Merry Gay Christmas to All Who Celebrate

Today we're recording on Gadigul Country and.

We'd like to pay our respects to the traditional custodians of the Gaetgol people. I know you've got to dig this. It's like I've been given like an extra sprinkle of something.

You've got layers.

Yeah, I got layers.

I was just thinking.

I'm like, we're just such beautiful storytellers.

You're making a lot of sense to that girl. No, I'm done. I've been too honest to go this gay Christmas, gays.

All that fuck is more.

It is gay Christmas here in Sydney and the Marti Gras, it's in its forty seventh year, has kicked off. It always kicks off with fair Day and I was a part of that day.

It was great we have fair Day.

Yeah, I was, yeah, but I didn't see you. I did walk past the Mecca. You're with Mecca, right, but I think you might have been gone because I looked in and you weren't there.

Yeah, it was only between two thirty to five.

Did you then walk around and like experience the day?

No, I was so cooked.

I flew in, got my makeup done like three times by Max made and then left.

Yeah. Yeah, yeah, because I saw Max.

Yeah he was still around, but I didn't have the right appropriate shoes and plus me wasn't kind of dressed to do fair day. She was like, nah, I'm in like gym where I'm like and yeah, like whatever, but she wasn't feeling it, so we left.

But we just had a little little night in.

Yeah. Oh nice, So tell me, Marti Gras. It is obviously like an amazing time for our community. It is such a pivotal moment when it comes to like the history of our community as well. It's definitely built from protests and yeah, you know, the seventy eight ers are such.

A I know it is still part of it marching to this day.

The legacy, you know, everything that they I know, but like sometimes when I look at them, I think, wow, you must have seen so much change over the years, you know, positive change, Like the community wasn't always as accepted as it is now. But I want to ask you, what is your like favorite Marti Gras memory. Let's kick off with our favorite and then we can talk about some of them not so favorite.

Okay, yeah, sos and peaks and pits yep, oh okay, Well I kind of only really watched Marti Garral on TV maybe in my like mid twenties, oh no, early twenties, early twenties, and then I went in my mid twenties. So my first ever Marti Gras was with are You Okay? And that was post Batchelor and so that was like twenty nineteen.

I went.

I was actually in a heteronormative relationship. I was with Nick two point zero and I went with are You Okay to March and I was meant to be on the float, but I ended up doing an interview with Courtney Act.

So I was like running to this like the.

Little TV setup where they and I'd say, honestly, one of my favorite moments to this day was meeting Samantha Jade in the green room.

And she knew who I was.

Okay, and her mum was a fan, Oh wow, And I was like, oh, my god from.

Perth in there from Perth, So I was like, this is awesome.

That was my That was my like, my my biggest highlight I think of not and I guess also meeting g Filip for the first time. Yeah that was yeah, that was really fun.

I really enjoyed that.

Yeah.

Yeah, I feel like Marti Gras. There is like there's so many crossovers with people in the community. You know, you're always running to someone you know, you meet someone who you've been looking up to for years. I'm sure that would have happened to you many times, like a lot of people would have come up to you and said hello.

Kind of it was so weird that I mean back in the day when I was marching and you know, you're.

Like, it's such a high.

And I'm sure you've marched a few times in your life, so you know, people are yelling at from the gates and you kind of like run over and give them a hug and a kiss, to take a photo and then you kind of back and exciting, like it's just a nice, really wholesome vibe and it's just so filled with so much love. But yeah, what was your pinink of Marti Gras?

Oh? My pink of Marty gra has to be when I've been like hosting, because I feel like, even though it's work, it's so much fun because you get to go and talk to everyone, so it's like you have a mic. People want to open up and share their story. So it's like my first year, I remember running along with n TV and I was marching with the Darwin float, so it was the theme was like crocodile, so everything.

Was like big swamp princess, that's me.

And so I was like with Benny Gratz miscellaneous marzipan. And the funniest thing happened. The generator that was on the back of the Northern Territory Floats ute actually broke down. And so just visualize this, so it's broken down. All the things that were blown up had like deflated, blated, and you can see these two drag queens trying to start this generator like a lord the heels, trying to rip it out like this, and it was just such

Oh my god, I love that. That's like such a.

Moment in your career as well, go down like was one of your highlights. But then also just that vibe. You can't recreate that, I know, you know what I.

Mean, not that first time so special, so so special. But this year the theme is free to be What do you think of the theme? To me?

Fair?

Do you know I'm might be a bad gay? But like I only knew the theme this morning when I was reading an article.

Yeah, okay, well, I mean, look, you.

