Name: Town Hall Discussion: The Queer Case For Prison Abolition
Start: 2025-03-16T15:30:00+13:00
End: 2025-03-16T18:00:00+13:00
Location: Ellen Melville Centre

Town Hall Discussion: The Queer Case For Prison Abolition

Ten years ago, a protest against Police and Corrections participation in the Auckland Pride Parade led to our formation as queer and trans prison abolitionist group No Pride in Prisons. Today, we’ve become People Against Prisons Aotearoa, a broader abolitionist organisation that struggles for an Aotearoa without prisons and police, where those who have caused harm are held accountable, those who have been harmed can heal, and all of us can thrive.
While our focus as an organisation has moved away from Pride, our commitment to queer and trans liberation has never wavered. We supported the organising in 2018 that finally removed cops and prison guards from Auckland Pride, a direct legacy of that early work as No Pride in Prisons. This year, we saw a need that no other queer or radical organisation could fill. In five short days, we put together Defying Destiny, an afternoon of joy, resilience, and commitment to refusing to let the far right drive us into hiding.
This right-wing coalition government has made changes which threaten us all. Puberty blocker bans, youth boot camps, and inedible school lunches all strip children of their rights. It’s clear that homophobia, transphobia, racism, mass incarceration and police brutality can all be used by the state to keep us in line and in the closet. We cannot use these tools to free ourselves. We reject the idea that calling for police to more harshly use gang patch or hate crime laws will make our queer communities safer. Instead, we believe that none of us are truly free until all of us are free.
On Sunday 16 March from 3:30pm, we’ll be holding a public town hall at the Ellen Melville Centre. We’ll discuss the queer case for prison abolition, touch on PAPA’s queer history, and come together to share our experiences with the criminal justice system, our hopes for a queerer future, and the actions we can take to build an Aotearoa where homophobia, transphobia, prisons and police are abolished.
This event will be catered with tea, coffee, and pizza, including vegan and gluten-free options. The venue is wheelchair accessible. We hope we’ll see you there.