Milli Hill, a known transphobic writer is the keynote speaker at this years NZ Midwifery conference entitled “Celebrating Diversity – Growing stronger together”.

She poses immediate risk and harm towards the LGBTTQIA+ community.

Timeline of events below, after the open letter

CW/TW: transphobic rhetoric

Dear Nicole Pihema, Alison Eddy and the board of NZCOM,

Milli Hill, a known transphobic feminist is the keynote speaker at this years conference, despite the real and immediate risk and harm she poses toward the LGBTTQIA+ community. The theme for this year’s conference is entitled “Celebrating Diversity – Growing stronger together”. There is no commitment to or celebration of diversity when a speaker who promotes and encourages hate speech towards marginalised communities is being given a platform to share their views at conference.

This letter is a call to action, and will provide some background on the key issues with having Milli Hill at the NZCOM conference, as well as our expectations of the New Zealand College of Midwives going forward.

Milli Hill first entered the birth world in 2012, forming a global ‘positive birth movement’ and has since published a number of books, including: ‘How to give birth like a feminist’; we note that this is the title of her keynote address.

In November 2020, Milli began public commentary about her beliefs that trans people are not deserving of care or recognition within birth, and that gender affirmative language and healthcare should not be available for transgender or gender diverse people. Milli Hill has also stated that being transgender is “nonsensical,” and that only 2 catagories of gender exist, and that these align with physical sex. . This is despite gender dysphoria, intersex conditions, and gender affirmative healthcare being recognised by huge amounts of academic research, and in all mainstream medical texts. These specialists include psychiatrists, endocrinologists, gynaecologists, plastic surgeons, psychologists, and general practitioners whom all recognise gender dysphoria being a genuine medical condition that is best treated with gender affirmative medical care.

Given that the New Zealand College of Midwives has a commitment to peer reviewed, rigorously researched, and scientifically correct and safe information being shared with their members, it is concerning that the college would be prepared to allow somebody who goes against common medical knowledge and research to speak at conference.

Rates of depression and suicide amongst trans people are high; with 43%-48% of trans people having attempted suicide. It is not being trans that results in suicide, but the way that trans people are treated that results in suicide and suicidality (Zwickl et al. 2021). Milli Hill is actively causing harm. She has been repeatedly called out by individuals and organisations, and yet continues her transphobic rhetoric.

Birthrights, a UK based organisation dedicated to ensuring women and birthing people receive the respect and dignity they deserve in pregnancy and childbirth, sent Milli Hill the following email, terminating their contract with her:

“Birthrights is very clear that we are an inclusive organisation and are here for everyone who gives birth, regardless of how they identify. We reject any suggestion that respecting pregnant non-binary and trans people diminishes women’s rights. I have also seen other social media comments/replies where you undermine trans and non-binary people and state that people can only be male or female. This is harmful and distressing and in my view not compatible with a rights-based approach to pregnancy and childbirth. I’m afraid that Birthrights isn’t able to work with people who don’t share our inclusive values.”

Māori scholars are clear that transphobia, and homophobia are both byproducts of colonisation, and no such attitudes existed toward takatāpui, tangata ira tāne, or whakawāhine in precolonial Māoridom. In order to uphold Te Tiriti o Waitangi, we cannot allow Trans Exclusionary Radical Feminists (TERFs) like Milli Hill to have a voice in the birthing world in Aotearoa.

Quoted from Dr Elizabeth Kerekere, 2021:

“Takatāpui rights are a Treaty issue and a Māori priority for the Greens. Historically, Te Ao Māori accepted diverse genders and sexualities as a normal part of our communities. Colonisation lead to suppression, criminalisation and pathologising of those people and resulted in takatāpui and rainbow people often not being accepted today."

If the associations listed below (not exhaustive) are able to release consensus statements, resources and guidelines on gender inclusivity during pregnancy and childbirth, then so is NZCOM.

In 2018, the GSS identified that 3.5% of people in Aotearoa identify as LGBTTQIA+, that’s 17,500 people. 25% of LGBTQ+ people identify as something other than cis gendered. Rainbow parenting is not, and will not be silenced. LGBTTQIA+ parents are valid.

If this year’s conference is supposed to be celebrating diversity, you cannot do this if you are excluding the rainbow community.

If Milli’s feminism exludes trans, non-binary and genderqueer people, then it is not feminism. You cannot ‘give birth like a feminist’ if you do not acknowledge that there are people who do not identify as heterosexual or cisgendered giving birth. This is not a time for discussion. Those who actively incite hate speech, cause harm to the LGBTTQIA+ community and perpetuate transphobia should not be given a platform to speak.

Our call to NZCOM is the following:

• Remove Milli Hill as your keynote speaker as a matter of urgency

• Provide a direct apology to the LGBTTQIA+ community

• Engage a member of the local community who is truly committed to diversity as keynote speaker

Ngā Mihi,

The Rainbow Midwives Alliance

Groups that have implemented consensus statements on gender inclusivity:

Canadian association of midwives (CAM ACSF) - https://canadianmidwives.org/2015/09/25/trans-inclusivity-statement/

Association of Ontario Midwives (AOM) - https://www.ontariomidwives.ca/gender-inclusivity

Midwives association of British Columbia - https://www.bcmidwives.com/LGBTQIA2S_care.html

Midwives Association of North America - https://mana.org/healthcare-policy/use-of-inclusive-language

Brighton & Sussex - https://www.bsuh.nhs.uk/maternity/our-services/specialist-support/gender-inclusion/

Timeline of Events

TW: discussion of transphobia and harmful transphobic rhetoric

Milli Hill first entered the birth world in 2012, forming a global ‘positive birth movement’ and has since published a number of books, including ‘How to give birth like a feminist’. Note that this is also the title of her keynote presentation.

In November 2020, Milli publicly replied to a post on instagram which discussed obstetric violence against birthing people. Milli categorically states that we “should be challenging the term ‘birthing person’ as it is only women who experience obstetric violence”. When Milli was asked to consider that those who do not identify as women, also give birth. Milli stated that using the terms AMAB or AFAB (assigned male at birth or assigned female at birth) are “nonsensical”, that “feeling that your assigned sex at birth is incorrect is simply that, a feeling. The biology is clear. You are either male or female”. The 2 million trans people living in the US and the 0.5 million trans people in the UK would disagree with Milli.

After what Milli refers to as a "witch hunt, bullying and vitriol", she decided to close her Positive Birth Movement organisation at the beginning of 2021.

In July 2021, Milli wrote a blog titled 'I will not be silenced', and on her instagram, proudly noted that she was supported by JK Rowling, who is also a known TERF.

Milli says that she finds the phrase 'assigned at birth' confusing and that it is inaccurate. She states "that sex is innate and biological". That you are not "assigned your sex, it is observed, you are one or the other, unless in rare intersex cases. This doesn't happen at birth, it happens in utero at 20 weeks, you are female or male then, just as you will be in 300 years time when they dig up your skeleton. I think we need to start with basic facts here or the whole discussion risks going down an ideological rabbit hole".

Milli Hill says that "the 'bar' for what is transphobic has been set so low that it even incorporates statements of fact; such as 'only female people give birth'." Milli was involved in a discussion thread on facebook with Midwives; where Milli stated that "there were two sexes" , when she was asked to respect other people's beliefs, Milli says that she"finds it worrying that biology has somehow changed category from science to religion".

Milli had her association with the UK organisation Birthrights (championing human rights in childbirth) severed following her transphobic and harmful comments. Please read the Birthrights statement below.