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 sits on the UN Women's Taskforce for Youth and Gender Equality . In 2016 they were one of two Australi...
Oct 15, 2018•12 min•Ep 84•Transcript available on Metacast 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 other media. Nevo is a contact point in the Jewish community for other children and families confronting...
Oct 09, 2018•11 min•Ep 83•Transcript available on Metacast 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, we often find ourselves at Fringe festivals at the same time and you can count on her to a) be reall...
Oct 08, 2018•12 min•Ep 82•Transcript available on Metacast 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 Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation and his current role at the Victorian...
Sep 24, 2018•7 min•Ep 81•Transcript available on Metacast 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 taken on a lot of speaking and advocacy work, hosting the ABC podcast This is About and creatin...
Sep 16, 2018•17 min•Ep 80•Transcript available on Metacast 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+ storytelling night programmed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For Queersto...
Sep 10, 2018•19 min•Transcript available on Metacast Consistently baked and severely depressed, Nina Oyama moves to Melbourne to work on a fancy TV show. Nina is a stand up comedian and writer. She has performed at various festivals across Australia, as well as on TV on SBS2's Stand Up @ Bella Union , C31's About Tonight, In The Zone 2015 and Tonightly with Tom Ballard. Nina also has writing credits for You're Skitting , The Chaser's Election Desk and Squinters. In 2017, Nina was a recurri...
Sep 03, 2018•17 min•Ep 78•Transcript available on Metacast A road trip and love story about going back to country. Tim Bishop is from Albury on the mighty Murray River, known as ‘Indi” to the upper river First Peoples. Raised around open fires and kitchen tables, he is a singer-songwriter, storyteller and radio broadcaster, among other skills. Tim has worked professionally as an actor and voice artist, an arts administrator, a theatre and costume designer, stage manager, tour manager and lighting designer and technician. He was Co-producer, ...
Aug 28, 2018•11 min•Ep 77•Transcript available on Metacast A party is usually defined as “a joyous affair, typically involving eating, drinking, and entertainment,” but at this one the entertainment was, well, not what was expected. Garry is a historian, writer, and activist, a former academic at the University of Sydney and a former NSW History Fellow. He has written several books and has been published internationally. A 78er, he was awarded Australia's Centenary of Federation medal for his work as an academic, researcher, and human rights...
Aug 20, 2018•10 min•Ep 76•Transcript available on Metacast Zahra Stardust shares her worst - and most hilarious - stripper fails. Zahra has travelled the world as an award winning striptease artist, pole instructor, porn star and Penthouse Pet. Since realising corporate law was not the best fit for her, she has worked in sexual health and human rights with the United Nations, in policy and leadership positions at ACON , the Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby and Scarlet Alliance , and as a Teaching Fellow in criminology at UNSW. Currently Zahra is finishing h...
Aug 13, 2018•11 min•Ep 75•Transcript available on Metacast Robyn Kennedy tells her tale of victory over the Sisters of Malevolence. Robyn has worked at senior levels in both the public and not for profit sector working across social and affordable housing, homelessness, Aboriginal housing, disability and health. Robyn is a proud 78er with a long history of involvement in LGBTIQ activism commencing in 1975 when she joined the Executive Committee of CAMP NSW. She was an active member of the Gay Task Force and is currently the Secretary/Treasurer of First ...
Aug 06, 2018•16 min•Ep 74•Transcript available on Metacast Patrick Lenton tells us a story in which he tries to throw a cool party for his friends and instead ends up interrogating the concept of masculinity. Patrick is a writer and author living in Sydney, Australia. He is a staff writer at pop-culture and entertainment publication Junkee . He has a book of short stories called A Man Made Entirely of Bats , which the critics have called ‘odd', and was shortlisted for the Most Underrated Book Award 2016. His book of comedic essays Uncle Herc...
Jul 30, 2018•12 min•Ep 73•Transcript available on Metacast Peter Mitchell AKA Sister Mary Sit-On-My-Face reveals her adventures with the San Francisco Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence during the 1983 gay and Lesbian Freedom Parade. Peter came into this world in 1957 in metropolitan Sydney and spent his formative years between rural Maitland and industrial Newcastle. Now residing in Lismore in Bundajalung Country, he is the author of the poetry chapbook, The Scarlet Moment and crafts poetry, short fiction, memoir, literary criticism and a range of journal...
