Queerstories

Tropical island getaways are not for the faint hearted, and travelling alone can awaken some of the ugliest spiritual epiphanies, as Bobuq learnt on an Eat, Pray, Love inspired trip to Hawaii at the age of 20. Bobuq Sayed is a writer, multi-disciplinary artist, queer youth worker and community organiser of the Afghan diaspora. They have co-edited Archer Magazine in the past, and they are the co-ed...

When nothing is black and white, but actually a whole lot of grey and the world is turned upside down from one sentence. A family secret is revealed, changing everything. Rachael Oak Butler was born and raised in Albury/Wodonga and has worn many professional hats in her time, such as Professional musician, working in shearing sheds, becoming a black belt in Tae Kwon Do and then an Instructor for a...

Peter reflects on his decades of activism. Peter de Waal is a foundation member of CAMP Inc (Campaign Against Moral Persecution) known for his 1972 appearance on the national ABC National TV program Chequerboard, with his late partner Peter Bonsall-Boone. His decades of activism encompass gay rights, the establishment of Phone-A-Friend, the precursor of the Gay and Lesbian Counselling Service, ear...

On living through Thatcher, creating family meaning, and pushing to create Safe Schools. Roz Ward co-founded and directed Safe Schools Coalition Victoria . She sustained ongoing personal attacks through the public debates about Safe Schools and as a result became one of the most well known Queerstories is an LGBTQI+ storytelling night programmed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Austral...

Writer and poet Ellen van Neerven reflects on team sport friendships, new cities and personal geographies. Ellen van Neerven is a writer of Mununjali Yugambeh and Dutch heritage. Her first book, Heat and Light (UQP, 2014), was the recipient of the David Unaipon Award, the Dobbie Literary Award and the NSW Premier's Literary Awards Indigenous Writers Prize. Heat and Light was also shortlisted for T...

Hayley Katzen shares a vivid and colourful account of her experience of moving to a remote cattle farm in Northern NSW to live with her farmer girlfriend, Jen. Hayley is a writer who lives on a small cattle farm west of Lismore. Her play ‘Pressure Point' was performed at the Byron Community Theatre and her short stories and essays have won awards and been published in Australian and American...

Virginia Seymour, born rugged, queer, alcoholic, tells how niche skills acquired through survival of an average dysfunctional family of origin are embraced and repurposed as "Super Powers" to escape probable disaster in the outback. Virginia Seymour aka Virg and Fur Mir is an ecologist and is a well-known legend in the local area for her environmental advocacy and restoration efforts. An ex chef,...

Fiona McGregor reflects on a long held family tradition. Fiona McGregor is a Sydney novelist, essayist, art critic and performance artist. She has published five books including Strange Museums , a travel memoir of a performance art tour through Poland. Her latest novel Indelible Ink won Age Book of the Year. She writes for The Monthly, The Saturday Paper, Overland, RealTime, Runway and Running Do...

After turning 36, Miranda imparts a little advice she's learnt along the way. Miranda Sparks is a wearer of many hats. She is a writer, public speaker, superhero fetishist, and presenter on Joy FM's radio show The Gender Agenda . In what spare time she has left, she expands the prose universe of her personal superhero Glimmer Girl. Queerstories is an LGBTQI+ storytelling night programmed by Maeve...

A trip to the 'homeland' of Slovenia teaches Krissy Kneen a thing or two about how cultures, individual families and individuals deal with trauma in such very different ways. Krissy Kneen is an award-winning writer and a beloved member of the Australian literary community. She has written memoir, poetry and fiction, and her latest novel, An Uncertain Grace , was shortlisted for the 2018 Stella Pri...

Vanessa remembers a trip she took to Cairns more than 20 years ago. Dr. Vanessa Lee , from the Yupungathiand Meriam people, is a social epidemiologist, educator and public health/ health sciences researcher in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Sydney. Dr. Lee is a director for Suicide Prevention Australia and she chairs the National Public Health Indigenous Leadership in Educatio...

For the first time in Charles' very talkative life, he has nothing to say. Charles O'Grady is a queer transgender theatremaker, poet, and journalist. As a playwright he has written multiple works focused on intersectional queer and trans storytelling, including Kaleidoscope, Telescope, and Are We Awake? He has worked on productions with such mainstage companies as Griffin, Malthouse, Belvoir, and...

