Trans group’s funding

Glenn McConnell refers casually

(Debate is happening – and the Right is losing, July 15) to Speak Up For Women’s ‘‘cash reserves’’. He suggests that money buys attention — who knew that a donation-based volunteer organisation could achieve so much?

He does not, however, mention that over the past 18 months Gender Minorities has received at least $80,000 in grants from three different funds of the Wellington City Council. The Gender Minorities website also acknowledges the support of (grants from) The Tindall Foundation, the Rule Foundation and the International Trans Fund. Information on the amounts is not available.

Of course I am not opposed to any of the funding but would like McConnell to take such basic information into account when trying to create a narrative against one viewpoint and to consider who is ‘‘garnering attention’’ to target whom.

Finally I would like to remind him that girls and women, alongside transgender people, have long experience of a lack of safety. Robyn Sivewright, Carterton