--- title: 'Out of the Shelves' url: 'https://greenbayhigh.school.nz/news/term-3-2025/out-of-the-shelves' markdown: 'https://greenbayhigh.school.nz/news/term-3-2025/out-of-the-shelves.md' date: '2025-08-28' description: "Congratulations to Malie Pierard (Yr 13) who won 1st place in the 'Out of the Shelves' writing competition! Malie's poem, entitled 'Scales' won 1st Place in the 16-20 year old category. The prose is a poignant tale of the struggle to be seen. Out of the Shelves is part of an InsideOUT Kōaro initiat…" --- Out of the Shelves Malie Pierard 1st place! ![scales](https://greenbayhigh.school.nz/images/2/2/4/3/e/2243e189f685df1a8572c1d680f9a8fc73adcb2d-rainbow-flag.jpg "scales") # Out of the Shelves Thursday, 28th August 2025 at 2:40pm ##### Congratulations to Malie Pierard (Yr 13) who won 1st place in the 'Out of the Shelves' writing competition! Malie's poem, entitled 'Scales' won 1st Place in the 16-20 year old category. The prose is a poignant tale of the struggle to be seen. Out of the Shelves is part of an InsideOUT Kōaro initiative, a national charity working to make Aotearoa safer for all rainbow and takatāpui people. It aims to celebrate budding rainbow youth. #### SCALES I’m scared of expressing myself, and a lot of people nowadays are. Gender expression is a crime punishable by disappointment. They’ve never been in my favour -- and I don’t think they ever will be. I’m something else born with woman’s blood. I’m something else… Anything else. But justice is as justice does, and the lady is blindfolded. And as much as she is cruel, she never means to be. And as much as she says she loves me, she’ll never really see. It’s a kangaroo court, the judge is indecisive, I’m guilty until proven innocent, my lawyer is gone… and the prosecutor -- She stands tall, proud, and glass-eyed. Righteous, isn’t she? Well, because she’s always right. She’s the father, the birth certificate, the “miss”, the blood in the bowl, the cyst in your system… “you’re a beautiful girl”... “at least she’s pretty”... “getting pregnant will fix this, so don’t worry!”... And she’s the crunch of your weak girl bones as the bailiff carries you behind the courtroom… and the lady is blindfolded. You’re called a devil. A sinful shapeshifter, the dirty fork-tongued trickster, another pervert body switcher. A snake. Guilty on all accounts, the sour Granny Smith taste still lingers in your mouth. You’re nothing more than your peers’ approval, and that’s why the pronouns switched. Because, that’s what they call ‘you’. Isn’t it? There’s not much say, there’s little choice. The court isn’t the place to get your freedom… and the lady is blindfolded. Navigate - [ Home ](https://greenbayhigh.school.nz/) - [ About Us ](https://greenbayhigh.school.nz/about-us) - [ Enrolment ](https://greenbayhigh.school.nz/enrolment) - [ Learning ](https://greenbayhigh.school.nz/learning-areas) Contact Contact us: [https://greenbayhigh.school.kiwi/contact\_us](https://greenbayhigh.school.kiwi/contact_us)Green Bay High School 143 - 161 Godley Road, Green Bay Auckland 0643 New Zealand PO BOX 80002 | | | |---|---| | Tel | [+64 9 817 8173](tel:+6498178173) | | Absences | [Ext. 234 or press ‘1’ (one)](tel:+6498178173,234) | | Email | | | CONTACT US | [https://greenbayhigh.school.kiwi/contact\_us](https://greenbayhigh.school.kiwi/contact_us) | For contact details of individual staff, including Year level deans, please navigate to our [staff directory](https://greenbayhigh.school.nz/about-us/staff) Kōtuitui Community Green Bay High School is proudly part of the Kōtuitui community of learning, a learning network of 12 West Auckland schools. To learn more about the Kōtuitui community please click [HERE](https://greenbayhigh.school.nz/community/kotuitui). [![Kotuitui Community of Learning](https://greenbayhigh.school.nz/user/themes/gbhs/images/kotuitui.svg)](https://greenbayhigh.school.nz/community/kotuitui) --- ## Navigation - Parent: [Term 3 2025](https://greenbayhigh.school.nz/news/term-3-2025.md) - Previous: [(NZPC) Programming](https://greenbayhigh.school.nz/news/term-3-2025/nzpc-programming.md) - Next: [Parent Info Evening](https://greenbayhigh.school.nz/news/term-3-2025/parent-info-evening.md)