Queer Dit 89.7 by On Dit

Student Employment Grow, Support Impact, to find Connect work while you study.

auu.org.au/studentemployment 2

Your On Campus Conveinience store Level 4, Hub Central

Coffee | Stationary | Grab ‘N’ Go | Metro Recharge Healthy Meals & Snacks including Vegetarian options

10% with your union membership card *not available on already discounted or sale lines

CON TEN Queer Dit’s Spotify Playlist Editorial SRC Queer Officer State of the Union Meet the Editors VOX POP ECON Dit Rural Student Voice International Student Voice Sex And The (Small) City Left, Right, Centre Sustainibili-dit Club Spotlight

6-7 8-9 10-11 12-13 14-19 20-23 24-25 26-27 28-37 38-39 40-41 42-43 44-45

N NTS Queer News 2021 Editors Picks Queer Dit Resources List Don’t Forget the A(ce) in LGBTQIA+ Acceptance or Liberation? Apartheid Isn’t A Good Look Queer Icons Across Media ARTIST FEATURE: Jessica Timms An Ace Up My Sleeve The First of Many ARTIST FEATURE: Georgia Fitzgerald A New Wave of Sex Toys Dean’s Guide to Changing Your Name at Adelaide Uni Somewhere Aspec Queerness is Beautiful

46-47 48-49 50-53 54-57 58-61 62-65 66-67 68-73 74-75 76-77 78-81 82-83 84-87 88-89 90-91

Queer Dit’s

Spotify Playlist What kind of Queer Dit editors would we be if we didn’t have a playlist ready? Indulge yourself in this chaotically-curated collection of queercoded classics, LGBTQIA+ artists and some of our personal favorites. We encourage you to jam out this while reading this year’s edition of Queer Dit. Enjoy the (not so) straight-up bangers, folks!

Lizzo Annie Lennox Diana Ross Lil Nas X Vera Blue Doja Cat Madonna Jane Doe LSDXOXO The Weather Girls Beyonce Chung Ha Lady Gaga cupcakke Rupaul Lil Peep Tyler The Creator Allie X Kehlani Hayley Kiyoko Pet Shop Boys Kim Petras Sophie Britney Spears Michaela Jae Hozier Charlie XCX Kaytranada Janelle Monae Dorian Electra Troye Sivan Maneskin Little Simz Christine and the Queens Prince The Neighbourhood David Bowie Oscar The Wild Rina Sawayama Gloria Gaynor Noah Davis Aretha Franklin girl in red Mitski Todrick Hall Superfruit Harry Styles Katy Perry King Princess QUeen 7

We wish to acknowledge and pay our respects to the Kaurna people and elders past, present and future as the traditional custodians of the land on which the University of Adelaide resides. Their cultural heritage and beliefs flow deep and steadily through the land and burn bright within the Kaurna community to this day.

EDITORIAL Welcome to Issue 89.7 of On Dit—Queer Dit! Each year On Dit releases an LGBTQIA+ focused edition. We’ve worked with students, clubs and others to make this year’s edition one to remember. We’re absolutely elated for all our readers to read this year’s Queer Dit. Behind the scenes us editors have been hard at work. From deep discussions on our favorite queer icons, sharing frog memes, putting together the most queer potify playlist and ensuring we bring you the content you want to read about. This has been a big year with so many events–good and bad. In LGBTQIA+ news, we’ve had some awesome highs and not so great lows. Yet, as always, the community comes together to support one another. With an openness and queerness that will shed a rainbow light on you all, we hope this Queer Dit is an iconic, fun and informative read. Thank you to everyone who helped to make this edition what it is. With the queerest regards, Lakeisha, Caitlin, Annabel & Dean.

SRC QUEER OFFICER As the SRC Queer Officer this year I have been supporting LGBTQI+ students by working to increase the knowledge of where the LGBTQI+ movement has come from in addition to where we are going. To increase the knowledge of the history of LGBTQI+ activism I arranged for an in-person Dr. George Duncan Memorial Service. As many readers may be aware, Dr. Duncan’s life was cut short when he was murdered by a group of men on the 10th of May 1972. In 1988 three former Vice Squad police officers were charged with the manslaughter of Dr. Duncan, however, two of them were acquitted after refusing to testify. As it was put on the day of the memorial, “he never asked to be a martyr. Dr. George Duncan was simply living his life right up till he was murdered for being gay.” This year we had members of the South Australian Parliament in attendance with the Lord Mayor of Adelaide Sandy Verschoor, along with the UofA Chancellor Hon Catherine Branson AC QC. In addition to this the Lord Mayor of Adelaide, UofA Chancellor, the then-Pride Club president