Jul 23, 2018•17 min•Ep 72•Transcript available on Metacast Alex Ward has a taste of what it would be like to be an only child. Turns out it tastes like revenge with more than a hint of defeat. Alex is a Melbourne based stand-up comedian who has performed around the country, including at Brisbane and Melbourne International Comedy Festivals. Following a successful debut with sold out shows in 2017, Alex is excited to return to Melbourne International Comedy Festival with her 2018 show ‘Good, great'. When not performing stand-up, Alex is writi...
Jul 16, 2018•10 min•Ep 71•Transcript available on Metacast Kate Rowe reflects on her marriage to a dear friend. Kate worked in medical administration and is a fitness and health fanatic who went to her first Gay Games as a cyclist in New York in 1994. She went on to participate as an athlete, a volunteer and board member for 20 years. She is still is a triathlete hoping to qualify or the World Triathlon Championships in September. Queerstories is an LGBTQI+ storytelling night programmed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For Queerst...
Jul 09, 2018•11 min•Ep 70•Transcript available on Metacast Kelly Azizi talks about the shittier side of what makes up 'community'. Kelly is a writer whose field of interest includes the politics of ethno-cultural identity, the diaspora, and non-white feminism. In 2016, she completed her Master of Cultural Studies degree at the University of Sydney. Kelly plays an active role in Sydney's art community, and is an advocate for its cultural diversity and inclusiveness. She was the Gallery Administrator at 55 Sydenham Rd - an independent art space in Marrick...
Jul 02, 2018•8 min•Ep 69•Transcript available on Metacast Emily Wilkinson contemplates the consequences of getting what you wished for. Emily is someone you typically find behind the scenes. An IT sysadmin by day and a theatrical audio tech by night, both careers in which success is defined as no one noticing when she screws up. She writes short stories that she shows to no one, and has a blog with all its posts set to private. She has a fondness for non-gestational-lesbian-Mum jokes, despite not yet being a non-gestational-lesbian-Mum. Queerstories is...
Jun 25, 2018•10 min•Ep 68•Transcript available on Metacast Peter Taggart attempts to satisfy his curiosities in a rural heterosexual wasteland. Peter is a writer and podcaster from Brisbane. He was born on the glittering Gold Coast and raised in St George – a small farming township in southern Queensland. Peter has written for Junkee, The Guardian, Meanjin and SBS , has hosted shows on 2SER/Star Observer Digital and 4ZzZ and has contributed to various programs on triple j and ABC Radio Brisbane . His podcasts include the popular Bring A Plat...
Jun 11, 2018•10 min•Ep 66•Transcript available on Metacast David Abello shares stories about his dear friend, Paul Young. David was born in the inner-west of Sydney where he still lives. He became involved in the lesbian and gay movement in 1975 and in 1980s was a member of the Gay Liberation Quire and the Gaywaves Gay Radio Collective amongst other things. He's been active in the disability movement since the 1980s and in membership-based organisations concerned with employment, advocacy, multicultural advocacy and housing. In the late 1990s he was a f...
Jun 04, 2018•13 min•Ep 65•Transcript available on Metacast In which Ben McLeay contemplates the worst thing that could possibly happen to him: rudeness. Ben is a Brisbane-based writer at Pedestrian.tv and co-host of political comedy podcast Boonta Vista Socialist Club. Ben is featured in the Queerstories book which can be ordered on Booktopia. Queerstories is an LGBTQI+ storytelling night programmed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For Queerstories event dates, visit www.maevemarsden.com , and follow Queerstories on Facebook...
May 28, 2018•8 min•Ep 64•Transcript available on Metacast Deirdre Fidge tells us a story about fluttering and fear. Dee is a writer and social worker whose work has been featured in Archer magazine, Daily Life, SBS, ABC, Crikey and Junkee. Her writings on LGTBQ issues saw her shortlisted for O ut for Australia's Role Model of the Year in 2017. She also authored a chapter in Doing It, an anthology of sex-positive stories written by women available through UQP. Dee's career highlight to date is being retweeted by John Stamos. Queerstories is an LGBTQI+ s...
May 14, 2018•8 min•Ep 62•Transcript available on Metacast Davey Thompson shares his story of how an awkward, flamboyant gay Aboriginal met his ride-or-die-best-friend. Davey is an Inningai, Bidjara, Wakka Wakka and Gubbi Gubbi man from a small town named Barcaldine in Queensland. As a child, he wished to grow up and become Princess Leia, who taught him to strangle his oppressors with the very chains they put you in. He moved to Brisbane via Bundaberg to study at the Aboriginal Centre for the Performing Arts , and has since worked behind the scenes...
