Mick Hartley

Shaneel Lal is the 2023 Young New Zealander of the year: the first transgender person to win the prestigious title…yay!.

Shaneel Shavneel Lal is iTaukei and Indian and identifies as vakasalewalewa and hijra. They are a member of the first ever cohort of Young Justice Leaders, a group of young leaders that have come together to facilitate collaboration, build networks, and contribute to the global policy dialogue around justice for all – demonstrating that people-centered justice is possible and necessary. Lal is the founder of the Conversion Therapy Action Group, a group working to end conversion therapy in Aotearoa New Zealand. 

The "conversion therapy" here is the one that involves talking to young kids about to embark on the whole puberty blocker / hormone replacement business rather than rushing them into medical mutilation. That conversion therapy.

He helped organise the Auckland protest against Posie Parker which turned so violent.

And, he's, um….completely unhinged:

Yes he really did say this…and here it is. Absolutely wild, unhinged…full blown tin foil hat!.

Oh & he's just been given New Zealand person of the Year 😬#LetWomenSpeak #LetWomenSpeakAuckland #letWomenSpeakNZ https://t.co/BDotuTA1W0 pic.twitter.com/14QezSnn5W

— Aja the Empress ♀️ (@Aja02537920) April 3, 2023

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Happy with this, New Zealand?