From Ani DiFranco to the Spice Girls, via Sophie B. Hawkins and Gia, Jess McGuire celebrates the inexplicable magnificence that is your QUEERFORCE. Jess McGuire is a DJ, writer, broadcaster, MC, and trivia host based in Melbourne. She appears regularly on ABC Local Radio and Double J as a reviewer and cultural commentator, and for many years she was the editor of pop culture website Defamer Australia. She was a former co-host on Triple R's Breakfasters where, amongst other things, she had to rea...
May 28, 2019•14 min•Ep 147•Transcript available on Metacast An excerpt from a piece written for Archer Magazine, Julian Dahne Molony shares their journey to wholly embodying their gender. Julian Dahne Molony is an interdisciplinary artist who works with painting, video, performance and fibre art. They also operate an Artist Run Initiative named ‘Intersect Space' based in Marrickville. This piece is adapted from a story they wrote for Archer Magazine, and was performed at the Archer Magazine launch in Sydney in March 2019. Queerstories is an LGBTQI+...
May 23, 2019•9 min•Ep 146•Transcript available on Metacast A collection of tales from Ro's journey to becoming the Victorian Commissioner for Gender and Sexuality. Ro Allen is the Victorian Commissioner for Gender and Sexuality, has been a member of three Victorian Government LGBTI ministerial advisory groups. As founding CEO of UnitingCare Cutting Edge, Ro established Victoria's first rural support group for young LGBTI people. In 2003 Ro received a Centenary Medal and in 2009 was inducted into the Victorian Government Honour Roll. Queerstories is an L...
May 21, 2019•11 min•Ep 145•Transcript available on Metacast Tilly Lawless describes four momentous bookings that either taught her something about herself or allowed her to process the personal through the professional. Tilly Lawless is a queer, Sydney-based sex worker who uses her Instagram to analyse her relationships, romances and motivations. Growing up in rural NSW her writing is often a bucolic love letter to the countryside she grew up in, whilst also being an intimate look into her work and emotions. Queerstories is an LGBTQI+ storytelling night ...
May 16, 2019•11 min•Ep 143•Transcript available on Metacast Four scenes from a journey to parenthood: the terrors, tensions and tenderness of falling into parenthood from the margins. Gala Vanting works to create nuanced, compassionate, justice driven dialogue about sexual culture, sex education, gender and power, and access to embodiment and wellbeing for our gendered and sexual selves. They have spent 15 years working in this field – which has manifested through writing, speaking, filmmaking, performance, facilitating discussions and experi...
May 16, 2019•14 min•Ep 144•Transcript available on Metacast Susie explores the ways that Aboriginal people, especially women, continue to be Othered by white-colonial ways of seeing. Susie Anderson is a Koori writer from western Victoria who lives and works in Sydney. Her writing typically focuses on erasure of Indigenous narratives throughout Victoria and Australia, and attempts to reconnect within this fragmentation. She has been published in publications like The Lifted Brow, Rabbit Poetry, un magazine and was part of the anthology Growing Up Aborigin...
May 09, 2019•10 min•Ep 142•Transcript available on Metacast How going into battle in live action role-play battle unlocked Scout's hidden gender quest. Scout Boxall is a non-binary comedian, clown and low-fi misandrist based in Naarm (Melbourne). After bursting onto the comedy scene in 2018 and making it to the Raw Comedy National Finals, they trained at the Philippe Gaulier clown school and performed in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival under the Tessa Waters Mentorship Program . When Scout isn't transcribing court documents for their day job or writing and...
May 07, 2019•9 min•Ep 141•Transcript available on Metacast Declan shares an un-inspirational coming of age story. Declan Greene is an award winning theatre-maker and Resident Artist at Malthouse Theatre . As a playwright, his work includes Moth, Pompeii, L.A., Eight Gigabytes of Hardcore Pornography, I Am a Miracle, and The Homosexuals, or ‘Faggots', which have been produced across Australia, Europe, the US, and the UK. Alongside Ash Flanders, Declan co-runs queer independent theatre company Sisters Grimm . In 2019 he is directing and adapting Ken...
May 02, 2019•11 min•Ep 140•Transcript available on Metacast Dibs speaks about unexpected challenges they encountered after starting hormone replacement therapy. Dibs Barisic Sprem is an energetic and avid queer rights enthusiast who identifies as non binary. Since their early teens Dibs has advocated solidly for the sex and gender diverse community. They have volunteered for LGBTIQA not for profits Wear It Purple , ACON and the Pinnacle Foundation , where Dibs is alumni. In 2017 Dibs co developed a transgender and gender non conforming language guide for...
Apr 30, 2019•9 min•Ep 139•Transcript available on Metacast Brandon reflects on his changing relationship with his father - influenced by webcams, men in uniform and bad jokes about Les Mis. Brandon Bear was born in Penang, Malaysia but moved to Western Sydney as a nine-month-old baby. After growing up and spreading his wings he began a career working with marginalised community members including managing a sexual health project for homeless and at-risk young people and managing a mental health storytelling program. He also began volunteering with Sydney...
