Queerstories

Chantell Martin reflects on her experiences of transition and some of the major emotional turning points in her life. Originally from New Zealand, Chantell Martin has worked predominantly in the community sector. She worked for ACON as their housing officer, then went onto work for the Gender Centre as a case worker and housing officer within their residential project. Chantell is an active trans...

Wil shares stories about family and relationships, about how lives intersect messily but, in the end love helps us heal. Wil Roach is a writer of poetry, short stories and essays, and he has completed a memoir manuscript currently being edited for publication later this year. As a performance poet and creative producer, he has had work performed at the Sydney Writers Festival, Sydney Fringe Festiv...

Groovii Biscuit recalls a series of queer life lessons learnt while living at the Twenty10 LGBTQI youth refuge in the late 80s. In the 90s, Groovii Biscuit contributed to many a queer gathering, Club Bent and the Alternative Mardi Gras parties to name a few. Groovii was one of the original trio that birthed Club Kooky and is committed to sprinkling the Kooky ethos wherever life takes her, trailing...

Originally performed at Nailed It (another excellent Giant Dwarf event), Rebecca Shaw's thesis that the sky is gay is watertight, and bloody hilarious. Rebecca Shaw AKA brocklesnitch , is a writer and creator of the parody Twitter account @notofeminism , which was developed into an illustrated book with Affirm Press . She was on the writing team at Tonightly, and has written for Junkee, The Guardi...

Mitch Hibbens speaks frankly and openly about his relationship to alcohol. Mitch Hibbens is a failed athlete, emerging academic, Aboriginal activist and part-time Drag Queen. He has been a performer all his life but has only recently stepped onto the stage. A Wiradjuri man and country boy to his core, Mitch currently volunteers his time as an Indigenous Rights Campaigner for Democracy in Colour ....

Rachel Richardson talks about growing up trans in a cisgender world and the devious play strategies she used as a kid to help her cisgender playmates see her. Rachel is a writer, academic, and advocate for transgender health services – especially those cutting edge medical technologies available nowadays for children and others who know their bodies don't reflect the truth of their gender. D...

Steven shares his memories of his mother, and reflects on how she impacted his life as a gay, black man. Steven Oliver is a descendant of the Kuku-Yalanji, Waanyi, Gangalidda, Woppaburra, Bundjalung and Biripi peoples. He has worked with numerous theatre companies and arts organisations across Australia but became notorious with ABC's hit sketch show Black Comedy . He flies about the country worki...

Faustina Agolley reflects on her anxiety issues and on the strategies she used to kick it to the curb! Faustina Agolley is a TV Host, Actor, DJ, Producer and writer. She's hosted Video Hits , The Voice and the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras . Last year she made her stage debut with a Sydney Theatre Company and Melbourne Theatre Company's co-production and she's toured Australia and New Zealand...

Liz Jackson reflects on her nickname, on relationships and on moments of connection. Liz Jackson looks at disability through the lens of fashion and design. She is the founder and president of The Disabled List , a disability design self-advocacy organisation, and WITH, a fellowship that helps match creative disabled people with design studios and other organizations. Queerstories is an LGBTQ...

Simon Hunt reflects on his time in West Berlin, and a night spent hunting for a gay bar. Simon Hunt is a composer, performer, activist and writer who lectures in Media at the UNSW Faculty of Art & Design. He has won awards internationally as a filmmaker and composer, but is best known for his character ‘Pauline Pantsdown' - a drag simulacrum of politician Pauline Hanson - who enjoyed a t...

From dagger dykes to dapper daddies - butch history from the perspective of a masculine of centre millennial. Kait Fenwick is a queer poet living in Newcastle. In 2017, they completed their Honours thesis titled ‘Digital Queeries', a series of poems that explored the relationship between millennial queers and the internet. Their work has been published in the Contemporary Australian Feminist...

William Yang shares his experiences being gay and Australian Born Chinese. William Yang moved to Sydney from North Queensland in 1969 and worked as a freelance photographer documenting Sydney's social life which included the glamorous, celebrity set and the hedonistic, sub-cultural, gay community. In 1989 he integrated his skills as a writer and a visual artist and began to perform monologues with...

Kaya Wilson reflects on his photoshoot in an abandoned gay sauna with Patrick Boland. This story was shared at Queerstories x Archer Magazine launch in Sydney. You can see the images Kaya refers to in his story by ordering a copy of Archer Magazine's 10th issue . Kaya Wilson is a writer and scientist based in Sydney. He writes lyrical non-fiction essays with a focus on queer identity and his work...