Don't hate me. I didn't even know. I honestly have just not my books just come out. I've just been so focused on that. I've worked. I've just started working back with the kids.

Yep.

The podcast is obviously starting up again. You know we've started season three.

Yeah, season three. Yeah.

So there's a lot happening in my life. But not saying that I don't love manigraph, but I just haven't really been focused on it total.

That's fine. I mean, not every year has to be the year that you put your all into Marti Gras. This year, I'm actually not even going to be here, you know, I'm going to go away. Well, I decided that this year I'm going to just go away and book and Airbnb and take myself to the coast, you know, Like I dipped my toe in at the start of the festival, which is Fair Day, and not every year

Yeah.

Keane on just having like a low key weekend with my partner, Yeah.

I mean that, you know, you can you can have that type of maighty gra as well, like to not you know, just on a the fact that you can go and it can be really chilled. You can watch it, but I'd rather just watch it from my house, like the comfortable with my girlfriend.

But I'm going to be in Brisbane as well. I'm actually gonna be away.

I fly into Brisbane Friday, there Saturday, and then home that night. So pretty much a big weekend of book stuff, which is exciting. I mean, my book is you know, celebrates First Nations culture and queer love. So you know, I'm kind of doing my own celebration in a different way doing that obviously working, but also celebrating the fact that this is the second release of that. You know,

I'm being on it.

It's all been love, love, you know, beautiful celebration, acceptance. But then I've had some moments that have been some quite triggering to be fair with you, I worked with a brand, which I will never do again. MARTI grap for me, is going to be moving forward? Is I think going to be? I want to go because I want to be with my people and I want to like celebrate and I want to like, Yeah, I just

What Yeah.

The one of the ladies who were working for the PR company actually turned around and said.

Oh, you're real confident wearing that.

Wow, And she was like, well SMARTI grat like and she got fat shame.

That's disgusting.

The second thing was we're one of the sort of higher staff members. I think she was like lead of a department, won't name names, uh, you know, kind of tokenized me like, oh, this is Brooks, she's my indigenous friend.

What.

Yeah, And Milo was there and I remember looking at her being like is this really happening right now in this moment? Yeah, And you know a bit sus that, you know, three of the girls that were meant to be looking after us just kept disappearing and coming back and disappearing and coming back and you know, not actually looking after us. So yeah, not to out them, but I feel like, you know, these are experiences that have kind of tainted my experience as well, but also like.

You know, in that moment, were you like why.

Are these people being a part of the parade?

Yeah? I mean did you feel unsafe?

Yes? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I wanted to go. I wanted they were meant to be looking after us. I was meant to do.

I did some interviews with Francisco Horn, went to go do an interview. They had my phone and my belongings, and all of a sudden they disappeared.

Wow.

And they're like, oh, We've taken them back to like where the base camp is, and I'm like, how am I.

Meant to get there?

That was like a couple of kilometers We walked all here. It was just it was horrific. That year was horrific, and I really did taint my experience that But it's nothing to do with Sydney Marti gra It's actually to do with the company.

Yeah, but that's probably my pit, like that that's really shitty. Yeah, yeah, my crap.

I totally I think that that's like such a disgusting experience and the people obviously don't have any like awareness of where they are and what they're doing. Like but exactly like what the cultural.

College whitewashing, isn't it Like it's called brainwashed, pink washing, pink.

Washing, pink washing.

Yeah, yeah, but yeah, I definitely have a pit for Mardi Gras, but it was it's sort of a funny pit. When I was my first ever Marti Gras, I was like nineteen years old and I was going with my friend Oliver and we we were at the We didn't know what to wear, so it was like one of those things where you're young and like you're not really prepared. You probably didn't have the money to buy an outfit, so we were like what can we wear? And we went into our closet. We were like living together, and

I was going to ask you what you are looking forward to, but if you were going yeah, if we were going one, yeah, what would be our outfits be?

I know what mine would be because I already workshopped this with the first Nations float, so I sort of agreed to go. I actually did. I was like, you know, I would love to be a part of it. And then I sort of just once I got back into my own space and in my own head, and I was like, that's probably not the best. This year. I was going to wear like a dazzled black lap plap.

Oh okay, beautiful.

Everything was black and black explained.

To what people. People won't know what a lap black is.

Yeah, So basically the First Nations float theme this year was black Royalty, and so Linda Bernie is like Compton Baker myself. I think even you were asked. There were a few people that were asked to be the six sort of the community, I know, very cool, honest, and so I was like thinking what I wear, and I really felt like, okay, So I really wanted to have that intersection of you know, my my sexuality and my idolity and my culture, and so I was like a

That's kind of hard on it, Like it's like this isn't.

