Doyle's press statement
Under-pressure Green MP Benjamin Doyle says they have faced such graphic and disturbing threats to their life that they have been advised not to leave their house or appear in public.
Doyle, speaking for the first time following the furor around their social media posts, also said the Green Party asked them to delete their "biblebeltbussy" Instagram account but they choose not to because they wanted to bring their authentic self to Parliament.
They confirmed they would stay on as an MP despite facing death threats and attacks. They also said their child had been subject to death threats.
"I knew, coming to Parliament, that I would face prejudice and homophobia. I knew that people would not like the way I dress, or speak, or the causes that I advocate for. I knew that I would be under scrutiny, as is appropriate for every single person that has the privilege of this position. But I could never imagine or prepare myself to be attacked in such a baseless, personal, and violent way. That my life and that of my child would be threatened," they said.
Parliamentary security said it had been working closely with police over the threats, which came after figures, including Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters, shared posts that Doyle ‒ who uses they/them pronouns ‒ made on an Instagram. Peters raised the prospect of a police investigation over the posts, some of which featured Doyle’s child, while Green co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick called for Prime Minister Christopher Luxon to step in and censure Peters.
Doyle described the response from Peters and others as a symptom of "poisonous transphobic hate and imported culture wars".
"I am here to bring my full self into Parliament and to represent my communities in the most authentic way possible. This is why when I was advised by the party to delete the page before coming to Parliament, I chose not to," they said. "I can admit that I was politically naive, and we have paid a huge price for this naivety. None of this means I deserved the barrage of abuse and vitriol I have experienced.
"I have been fielding a significant number of threats to my life and the safety of my child and family, some of which have been so graphic and disturbing that I had been advised not to leave my house, or appear in public, due to real concerns for my security.
"These attacks I’ve faced have been baseless and cruel. Queer people are not a danger to children. This is an outdated and homophobic lie.
"I have been targeted due to both my identity as a queer and non-binary parent and my public platform as an outspoken member of parliament. In particular, images of my child from my private Instagram account have been taken without permission, removed from their original context, and shared online in misleading and manipulative ways.
"Context is key and something that has been deliberately ignored and twisted by some incredibly bad faith actors looking for an excuse to punch down on someone who represents something they don’t agree with.
"The post at the centre of these baseless attacks includes 10 images from a range of activities and moments in my life, with a pop culture pun in the caption. ‘Bussy galore’ is an in-joke and a nickname. The translation here is “me at large living my best life”.
"Referring to myself in this way on my Instagram is an expression of my queer identity, and it acts as a persona, much like a drag performer or comedian might use. The caption – which references me – is an example of the way marginalised communities often reclaim or subvert language in order to exist unapologetically.
"I recognise that Bussy is not a term all rainbow people use or like, but it is one that is commonly understood and appreciated by my friends and community. For me, this term is wordplay, and represents the combination of my masculine and feminine qualities as a non-binary person – someone whose gender doesn’t fit into a strict category. It’s also a satirical in-joke with references to pop music, drag culture, Bond novels and 1960s cinema, made about myself with people who know me in mind.
"The vast majority of New Zealanders will not tolerate violent and malicious rhetoric in our country. They will not accept toxic conspiracies which attempt to bully and threaten queer people out of public life.
"I refuse to be disappeared by hate.
"We have a choice, as members of Parliament, to reject this imported culture war of hate and division. We can and must do better than this, because that is what the people of Aotearoa deserve."
Green MP says attacks against them ‘baseless, personal, and violent’
Under-pressure Green MP Benjamin Doyle says they have faced such graphic and disturbing threats to their life that they have been advised not to leave their house or appear in public.
Doyle, speaking for the first time following the furor around their social media posts, also said the Green Party asked them to delete their "biblebeltbussy" Instagram account but they choose not to because they wanted to bring their authentic self to Parliament.
They confirmed they would stay on as an MP despite facing death threats and attacks. They also said their child had been subject to death threats.
"I knew, coming to Parliament, that I would face prejudice and homophobia. I knew that people would not like the way I dress, or speak, or the causes that I advocate for. I knew that I would be under scrutiny, as is appropriate for every single person that has the privilege of this position. But I could never imagine or prepare myself to be attacked in such a baseless, personal, and violent way. That my life and that of my child would be threatened," they said.
Parliamentary security said it had been working closely with police over the threats, which came after figures, including Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters, shared posts that Doyle ‒ who uses they/them pronouns ‒ made on an Instagram. Peters raised the prospect of a police investigation over the posts, some of which featured Doyle’s child, while Green co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick called for Prime Minister Christopher Luxon to step in and censure Peters.
Doyle described the response from Peters and others as a symptom of "poisonous transphobic hate and imported culture wars".
"I am here to bring my full self into Parliament and to represent my communities in the most authentic way possible. This is why when I was advised by the party to delete the page before coming to Parliament, I chose not to," they said. "I can admit that I was politically naive, and we have paid a huge price for this naivety. None of this means I deserved the barrage of abuse and vitriol I have experienced.
"I have been fielding a significant number of threats to my life and the safety of my child and family, some of which have been so graphic and disturbing that I had been advised not to leave my house, or appear in public, due to real concerns for my security.
"These attacks I’ve faced have been baseless and cruel. Queer people are not a danger to children. This is an outdated and homophobic lie.
"I have been targeted due to both my identity as a queer and non-binary parent and my public platform as an outspoken member of parliament. In particular, images of my child from my private Instagram account have been taken without permission, removed from their original context, and shared online in misleading and manipulative ways.
"Context is key and something that has been deliberately ignored and twisted by some incredibly bad faith actors looking for an excuse to punch down on someone who represents something they don’t agree with.
"The post at the centre of these baseless attacks includes 10 images from a range of activities and moments in my life, with a pop culture pun in the caption. ‘Bussy galore’ is an in-joke and a nickname. The translation here is “me at large living my best life”.
"Referring to myself in this way on my Instagram is an expression of my queer identity, and it acts as a persona, much like a drag performer or comedian might use. The caption – which references me – is an example of the way marginalised communities often reclaim or subvert language in order to exist unapologetically.
"I recognise that Bussy is not a term all rainbow people use or like, but it is one that is commonly understood and appreciated by my friends and community. For me, this term is wordplay, and represents the combination of my masculine and feminine qualities as a non-binary person – someone whose gender doesn’t fit into a strict category. It’s also a satirical in-joke with references to pop music, drag culture, Bond novels and 1960s cinema, made about myself with people who know me in mind.
"The vast majority of New Zealanders will not tolerate violent and malicious rhetoric in our country. They will not accept toxic conspiracies which attempt to bully and threaten queer people out of public life.
"I refuse to be disappeared by hate.
"We have a choice, as members of Parliament, to reject this imported culture war of hate and division. We can and must do better than this, because that is what the people of Aotearoa deserve."
