RNZ
Gay, lesbian or bisexual people are twice as likely to suffer from sexual violence or family harm than the average New Zealander.
Weenink Smith said the response to her Givealittle page, $1355 in under 24 hours, had been encouraging to see after reading the worst of the social media commentary.
“There have been such horrible and hateful comments online, and really seeing the community come together has been wonderful,” she said.
She said she had been talking with city councillors about donating the proceeds towards the project, and she said there were some positive and some not-so-positive responses, but she was not discouraged.