish to distance themselves from the organization for various reasons , the main one being the perception that the organization only welcomes older, white, middle-class men who wear skirts in their spare time. This perception of the organization was true when it first started in the ’80s and was called CD-ROM (Cross Dressers, Real Ordinary Men). This perception slowly started changing when Joanne Nielson became President, and was succeeded by Dorothy Gartner and then myself.

Monika: Joanne Nielson and Dorothy Gartner both played pivotal roles in transforming Agender New Zealand. In your view, what kind of legacy did they leave behind, and how did their leadership shape the organization’s path forward? 

Cherise: I think Joanne and Dot succeeded in marginally shifting the perception of the organization to one that is inclusive of the entire trans community, and I attempted to continue the momentum they had created. Agender has been very quiet since I left, and I am making assumptions here when I say they may be working on something that could benefit all trans people and their families. Hopefully, they do continue with the work, as it’s an organization that is needed for a certain demographic within the trans community. It has the worldwide trans community watching and waiting to see what their next project will be, and I’m excited to see what it will be!

Cherise & friends at an UpRising Trust Party in Christchurch.

Monika: Back in 2012, Agender New Zealand publicly protested a controversial Libra tampon commercial, which portrayed a cisgender woman as superior to a transgender woman based on her ability to menstruate. What are your reflections on that moment now, and how did you personally respond to the backlash?

Cherise: Tampon-gate again! (laughs) I want to address the ad first of all. This will likely annoy a few people, to be honest, but it is what it is. When you are in an elected position, you must listen to your constituents and, on the odd occasion, make public statements that you personally don’t agree with. This was the case with Tampon-gate. I saw the humor in the ad and thought it was hilarious. However, they did miss the mark with it, and I thought a little more research was needed in order to make the campaign more in line with what they intended it to be, although I would say it was quite effective in the sense that it created discussion about the product.

Monika: Media representation of transgender people often feels sensationalized, stories are frequently negative, exaggerated, or filled with incorrect terms, sometimes even outright misgendering. How do you see this impacting public perception, and what needs to change for more authentic, respectful trans representation in media?

Cherise: I have one word for trans stories and characters featured in the media: sensationalized. The stories are usually presented in a negative context, blown out of proportion, and often use incorrect terms, the worst being “transvestite,” not to mention misgendering a trans person, all to attract readers or viewers to the piece. This is something that requires work, but as I said, it is what it is. 

Most media want the sad, heartbreaking story involving an injustice done to a hard-done-by victim. Don’t get me wrong, they are out there right now, struggling through so much, and some do not make it to the next morning. That said, society perceives trans people according to what they see and hear. So if the community wants to be seen as old men in dresses, then by all means, show that in the media. If they want to be seen as everyday people going about their lives, then that’s what needs to be shown. Essentially, stop feeling sorry for yourself, quit playing the victim, and get out there and make something of yourself. The only person holding you back is YOU! You can do this, and you have the tautoko (support) around you to be able to do it.

Monika: Advocacy often requires cooperation among various interest groups to achieve meaningful political change. How well does the transgender community in New Zealand work together in advancing its collective goals?

Cherise: This is a good question, as you’ve addressed an issue within the question that is all too common within the community. There are a lot of groups here that pursue their own specific goals, and there is no real unity between the groups, as I touched on earlier in the interview. There needs to be collaboration between the groups, but also ensuring that independence is maintained within the groups so the group’s specific goals are still acknowledged and worked on independently, but with the support of other groups. Perhaps a Memorandum of Understanding between the different groups would be a good start. Will never happen though.

Cherise with NZ Prime Minister, John Key.

Monika: The transgender community is often grouped together with the broader LGBTQ+ umbrella. But given that "T" is just one part of that acronym, do you feel the trans community is truly able to advocate for its own unique needs within this larger collective?

Cherise: This is a sensitive question, and I will try to answer it tactfully, but I will likely have my head bitten off by certain factions within the queer community. Yes, it is the last letter, but what does this have to do with anything? We are all in the same boat in terms of the journey to find oneself and to also try and be accepted by society in general by having equal rights. I think people read too much into it and take it far too personally. 

