Rainbow Path was recently invited to the Cross Agency Rainbow Network (CARN) Conference. We really enjoyed listening to and connecting with other Rainbow people of colour.

In our presentation, we talked about:

• the immense barriers Rainbow asylum seekers and refugees face at each step of our journey to safety and resettlement in Aotearoa

• the gaps in laws and policies, and

• the lack of information and awareness about our rights and needs

We highlighted the extra challenges trans and intersex asylum seekers and refugees face, especially in accessing the essential services we are entitled to, due to the lack of a useable and recognised ID with our correct name and gender marker.

Thank you, CARN organisers for reaching out to Rainbow Path and helping our member with lived experience to travel there. We value having this platform to raise our issues with people working for government agencies.

However, the challenge is to see this translated into action, working in partnership with Rainbow asylum seekers, refugees, migrants and ethnic communities. We hope to see more meaningful participations from our communities in legal and policy space.