The in the bag. And then I was gonna like maybe put on my back like back yeah big, big, big, I mean not big. So I was like, yeah, I was looking forward to it. Then I thought, oh, no, like I just I just can't get there. I just can't do it this year. So that's what I would have worn.

What about you, Oh, I don't. If I was on the Blackfellow.

Flow, I would have yeah, probably tried to you know, be dazzle something probably similar, But I mean I have varied in my outfits. One year I wore like practically like undies and like a strapless top, and then like this beaded.

Dress over the top.

That was my first year.

And then my second year I wore like like stockings, like this one piece with like it was a long sleep, and then like blue boots because I was kind of well, I was with a brand and the.

Colors were blue. But yeah, I don't know. I mean I'm in my Thai era.

So I feel like I probably would have done like a preppy, preppy vibe, preppy vie. Yeah, I mean like preppy rainbow kind of vibe. Okay maybe yeah.

And so because you're now in a woman, let's go there, how is it going? Like do you feel the gay love?

We do?

We haven't really spoken about Marti Graf. I'm being honest, like, I think Mea is kind of deciding what she wants to do. She's flying back, She's coming to Melbourne on Thursday, and she is flying back to Sydney on the Friday, and I'm flying to Brisbane, So she kind of doesn't know what she wants to do. I mean, I've already told her I'm away. I'd love for her to come to Brisbane obviously for the book stuff, but she does have work commitment in life. Yeah, but yeah, it's going good.

Oh fun.

Yeah. Yeah, I've seeing each other a lot. I mean we're kind of nailing this long distance you yeah.

Yeah, you're not going to get to you know, too far.

I mean we looked you know, now, we'll probably have like a joint calendar souit.

I love that, h well, I mean feeling the love.

Yeah about you and Danny.

You're going to go away, so we're going to have a wholesome like are you going to like also Ranks.

I also just spent three grand on Beyonce tickets, I know, and so I also I'm about to book my flights to Europe for my thirtieth So it's all about like just making sure that I'm not overdoing the spending, you know as well. So it's like we want to go away, but I'm not going to like book some lux place, so it's going to be like some little shack on the beach somewhere.

Oh yeah. Actually talking about obviously on the topic of Mardi Gars and everything.

What's it in and out? I think out We've already known that was like pinkwashing.

Yeah, but what's in?

What's an inn for Martigra?

I think an in for Mardi Gras is I definitely feel like.

It's corporates out, corporates out.

Well, you know, I think corporates are.

Needed for money and sponsorships, but their ethics and their values need to be on par with what city this year?

Is that the big corporates who were once a sponsor now they're principles and their values don't align with Marti Gra which is just ridiculous. And so there they've actually just pointed down from being a major organization sponsor. So that's Google and Meta that I'm talking about. So yeah, I think.

They're read it at the Garden Guardian actually because it was a really good article.

Yeah. So I think that that's obviously come from the hierarchy of those organizations and what they've currently they're.

Protecting, you know, our space I say our as in like our queer spaces. They're making sure that whoever align in those.

But you know what the thing is, those organizations stepped down. They weren't asked to be removed. So as much as my de grass say that they would have, I don't know if they would have because of how much input those companies have in terms of money. So there's a fine balance between like how much you can get from someone and what you know that you don't agree with.

They're just a bit scary.

Look could they align with Yeah?

True, yes, So do you do a bit of research, guys, because you just never know. That's some really good work happening at the moment with I was looking at a few pages about, you know, people unpacking what this all means politically.

And then and what it filters down to Australia.

But yeah, now it's you know, it does affect everyone anyway, Yeah, in a way.

But you know what, put that aside for the weekend and go and have a great Marti gras we will be there in spirit, but we won't be there in person. But yeah, I mean, have a wonderful time. You know, let your head down, do whatever makes you feel love. Yeah, and yeah, be free to be.

I mean, if you wanted to read about that google and meta stuff, you could probably find it in our show notes.

Actually, don't google it.

Thanks. Actually, yeah, go to our show notes and click the Guardian totally.

Well, that's all we have time for today, but thanks for listening to First things first, if you love what you hear, leave us a rating or a little review, And.

If you want us to cover anything next week, reach out via our socials. My handle was at Brooked Uplet and Maddie's handle was at It's Maddie Miles.

See you next week.

Back gra Happy, Marty bra love.

Is it Okay? Favorite gay song.

Love, I'm Coming Out?

Oh Slay Mine is break Free Ariana Grande Hey, Siri play break Free Ariana Grande Hey