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So it’s election year, they tell me, and that means we need to prepare ourselves for an onslaught of bullshit. This will come in the form of empty promises, pithy soundbites and accusations flying left, right and centre! Often the right of politics (Act, National and the Conservatives) will accuse the left (Labour, Greens, Internet/Mana) of all sorts of things from socialism, to nanny state policies, to employing identity politics. So what is identity politics and why is it so bad?

According to our dear friends at Wiki, “identity politics are political arguments that focus upon the self-interest and perspectives of self-identified social interest groups and ways in which people’s politics may be shaped by aspects of their identity through loosely correlated social organisations.” This explanation can be summed up as; some people are different to other people, sometimes these people are treated differently and therefore they organise in order to promote greater wellbeing for their identity group.

Identity politics is important as it has brought about incredible progress for oppressed minority groups. Just think of how important identity politics have been for women as they fought for universal suffrage and equal rights under the law. Think of how important it is for indigenous groups to gain some level of autonomy in the face of colonialism. Think of how important it is for disabled people to get access to the basics required for full participation in society.

The queer community is also a group that has made significant gains from pushing our own barrow. Historically we have organised ourselves to push for homosexual law reform so that it is no longer a criminal offence for some of us to have sex, we have lobbied to get the right to marry the love of our lives and we are currently trying to clarify New Zealand’s messy adoption law. Without organisation, none of this would have been possible.

However, the fight is not over; there is still much to achieve. The fact is that our sex, sexuality and gender diverse friends and family are still being treated differently to the het/cis mainstream. This is still leading to social exclusion and dysphoria resulting in increased mental health issues and suicidality (up to five-times higher in queer communities than in straight communities). Healthcare and general acceptance for trans people is especially a problem. Intersex infants are still getting operated on without their consent. We cannot afford to be apathetic.

Unfortunately with the more rights we get, the more we feel like we are accepted by mainstream society and therefore we become incredibly apathetic. It is a sad irony that the gay rights movement was begun by a riot instigated primarily by the trans and cross-dressing clientele of the Stonewall Inn. This was a response to constant raids and harassment from police that eventually led to a tipping point when a police officer hit a trans-man who decided to hit back. This movement has led to massive gains for gay/cis men but not corresponding gains for trans people. This has led to a power and privilege imbalance within the queer community that must be addressed.

So when you hear the term identity politics being bandied around this election, take a good hard look at who is using it and their motives.