Lottie Minney, and ECH volunteer Will Sergeant all stood up to speak. They spoke about how far we had come and how much further we had to go. Dr. Duncan’s death is an important date in the calendar for the University of Adelaide as it led to the decriminalisation of homosexuality within SA and Australia at broad; it was one of the driving events for the LGBTQI+ civil rights movement in Australia. Furthermore, as the Queer Officer, I have been in contact with the UofA Ally Network to see how students can be better supported and improve campus life. It is important as the Queer Officer to meet with other LGBTQI+ organisations based on campus as collaboration helps everyone. This year I have aimed to build upon last year’s successful inaugural Intergenerational Morning Tea held on Wear it Purple Day (27th of August). This year the event was held at the UniBar to accommodate a larger crowed. Once again Feast Festival, ECH and UofA Pride Club helped in the organisation along with

our new partners in, The Pinnacle Foundation, The Rainbow Hub and the UofA Ally network helping to create a vibrant supportive event that highlighted the importance of young LGBTQI+ people by connecting them with elder LGBTQI+ community members. In addition to this we had Ricky Stockey Johns spoke about the Pinnacle Foundation and the scholarships that they run to help support LGBTQI+ students undertaking tertiary education. This fabulous event was hosted by the Dr Gertrude Glossip. At the end of the day the event raised $161 dollars for the Wear it Purple foundation. The SRC Queer officer has the role of continuing the legacy of George Duncan whilst support the community and helping to bring it together. This Year as the Queer officer I have strove to achieve this via continuing the George Duncan Memorial Service along with building upon last years Wear It Purple day morning tea. Next year I wish the incoming Queer Officer Mat Monti all the best for their time in office.

Happy Queer Dit my lovelies!!! I’m so honoured to have been asked to write the State of the Union for this year’s addition of Queer Dit. As a queer AUU Board Director, being able to write this shows the Union’s commitment to Diversity and Inclusivity, both within its own ranks and our wider university community. I’d like to start by acknowledging how grateful I am to be studying at a university with such a large, vibrant and welcoming queer community. As someone who entered University without many friends, being able to connect to groups like the Pride Club was a key way for me to find people who I felt comfortable, safe and accepted with. I began my studies midyear in 2020, which meant one of the first queer events on campus I experienced was Wear It Purple Day, and I was lucky to attend the Intergenerational Morning Tea that year. Well on August 27th we once again celebrate Wear It Purple Day in 2021, a day to recognise and support the queer community, especially young queer people. It’s a day to celebrate just how far we’ve come, but also acknowledge how far we have to go. If you’ve got the chance please join this year’s Intergenerational Morning Tea, which you can find more information on by going to the SRC Facebook page, or emailing myself or the SRC Queer Officer. Here, at The University of Adelaide, we are a key part of the history of the queer rights movement in Australia. It was here at UoA in 1972 where law lecturer Dr. George Duncan was murdered by a group of men who threw him into the Torrens River, because of who he was—a gay man. Every year we remember that moment and pay our respects to Dr. Duncan and his memory. We at UoA can feel proud of how far we’ve come in our respect and support of the queer community, but also must acknowledge how far we have to go to reach true equality. As a Non-Binary student I know gender diverse students in particular still face struggles every day that impact their education. For example, I often need to seek out spaces on campus with gender-neutral toilets, I need to be the person to begin a conversation around pronouns in tutorials, and I have to endure queerphobic discrimination, and I acknowledge that I have it easier than a lot of other queer people on campus. If these issues have also impacted you and you’re looking for resources, please don’t hesitate to contact me or use the Safer Campus Community website: https://www.adelaide.edu.au/safer-campus-community/. There you’ll be able to find emergency contacts, incident report processes, the ALLY Network, counselling services and so much more.

So this Queer Dit, let’s celebrate the positives of how far we’ve come at UoA and in the wider Australian community in the fight for queer equality, but let’s also not sugarcoat that we haven’t reached true equality yet, and we still have a long way to go. To my fellow UoA queer people, I see you, I respect you, and I appreciate you. I hope you enjoy Queer Dit as much as I do. And remember, Be Gay Do Crime (for legal reasons this is a joke). Yours Queerly, Mat Monti