Apr 25, 2019•11 min•Ep 138•Transcript available on Metacast Charles O'Grady broke his ankle doing something very masculine. Charles O'Grady is a queer transgender theatremaker, poet, and journalist, who lives between Sydney and Melbourne. 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 STC. Charles is a fierce advocate for nuanced trans representation and ...
Apr 23, 2019•9 min•Ep 137•Transcript available on Metacast A coming-of-age story about struggling with frizzy hair and a frenemy. Raveena Grover is a multidisciplinary creative who has written for Sweatshop Western Sydney , UTS Vertigo and Hijacked. She has also performed poetry with Bankstown Poetry Slam and Between Two Worlds. She is dedicated to pushing the boundaries of how South Asian culture and queerness intersect as a diasporic Punjabi. Queerstories is an LGBTQI+ storytelling night programmed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australi...
Apr 18, 2019•9 min•Ep 136•Transcript available on Metacast A reflection on growing older and the perils of dating - when you've tried chicken pecking and playing dead is it time to just give up? Laura Hart has been performing for over ten years, focusing on improvisation, comedy & drag. She performs regularly around Sydney, and has trained at Impro Australia , Improv Theatre Sydney & UCB . She has worked creatively with not for profit organisations such as Camp Quality , The Starlight Children's Foundation , Ted Noffs & Milkcrate Theatre . L...
Apr 16, 2019•11 min•Ep 135•Transcript available on Metacast A story of ongoing connection to Country of Indigenous LGBTIQ peoples through the eyes of a terrible fisherman. Steven Ross is Wamba Wamba man from Deniliquin in southern NSW and has cultural and familial connections to the Wiradjuri, Mutthi Mutthi and Gunditjmara peoples. Throughout his life, Steven has been a dancer, singer, actor and storyteller, and has designed and delivered cultural events and cultural education projects. Steven has worked in the public service in Indigenous policy, enviro...
Apr 11, 2019•11 min•Ep 134•Transcript available on Metacast Krishna is trying their hand at stand up comedy. At Queerstories, they performed an excerpt from their first hour long comedy show, Beast. Krishna Istha is a performer, live artist and theatre maker. They have performed across the UK, Australia, USA and Germany. Currently, they are working on their new show 'Beast', an Arts House (Melbourne) commission, supported by public funding from Arts Council England, for Midsumma Festival 2019 . Queerstories is an LGBTQI+ storytelling night programmed by ...
Apr 09, 2019•10 min•Ep 133•Transcript available on Metacast Nath meets one of his heroes. Nath Valvo tours Australia and the world as a comedian, and has an impressive list of TV appearances under his belt having hosted ABC's Comedy Up Late and recorded an hour long stand up special as part of ABC's Comedy Next Gen . He's also been on The Project, Dirty Laundry Live and Just For Laughs Sydney. Queerstories is an LGBTQI+ storytelling night programmed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For Queerstories event dates, visit www.maeve...
Apr 03, 2019•10 min•Ep 132•Transcript available on Metacast 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-editor of un Magazine's forthcoming issues 13.1 and 13.2. Their work has appeared in Kill Your Darling...
Apr 02, 2019•12 min•Ep 131•Transcript available on Metacast 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 time. She currently works as a personal trainer and teaches self defence to young people in high sc...
Mar 26, 2019•16 min•Ep 130•Transcript available on Metacast 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, early Sydney Mardi Gras organising, health promotions, immigration rights and campaigning for marriage ...
Mar 21, 2019•20 min•Ep 129•Transcript available on Metacast 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 Australia. For Queerstories event dates, visit www.maevemarsden.com , and follow Queerstories on Face...
Mar 19, 2019•12 min•Ep 128•Transcript available on Metacast 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 The Stella Prize, the Queensland Literary Award for State Significance, and the Readings Prize. ...
Mar 13, 2019•14 min•Ep 127•Transcript available on Metacast 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 journals and anthologies. The first publication she worked on was The Bride Wore Pink , a community...
Mar 11, 2019•12 min•Ep 126•Transcript available on Metacast 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, gender non-conformist, recovered alcoholic and all round handy hero, Virginia is lovingly referred t...
Mar 07, 2019•12 min•Ep 125•Transcript available on Metacast 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 Dog. Fiona's performance, prioritising endurance and durational forms, has been presented internationa...
Mar 05, 2019•11 min•Ep 124•Transcript available on Metacast 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 Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For Queerstories event dates, visit www.maevemarsden....
Feb 27, 2019•12 min•Ep 123•Transcript available on Metacast 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 Prize. Her other work includes Affection, Steeplechase , Triptych and The Adventures of Holly White and...
Feb 26, 2019•12 min•Ep 122•Transcript available on Metacast 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 Education Network , and she also holds a number of current expert advisory positions, including the National...
Feb 21, 2019•7 min•Ep 121•Transcript available on Metacast 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 STC. Queerstories is an LGBTQI+ storytelling night programmed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events ...
Feb 18, 2019•11 min•Ep 120•Transcript available on Metacast 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 is the co-editor of the online publishing site Green Agenda. Queerstories is an LGBTQI+ storytellin...
Feb 13, 2019•12 min•Ep 119•Transcript available on Metacast 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.maevemarsden.com , and follow Queerstories on Facebook. The Queerstories book is published by...
Feb 11, 2019•13 min•Ep 118•Transcript available on Metacast 
