What has whānau taught you?

Simran | Tāmaki Makaurau

Simran has a whakapapa whānau that is supportive of her being who she is, and a community whānau that has allowed her to create deep connections with the people in their life.

“My whānau in particular is very supportive of us being open about who we are. It was very easy to come out to them as a bisexual person. They were quite receptive, even if they didn’t really understand it, to just let me be who I am. I feel very, very lucky to have a whole community of people I love in my life.

I often say that I’m a little in love with everybody who I have in my life—platonically and very deeply. I live with my best friend, who we refer to each other as each other’s platonic soulmates. I think it’s really dope that I get to have a relationship that feels like home, feels like whānau, that is more than a friendship and not a romantic relationship or a biological relationship.

It’s just one that is based on this mutual love and respect for one another and wanting to be each other’s kind of go-to and companion in life. I feel very grateful for that. And I thank queer communities for helping me think beyond traditional ideas of family.”