State 13

Lakeisha Watkins Annabel Fedcesin Caitlin Battye Dean Plesa 15

Lakeisha Watkins It’s been an awesome experience being a Queer Dit guest editor. I’m stoked to help bring together some amazing talent from LGBTQIA+ students to help create an amazing edition to the magazine. I hope you all enjoy reading it and admire the work of the amazing creatives who have contributed to this edition. Before I started university, I had never met another asexual person. This made things difficult as I never got to have the support that comes with being around those similar to you. However, since starting my degree in 2019, I’ve been able to find other asexuals, helping me to connect with others and reassure myself about my own identity. I’ve also befriended so many amazing queer-identifying people. We all know how amazing and supportive the queer community can be. I am excited to help bring that energy to Queer Dit. I hope this edition helps you to find a sense of connection to other LGBTQIA+ students here at Adelaide uni. Taking on a role as a guest editor is also allowing me to embrace my identity in a public space, one that also relates to my degree (journalism major). I hope this edition helps to educate, entertain and spark inspiration to all our readers. We’ve all put so much passion and energy into this so we hope you enjoy it! Let’s keep pushing for more positive change and celebrate each accomplishment in the queer community. Most importantly, be true to yourself and continue to be uniquely you! 16

She/Her Abroromantic & Asexual

Annabel Fedcesin

She/Her Queer (Biromantic Pan-Asexual)

It’s such a thrilling feeling to be bringing Queer Dit to you all. My little baby beans! I hope that my openness and queerness allows for everyone to feel free to express and love themselves as I have been able to over this past year. My journey has been a whirlwind of confusion. I spent a lot of time jumping back and forth between being Het, Ace, Bi, Demi. The asexual content out there was very surface level when I first began my search so it didn’t exactly sound like me. But after meeting people and deepening my search I found the areas of the Aspec that had more variability and alterations to the base “I feel nothing” that often isn’t true. And furthermore, coming to this conclusion I found that I still faced a lot of confusion from others on top of it. I hope that our collection of thoughts, articles and creative pieces can help to put some perspective and context to your own identities. Much love to you all!

Caitlin Battye

She/Her Lesbian

This opportunity to be a guest editor for Queer Dit has been such a great experience. It’s been amazing getting to meet and befriend my fellow guest editors as we bond over our collective appreciation of Poison Ivy, and it’s been amazing getting a glimpse at the strong, talented voices of our University’s queer cohort. Personally, getting the opportunity to be publicly involved in something so intensely queer has been an incredible and liberating experience for your Local Repressed Ex-Pastor’s Kid Gay™. This feeling of freedom and liberation in openness with one’s identity is one I know is shared among us editors, and I’m sure among the contributors in this issue, and is why Queer Dit remains an important addition to our student magazine. I hope you find this issue as entertaining and informative to read as it was to work on!

Dean Plesa

He/Him Man of Trans Experience & Queer

You’ve seen glimpses of our unhinged queerness with our social media takeover, but now it’s time to invite you into the heart of the chaos: Queer Dit 2021! I’m incredibly proud to have helped facilitate this abundance of Adelaide Uni LGBTQIA+ talent, expression and voice. I don’t have enough words to do our contributors justice, but you’ll see soon enough! This opportunity means so much to me. To be editing for an LGBTQIA+ rendition of a magazine is so liberating, having previously believed I was going to live the rest of my life being ‘stealth’ with my queerness. It’s the essence of that freedom, to exist unashamedly and authentically, that I want to showcase with this issue. Whether you’re a part of the LGBTQIA+ community or not, let this edition be an eyeopening experience. I hope you’re able to learn from, be challenged by and bloom in seeing the visibility of your queer peers.

*Yes, we are using our Facebook DP’s; and no, we won’t apologise for it.

PO VOX? 1. The University needs to get better at pronouns. Pronouns are a powerful way of being inclusive of everyone’s identities and while some folks may not feel comfortable sharing theirs. In classes, clubs and other settings, it would be helpful to provide students the opportunity to share their pronouns as a routine in order to make queer folks more comfortable. 2. Self expression! Queer folks have for decades challenged social and gender binaries in the way that we express ourselves and it’s time that hetero and cis folks learnt from this.

Issac Smalley (he/him) Sociology 1st Year

3. The folks around me. It has always been valuable for me to not expect to understand everything on my own (you don’t get any bonus points) but to feel comfortable to ask for help and discuss with others.

4. Natalie Wynn. Her video essays are a brilliant combination of zoomer culture, aesthetic goals and incredible ideas. I look forward to video essays becoming part of our reading list soon.

OP! 1. Is there anything you think the uni needs to prioritise doing in order to make its LGBTQIA+ students more comfortable and represented? 2. What’s one lesson that heteronormative culture could learn from LGBTQIA+ culture? 3. How have you thrived at university? 4. Who is your queer icon? 1. The university loves to show performative/ shallow LQBTQIA+ support. It is nice to see the LQBTQIA+ flag on professors’ doors or in office windows but honestly it’s the bare minimum. The queer culture and support on campus is largely generated by students instead of faculty. My biggest qualm is the University employing people in high positions who have shown that they are bigots, not just to the queer community but to other minorities. Therefore, the University needs to hold its board accountable and actually show that they don’t tolerate homophobia/ sexism/ racism. 2. One thing I have always noticed about heteronormative culture is a lack of spirit and generally being disconnected from each other. Heteronormative culture is very focused on individual couples and outdated traditions. To me, LGBTQIA+ culture has a strong sense of community and there is an undercurrent of unspoken support and understanding in queer spaces.