Gay rugby, a missed flight and finding new confidence in performance. Simon Copland is a PhD candidate in Sociology at the Australian National University. He is a freelance writer who has been published in the Guardian, SBS Online Australia, BBC Online, and co-produces and presents the podcast Queers, not to be confused with the podcast you're currently on, which you should all subscribe to. Simon...

Ally shares a cautionary tale about the dangers of meeting up with a drug dealer. Ally Garrett has been writing and speaking on body politics and fat activism for the past decade, with her writing featured in The Guardian, Daily Life and ABC Life. Queerstories is an LGBTQI+ storytelling night programmed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For Queerstories event dates, visit www...

Ali reflects on being a shy kid and on his work as a photographer. Ali Choudhry is a collector of slashes. He is a gay / person of color / Asian / refugee / photographer / activist. And those are just the ones he can think of off the top of his head. Ali is a Brisbane photographer whose work explores the dichotomous aspects of identity: differences about our true selves we often balance daily with...

Eddie Ayres shares two stories from the 1960s to remind us how to be brave. Eddie Ayres learnt the viola as a child in England, studying in Berlin and London before eight years with the Hong Kong Philharmonic. He presented a long-running and extremely popular breakfast radio program on ABC Classic FM , while teaching music privately and professionally. In 2016, he accepted a teaching position at t...

James looks back on the queer flavours of childhood in 1980s suburbia, and an early taste of the definitive bonds and disruptions of adulthood. James Beach works in theatre and has directed and produced several independent productions in Sydney since he graduated from NIDA in 2007. The list of credits is long so I won't list it all – look him up and go to his stuff. His recollections of grow...

Shaun sheds a spicy light on their experiences as a queer person of colour living so far away from home. Shaun D'Souza is a Brisbane based youth worker and LGBTIQ+ artivist, and a firm enthusiast of naps, books and tea. Their current projects include tackling transgender-homelessness in Brisbane and advocating for queer people of colour visibility through art and community building. Queerstories i...

Geraldine Hickey terrifies the listener with a slow burning tale about how she managed to manifest her own arachnophobia. Geraldine Hickey is revered in the industry as a comedian's comedian and has been shortlisted for the ‘Piece of Wood' award at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival multiple times. A veteran of many seasons of The Melbourne International Comedy Festival, she is also...

Tara Suamba shares a story about her constant conflict between her queer and Balinese identities. Tara Suamba studies, practices and teaches law with a human rights focus. She enjoys time with her greyhound Sonny, taking down institutions from the inside and crosswords. Queerstories is an LGBTQI+ storytelling night programmed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For Queerstories...

Transgender singer Mama Alto recounts her experiences of traveling through the USA to attend an Aretha Franklin concert. Mama Alto is a gender transcendent diva, cabaret artiste, jazz singer and community activist. Her cabaret performances and collaborations have garnered critical praise at the Melbourne Recital Centre, Malthouse Theatre Company, Melbourne Festival, Adelaide Cabaret Festival, Darw...

Crusader reflects on his relationship to sex and his body, on the punk scene and on his long relationship with partner (and business partner) Roland. Crusader Hillis is a writer, editor, curator and producer. He co-founded (with Rowland Thomson) the queer bookshop Hares & Hyenas in 1991. In its 23-year history, Hares & Hyenas has presented over 700 literary and performance events, both her...

Ginger Valentine takes what they were given at birth, and makes it better. Ginger Valentine is a writer, a podcaster and a pop-culture commentator, pastimes that feel as natural to them as breathing. And, like breathing, they'll keep doing it even when no one's listening. You can buck the trend, and listen to their podcast, Common Sense with Burt Franklap . Queerstories is an LGBTQI+ storytelling...

Pola remembers her childhood in Tonga, and shares her often heartbreaking journey becoming the woman she is now. Epipola Taulafo is an an entertainer, singer, dancer, and a member of the LGBTIQ group in the Asylum Seeker Centre . She is currently studying business management, and is a former Miss Galaxy Queen 2008-09. Queerstories is an LGBTQI+ storytelling night programmed by Maeve Marsden, with...

Faced with the chance to change herself, Liz Duck-Chong had to ask herself if the act of changing would involve a bigger shift than expected. Liz Duck-Chong is a writer, sexual health advocate, filmmaker and transgender bon vivant who is a true renaissance figure in the sense that most of them were really gay. She can be found on Twitter at @lizduckchong , in your ears on the podcast Let's Do It ,...