Regardless of what GLBT/LGBT/BTGL/TBLG/TGIF (lol) term is used, each faction is struggling for their own identity and fighting for equality within society. In saying that, the association between lesbian and gay communities and the trans communities isn’t particularly helpful, in my opinion, when it comes to societal perception, because we all know that there is a marked difference between gender and sexuality, although the two do run parallel with each other. Unfortunately, there is not enough education on the difference between the two, as there are still people who see trans women as gay men who dress and live as women. This is definitely an issue that all queer communities need to work on, the difference between the two.

Monika: When you began your transition, was there anyone you looked up to, someone who helped you envision the woman you wanted to become?

Cherise: Only one. She was my hero, and I wanted to be like her. Unfortunately, she is now an example of what I do not want to become, and it scares the living daylights out of me. She’s still a beautiful person with a kind heart, and I love her dearly and would do anything to help her if I could, but one has to want to be helped in order to be helped.

Monika: Looking back, what part of coming out challenged you the most, emotionally or socially?

Cherise: Mum and Dad took it quite badly, as did a lot of my family. Most are actually okay now, and it didn’t take long for them to get there. Dealing with the harsh comments and looks I would get while walking through the city during the day, I think, was the hardest thing to deal with. It does get lonely when you are with (I hate the term, as they, like me, are just people like everyone else) “cis” friends, and they can’t understand why you’ve gone quiet and can no longer make eye contact with them. Apart from that, my “coming out” was smooth as a twink.

Monika: Have you become politically active since leaving public service? Do you engage in any lobbying efforts, and more broadly, do you believe transgender women can drive meaningful change in the political arena?

Cherise: I was in the public service for some time and could not publicly voice my political opinion. I left in December 2013, so I’m just starting to get my voice back ;) To the latter question, I don’t think it matters whether a person in politics is trans or not. As long as he/she/they are good at what they do, genuinely listen to what the people want, and are able to practice best judgment according to that, then the person will be able to make a difference, regardless of who or what they are. But that’s what the media want, I guess. Tokenism.

Cherise & one of her boys outside Rush Bar.

Monika: Looking back, and maybe looking forward, how significant has love been in shaping your life?

Cherise: Ask me again in 7 years.

Monika: What are your thoughts on transgender beauty pageants?

Cherise: If that’s your buzz, I’m totally judging you, because that’s why you’ve entered the contest, to be judged by someone who doesn’t know you, and to sometimes put on a phony smile to be told whether or not you’re beautiful enough. Yes, the sisters on there are trick and, well, mostly unsprung, but who really cares? Beauty comes from within. Kaore te kumara i kōrero ki tāna reka – be humble. Now that’s true beauty, ma dear.

Monika: Many transgender women choose to share their journeys through memoirs. Have you ever considered writing one yourself?

Cherise: Are you kidding? I’m 28. I’m far too young to be writing the eventual tranny memoir, although it would probably have to be a trilogy, because guuuuuurl, the things I could tell you! z-snap.

Monika: What new ventures or projects are you currently involved in?

Cherise: On the first Sunday of every month, I am running T Nights at Rush Bar, 5 Wigan Street, Wellington City, for trans people and trans admirers. I’m also doing Special Coffee and toasted sandwiches from days gone by. Older NZ sisters will remember what that is. 

I am also now the Madame for New Zealand’s only exclusively transsexual bordello, Madame Jaime’s, located in a discreet central Wellington location. It’s licensed too! (Subtle plug there.) The owners, Aaron and Dion, have been very accommodating to the community and genuinely want to support in any way they can.

Monika: What advice would you offer to transgender girls who are currently struggling with gender dysphoria?

Cherise: You’re feeling lonely, but you’re not alone. Reach out. Talk to someone, please, otherwise, you’ll end up being a selfish cunt.

Monika: Cherise, thank you for the interview!

All the photos: courtesy of Cherise Witehira.

© 2014 - Monika Kowalska

  

You may also like