Pridefinder: The Rainbow Road Trip Podcast

Kylie (she/her) is a queer ally who sits on the committee for Gippsland Pride Initiative.​ In this episode, Kylie discusses the importance of advocacy and the ways she has made an impact through working with LGBTQIA+ youth and teaching gender studies at TAFE. Kylie also describes the difference she noticed when moving to Gippsland from the city and how something as simple as having bright red hair...

Darcy (they/them) is a non-binary person who grew up in Sale and now lives 15 minutes down the road with their partner and daughter. ​ In this episode, Darcy shares their journey of coming out both in terms of their sexuality and their gender identity and the effects this had on their relationships. They speak about how they experienced attraction to both males and females, but later discovered th...

Jason (he/him) is a kiwi born, gay man who has moved to Gippsland and really immersed himself in the community.​ In this episode, Jason speaks about his time working with the SES and the ways he is moving with them towards inclusivity. Jason now also sits on the Gippsland Pride Initiative committee and was a participant in the 2022/23 Regional Activation Program. He discusses how much work has gon...

Caitlin (she/her) is a pansexual woman who is the president and co-founder of Gippsland Pride Initiative.​ In this episode, Caitlin openly and eloquently discusses the hardships and consequences of the Marriage Equality vote. She discusses the many difficulties still facing her LGBTQIA+ community in Gippsland and the incredible advocacy that she is a part of to help shift things. Caitlin is an abs...

In this series, we will explore lots of experiences of what is means to be LGBTQIA+ and living in regional Victoria. Here's a taste of what 'Pride' means to some of our interviewees...

Emily (they/she) is a polyamorous, pansexual who lives with various disabilities, which make their life in Sale "weird and wonderful and complicated and interesting".​ In this episode, Emily discusses what it was like for them growing up as someone who was clearly different and how that has shaped their life. They speak about the open curiosity they have for other humans and the ways they have bee...

Skye (they/them) is a queer person who also lives with being blind and paralysed after having a stroke when they were five. ​ In this episode, Skye speaks openly about what their life has been like living within the intersections of queer, disability and regional living. Skye studied music at university and shares stories of playing the trumpet and singing with choirs. At 13, they came out to them...

PollyannaR (she/her) is a rebellious social justice artist who lives in Gippsland and moves fluidly between all of the letters in LGBTQIA+.​ In this episode, PollyannaR shares about her artistic practice and the community she has created and found within Gippsland. She speaks to some of the challenges within the area, particularly during the plebiscite. She has completed several powerful projects...

Rhain (she/her) is a lesbian woman who grew up in the Macedon Ranges and now runs The Old Auction House & Macedon Ranges Acesssible Arts with her wife and father. ​ In this episode, Rhain discusses what her experience was like growing up and why she chose to move back to the Macedon Ranges with her partner. She shares her experience of coming out and how she sees the world has shifted for the...

Mez (she/her) is a 61 year old, cis-gendered, lesbian woman who works for Sunbury and Cobaw Community Health in their Way Out program for LGBTQIA+ youth.​ In this episode, Mez speaks passionately about the work she does with queer youth as well as what it was like for her as a young person. She shares a beautiful story about her first relationship and the way she has noticed things change over tim...

Nick (he/him) is an almost 50 year old, instrument maker and artist who grew up in Fremantle​. In this episode, Nick discusses growing up with his 3 brothers who were his best friends and what it was like coming out to them in his twenties. He explains some of his craft to us as well as how his business has taken him on the road from festival to festival. Nick has also been in a relationship with...

Rhani (she/her) & Emma (she/her) are a queer couple who live in Castlemaine and both work at Sunbury and Cobaw Community Health.​ In this episode, Rhani and Emma share the story of how they both moved to Castlemaine in heterosexual relationships with kids and how their lives have changed as they discovered their queerness. They also speak to the diverseness the LGBTQIA+ community that they enc...

Alex (he/him) is a 14 year old trans & omnisexual person who has grown up in Kyneton.​ In this episode, you'll hear about Alex's experience growing up regionally as well as his very wholesome coming out story. He reflects on what it's like to be queer now versus how he's heard it was in the past. There are some brief descriptions of bullying and an assault that happened to him and his friends....