Roused rebel Razia Zakaria experiences seemingly different cultures only to find they have more in common than first expected. This story was shared at Queerstories x Archer Magazine , launching the magazine's 10th issue in Sydney. Razia Zakarya is a PhD candidate in Science at UTS. Her secret superpowers are mondegreens and malapropisms. Queerstories is an LGBTQI+ storytelling night programmed by...

Sara reflects on her time spent in Orlando, Florida in 1998, on a man she met there, and on memory itself. Sara Knox was born in Wellington, New Zealand, in the year that country got television. She was raised in a family addicted to BBC dramas and books, where humour counted as the seventh sense. Her first novel, The Orphan Gunner , was short-listed for the regional Commonwealth Writer's Prize an...

Bali shares a story about an intimate and life-changing experience: his first haircut. Bali is the ultimate slashie - Actor, Producer, Director, Development Executive and Diversity Advisor for Australia's theatre and screen industry. He is the Chair of MEAA's Equity Diversity Committee and represents Australia's professional actor community as an elected representative on MEAA's National Performer...

Facial hair, family advice, and how not to use a razor. Jen Peden is a committee member for queer soccer club, the Flying Bats FC , falling over on the field for them during games on Sundays and pfaffing around on their social media through the week. And she recently received an Inner West Council Volunteer Recognition Award. Queerstories is an LGBTQI+ storytelling night programmed by Maeve Marsde...

Not exactly a story about queer activism... Elizabeth Humphrys is an academic at UTS. She researches work, trade unions and social movements. She grew up in a working class family in Werribee, Melbourne, and has been temporarily living in Sydney for the past twenty years. She is an AFL obsessive and Stupendous Bisexual. Queerstories is an LGBTQI+ storytelling night programmed by Maeve Marsden, wit...

Gary takes us back to the early naughts when, as a teenager, he learns about the paradoxes of desire, identity politics and meeting people online. Gary Paramanathan works at the intersection of arts, culture and community. Born in Sri Lanka and raised in Australia, Gary has written and directed a number of short films, including for ABC iView. He has written feature essays and recounted personal n...

A story of floral duvets, survival, and being set free by an old mate. Jacob Thomas works and volunteers in numerous fields including aide and development, LGBTQIA+ advocacy, gender equality, start-up consultancy, higher education, human rights, youth development, and international policy. Jacob sits as the SOGI executive member of the Commonwealth Youth Gender and Equality Network (CYGEN), and si...

Why kids are in fact the greatest, far better than adults, potentially better than you. Nevo Zisin is a Jewish, Queer, non-binary activist, public speaker and author of Finding Nevo, a memoir on gender transition. They run workshops and professional development in schools and workplaces around gender inclusivity. They have appeared on SBS Insight, Hack Live, One Plus One, The Morning Show and othe...

Melbourne comedian and storyteller Lisa-Skye explores labels and desire when things are less 'black and white' and more 'unicorn sneezecough'. Lisa-Skye is Melbourne's favourite sparklepuppy muppet dominatrix comedian. Her uniquely positive and inclusive humour and her glitter-bomb high-energy delivery have made her a favourite on the international arts festival circuit. She really is a treasure,...

Peter shares stories about his spirituality and otherworldly happenings. Peter Waples-Crowe is an award winning Ngarigo queer visual and performing artist whose work has featured in many spaces throughout Victoria. His art practice plays at the intersection of his experiences as an Aboriginal queer man and his work with community health and community arts organisations such as The Torch , the...

Jordan Raskopoulos takes a trip down memory lane, recalling some of her more frustrating encounters with the entertainment industry. Jordan Raskopoulos is a writer, comedian and singer. She's been on tele, she's toured the world with her band The Axis of Awesome , had a few viral hits and then had a supporting role in a telemovie about Julian Assange. Since coming out and transitioning she's also...

Annaliese Constable is massaged within an inch of her life. Annaliese Constable is a writer, performer and queer rights activist working across standup, queer performance and theatre. Renowned for self deprecating and tragic comedic works Annaliese has been a regular contributor to Erotic Fan Fiction , Confession Booth , Story Club and FBi's Versus with Eddie Sharp.  Queerstories is an LGBTQI...