Dana de Milo moved from Auckland to Wellington in the early 1960s, when she was still in her teens. She became part of Wellington's community of 'queens', most of whom were unable to find employment outside of sex work. Later in life de Milo became involved in the New Zealand Prostitutes’ Collective, the Drugs and Health Development Project, HIV/AIDS prevention work, and the Māori Women's Welfare League, as well as working to support the transgender community. In this 2010 video clip, she explains how closely-knit the Wellington transgender community was in the 1960s and 1970s, but also the violence that could result if you were openly transgender – and the necessity of looking after each other.
Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi
Private collection
by Caren Wilton
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