B (she/her) is a lesbian woman who loves living in the Central Highlands and works for Sunbury and Cobaw Community Health in their country LGBTQIA+ inclusion program. ​ In this episode, B discusses how the beginning of the year can feel saturated with Pride events in and around her community. This can feel magical, but B also acknowledges that it isn't like that throughout the rest of the year and...

Kate (her/they) is a lesbian woman who moved to Kyneton with her partner around 5 years ago to establish a local allied health business.​ In this episode, Kate discusses why they chose to move to Kyneton and what their experience has been like finding community there. Originally from Adelaide, Kate found adjusting to regional living a bit difficult as she enjoyed being emersed in the arts and cult...

Andrew-Catherine (they/them) is a 60year old gender fluid person who came out in 2016, around the same time they moved to Bendigo.​ In this episode, Andrew-Catherine discusses their experience of coming out later in life. They reflect on the lack of resources and community connections focused at older queer people and how this can make the journey harder and more lonely. Andrew-Catherine's story i...

Samantha (she/her) is a transgender woman who has lived in Bendigo since 1992​. In this episode, Samantha shares her experience of growing up and starting hormones in the 1970s. She has a pretty coloured history, including working at Les Girls and she shares some darker times that befell her LGBTQIA+ friends. ​ Trigger warnings : This episode features adult content including sex work, drugs, incar...

Alexander (he/him) is a 22 year old trans man who has lived most of his life in Bendigo.​ In this episode, Alex discusses what it was like coming out during school and the connections that he has made with TGD (Trans and Gender Diverse) Bendigo. He expresses how important it was for him to be introduced to older trans role models as well as being given more resources than he could find on his own....

Alicia (she/her) is a bisexual woman who grew up in Mildura and has lived in Bendigo for 4 years with her dog and her housemate. ​ In this episode, Alicia chats about the wonderful community of queer people that she has found in Bendigo. She speaks about her "slowly, slowly" approach for change-making in regional communities as well as her experience of being a bisexual woman. She articulates some...

Sophie Leigh (they/she) is a 36 year old trans woman who grew up in Perth and now lives in Bendigo.​ Sophie Leigh describes themselves as a "trifecta" as they are trans, on the autism spectrum and have ADHD. In this episode, they speak in a refreshingly honest way about trying to find spaces that they belong, how their life and experiences have changed as they've transitioned and the joy of discov...

Dr Linda (she/they) is a sexologist who has a particular interest in anything outside the mainstream. ​ In this episode, Dr Linda will discuss some of their experiences as a sex ed teacher of 12 years and the important impact their contribution has made for students feeling safe, respected & open to exploring their sexualities. They also speak to their experience of binaries vs. spectrums and...

Vince (he/him) & Daz (he/him) are a couple of 15 years, who have set up their 'haven' on acreage in Ballarat. Vince is a proud Nguri-Illum Wurrung / Dja Dja Wurrung / Wurundjeri / Wamba Wemba artist and prop-maker by trade, who mainly works in Melbourne on film and theatre, while Daz is the renowned drag queen Philmah Bocks and so travels around performing as well as managing their Werkshop in...

Sean (he/him) is an academic, who researches law and human rights and has been living in Ballarat for the past 5 years. ​ In this episode, Sean discusses what it's been like for him moving to Ballarat and beginning to volunteer as an LGBTQIA+ advocate for the community. He is a co-runner of the Victorian Pride Lobby's Rainbow Local Government campaign and has some great reflections about how progr...

Annabel (she/her) is a 34 year old bi-romantic asexual woman who works in Healthcare. ​ In this episode, you will hear Annabel explain what being asexual means to her and the way that she has been building an ace community in Ballarat. She also speaks to her experience of living in different regional towns, including Hamilton and Daylesford, over the last decade and some of the homophobia and prog...

Jay (he/they) is one of the co-directors of Ballarat Frolic Festival. ​ Growing up in Mallacoota, Jay experienced the isolation of being queer in a regional town, so has now moved to Ballarat to help increase visibility, resources and connection for future generations. In this episode, you’ll hear how passionate Jay is about Ballarat and the importance of festivals like Frolic which bring our comm...