May 07, 2018•13 min•Ep 61•Transcript available on Metacast Quinn Eades grew up in the Sydney lesbian community during the 70s and 80s, was assigned female at birth. He lived as a dyke for 25 years before becoming a transmasc person at the age of 41. This story is a tracery of his lesbian heritage, and a letter to all the lesbians he's loved before. Quinn Eades is a researcher, writer, and award-winning poet whose work lies at the nexus of feminist, queer and trans theories of the body, autobiography, poetry, and philosophy. Eades has been published nati...
Apr 30, 2018•14 min•Ep 60•Transcript available on Metacast Tarneen Onus-Williams has always been a scammer, but in 2018 she managed to scam the whole country. Tarneen is a Yigar Gunditjmara, Yorta Yorta, Bindal and Torres Strait Islander woman, passionate about decolonisation, resistance and young black people. Queerstories is an LGBTQI+ storytelling night programmed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For Queerstories event dates, visit www.maevemarsden.com , and follow Queerstories on Facebook. The Queerstories book is publis...
Apr 23, 2018•9 min•Ep 59•Transcript available on Metacast Karen Therese tells us a story about women. Part mystery, part documentary, part forensic investigation, Sleeplessness maps a remarkable Australian story. Karen is an interdisciplinary artist, creative producer and cultural leader. In 2010 Karen was awarded the inaugural Cultural Leadership Grant by The Australia Council to investigate innovative curatorial practices across diverse cultures and art forms, with a vision to embed her practice within Western Sydney. Since then Karen has ...
Apr 09, 2018•14 min•Ep 57•Transcript available on Metacast Author Peter Polites remembers his visits to the Greek and Gay Group - GAGG. Peter Polites is a writer of Greek descent from Western Sydney. As part of the SWEATSHOP writers collective , Peter has written and performed his work all over Australia. Alongside SMH Best Young Novelists Luke Carman and Michael Mohammed Ahmad, Polites wrote and performed THREE JERKS - a spoken word piece about the Cronulla riots - to sellout crowds in Sydney and Melbourne. His novels Down the Hume and The Pillars are ...
Apr 02, 2018•9 min•Ep 56•Transcript available on Metacast Vonne Patiag takes a strange look at the behind the scenes drama during a short film production, involving voodoo shamans and a hate-criming pineapple. Vonne is a Writer and Director working in theatre and film. His most recent short film ‘Window' had its World Premiere at St. Kilda Film Festival 2016 where it won Best Short Film in its category. It's gone on to screen at festivals around the country. In 2015, his short film ‘Yang' had its World Premiere at A Night Of Horror, A...
Mar 26, 2018•11 min•Ep 55•Transcript available on Metacast Courtnery Thompson tells us a fictional tale of good wine and cheap life choices. Courtney won the ‘Queerstories' prize as part of the Outstanding Short Story Competition. If you haven't heard of Outstanding before, it's an LGBTQI writing competition run by Robert Tait, Gail Hewison of Feminist Bookshop fame, and Teresa Savage, who among many accomplishments, is one of my mothers. So, I selected Courtney's piece to be performed from loads of entries to the competition and here she is. Cour...
Mar 19, 2018•9 min•Ep 54•Transcript available on Metacast Candy Bowers writes a love letter to her black lesbian hero, Audre Lorde. Candy is an award-winning writer, actor, social activist, comedian and producer. The co-artistic director of Black Honey Company , Candy has pioneered a fierce sub-genre of hip hop theatre that delves into the heart of radical feminist dreaming. Born of multi-racial South African parents and raised in the Western Suburbs of Sydney, Candy studied at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA). Since then she has gone on p...
Mar 12, 2018•13 min•Ep 53•Transcript available on Metacast David Cunningham shines a light on the complicated relationship of having a fuckbuddy and the illusion of intimacy it creates. David is a writer/researcher on ABC TV's The Checkout , who occasionally plays large men in top hats, togas and so on when no one else is available. He was the runner up in the Raw National Stand-up Comedy Competition in 2008, and occasionally can be found doing stand-up around Sydney until it gets too much for his knees. For leisure, he is in his ninth year of not-quite...
Mar 06, 2018•19 min•Ep 54•Transcript available on Metacast 
