Chapter 2: Executive summary

8. Prevailing societal attitudes and discriminatory beliefs in Aotearoa New Zealand throughout the Inquiry period resulted in Takatāpui, Rainbow and MVPFAFF+ children, young people and adults being placed in State or faith-based care; those views also shaped their experiences while in care.
   
   
9. People who did not fit into and conform to a narrow definition of what was normal in terms of sexuality and gender expression were seen by society as deviant, mentally unwell, sinful or criminal for much of the Inquiry period. These views were strongly influenced by religious attitudes and intolerance of difference. Colonisation and the adoption of Christian beliefs and practices into Māori and Pacific societies brought with them negative attitudes and discrimination against people with diverse sexual orientation and gender identity.
   
10. Discrimination against Takatāpui, Rainbow and MVPFAFF+ people created pathways into care. Some were rejected by their families, whānau, kainga and communities because of who they were. The lack of visibility, understanding and societal acceptance of Takatāpui, Rainbow and MVPFAFF+ people, coupled with the belief that homosexuality was a mental illness, resulted in survivors being admitted into psychiatric institutions.
    
    
11. Some were subjected to conversion practices in psychiatric care and faith-based settings to be ‘cured’ of their sexuality. In psychiatric settings, survivors were subjected to medical abuse in the form of electric shocks. In faith-based settings, this also involved religious abuse, including reinforcement of the moral authority of religious leaders and the church. Survivors were made to feel like abominations.
    
    
12. Takatāpui, Rainbow and MVPFAFF+ survivors experienced homophobic psychological, sexual and physical abuse. Some were specifically targeted due to their sexuality, gender expression or sex characteristics. In many cases, people in care were targeted due to being perceived as homosexual or effeminate, regardless of their actual sexuality or gender identity.
    
    
13. Abuse and neglect in care had profound impacts on Takatāpui, Rainbow and MVPFAFF+ survivors’ self-worth, wellbeing, feelings of safety, intimacy and relationships. Conversion practices resulted in significant long-lasting harm and trauma. For some survivors of abuse in faith-based care, it has affected their relationships with family who remain deferential to the church.
    
    
14. The personal factors that contributed to Takatāpui, Rainbow and MVPFAFF+ people being placed into care also meant they were more vulnerable to being abused and neglected in care. This was due to societal attitudes and discrimination based on racism, ableism, disablism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia and negative stereotypes about children and young people, poverty and welfare dependency.
    
    
15. Takatāpui, Rainbow or MVPFAFF+ children, young people and adults who were living in poverty, were Māori, Pacific, Deaf, disabled or experiencing mental distress, had experienced adverse childhood events, and / or had a deferential attitude to people in positions of authority, were more likely to be placed in care, and to be abused and neglected while in care. Takatāpui, Rainbow and MVPFAFF+ people who were, or experienced, multiple combinations of these factors were at higher risk.
    
    
16. Most of the institutional or systemic factors that the Inquiry found contributed to abuse and neglect of children, young people and adults in State and faith-based care did not have a significantly different effect on Takatāpui, Rainbow and MVPFAFF+ survivors. However, some faith-specific factors, including negative attitudes about diverse sexuality and gender identity, contributed to Takatāpui, Rainbow and MVPFAFF+ survivors being psychologically, sexually and physically abused in faith-based care.
    
    
17. Societal attitudes throughout the Inquiry period directly contributed to survivors entering care and suffering abuse and neglect in care. For Takatāpui, Rainbow and MVPFAFF+ survivors, the most significant of these societal attitudes were homophobia, biphobia, transphobia and other forms of discrimination against people with diverse sexualities or gender identities. Those with diverse sexualities and gender identities continue to experience profound prejudice in Aotearoa New Zealand to this day.