Non-Binary Member of NZ Parliament targeted following Pizzagate style conspiracy campaign

New Zealand’s first non-binary member of parliament has been subjected to a barrage of death threats following a disinformation campaign targeting them

When I started this newsletter I planned to stick to covering stories that weren’t being covered in depth elsewhere. I wasn’t going to write about this as there has already been excellent journalism done by David Fisher at the New Zealand Herald, as well as Andrea Vance and Charlie Mitchell at The Post. However, as a large part of my audience are based in the US and are here thanks to a recommendation from Erin Reed and have an interest in LGBT+ topics, I felt it would be useful to write about this for an international audience.

Benjamin Doyle

Benjamin Doyle entered parliament in October 2024 following the removal of another Green Party member of parliament (MP). Doyle does not represent a particular electorate, but entered the house as the next on the Green Party list under New Zealand’s proportional representation system. Doyle is New Zealand's first non-binary MP, but not the first transgender MP- that was Georgina Byer in 1999, the world's first transgender parliamentarian.

Doyle has a history of working with queer communities on sexual health issues, including as an employee of the Burnett Foundation, the organisation previously known as the New Zealand AIDS Foundation. In their short time in parliament they have been outspoken on issues around puberty blockers for young people questioning their gender identity, which are now being prescribed more cautiously following a Ministry of Health Review.