3. The university has provided spaces for queer students to meet and build a community. Through openly supporting the LGBTQIA+ community, the Uni has allowed people to openly express themselves and find others like them. This is the case with me, queer style and expression has allowed me to make friends like me or at least make me feel understood by my peers. 4. My queer icon is the Korean soloist Holland. He is one of the few openly gay idols in the industry, a tough decision in a homophobic country. No label would sign him for being gay, so he had work two jobs to fund his debut. He has acknowledged it would have been easier for him in the industry to be in the closet, but he wanted to be his authentic self and speak out about the discrimination LQBTQIA+ face.

Laura Mackenzie (She/hER) Law 3rd Year

PO VOX? 1. I’ve realised that in some of my classes, lecturers will include their pronouns in their introductions which I think is a great thing. I had a class last year where you could write down your pronouns on the sign-in sheet which was awesome for me as I was finally able to use and get used to the current pronouns I use for myself (She/They). If all classes and staff could do this or give the option for students to notify their peers and teachers of their preferred pronouns in a safe and comfortable way, it would be nice. 2. I guess our cultures can be seen as different but at the end of the day LGBTQIA+ culture challenges the “norm”, so maybe heteronormative culture could learn to be bolder and not stick to what they know as society’s norm. Wear whatever you want, do whatever activity excites you (legal activities of course), who cares what the “norm” is! Go have fun! 3. I was able to “come out” and finally be myself after being closeted throughout high school. I have also met people just like me, through classes and, of course, through the Pride Club. I was also able

Lysa Maywald (She/ThEy) Media (Journalism) 3rd Year

to figure out how I truly identify with myself with these friends around me, supporting me. I even found my first and current girlfriend, who, when we first met as classmates, decided to join the Pride Club together.

4. I might sound like a bit of a basic lesbian but Hayley Kiyoko. Anyone who is queer would (hopefully - no offence) know the iconic ‘Girls like Girls’ music video. I stumbled across the video when I was around 16 and was still figuring out if these feelings were “normal.” So seeing women loving women for the first time gave me the realisation that I wasn’t the only one feeling these feelings. As I got older, I felt that through her songs and the way she has shared her experiences (especially as someone who is also mixed raced) has allowed me to embrace the lesbian identity, which I struggled with for a while.

3. Having the Pride Club and the Rainbow Room at university have allowed me to embrace my identity and be open about it with my peers and teachers. I have been able to excel in all aspects of uni life without feeling restricted in any way. 4. Judith Butler. Judith is a non-binary philosopher and has some very interesting theories on gender.

Shivani Preston (TheY/ThEm) Arts (Geology) 1st Year

Somewhat Over the Rainbow Washing Words By Lauren Fletcher June is pride month. It commemorates the Stonewall Uprising, a tipping point for the modern LGBT+ movement. It’s a month of celebration of queer identities, memorials to those lost due to hate crimes and HIV/AIDS, and remembrance of all the LGBT+ people that have contributed to our communities, both local and internationally. It’s also a month where corporations splash rainbows on everything. And then comes the 1st of July, the day when corporations around the world breathe a sigh of relief as they get to stop pretending that they care about queer rights. Rainbow washing is when companies adopt LGBT+ imagery to show that they support the queer community, while doing nothing of substance. This usually includes things like putting rainbow flags on products, changing corporate logos to a rainbow version, and including queer people in ads. True support for queer rights is a valuable thing. Corporations certainly have a lot of weight to throw around in terms of financial resources and potential cultural and political influence. Some corporations seem to approach this ideal – from its inception, Ben and Jerry’s operated under a triple bottom line: ‘People, Planet and Profits’. However, Ben and Jerry’s has since been bought out by Unilever. The new CEO is more than willing to promote social causes, but makes sure to mention that corporate social responsibility increases customer loyalty and makes the shareholders happy. It now seems to come down to just one bottom line: profit. 24

Not that a seemingly pure profit motive is particularly unique. A pretty clear example of rainbow washing is all of the companies that change their logos on social media platforms to rainbow versions during pride month … except for countries and regions that don’t support gay rights, such as Russia, Turkey and the Middle East. And if profit is the be all and end all, then since queer folk are underrepresented in the board room and are more likely to be in poverty, and hence less likely to own shares, slapping a rainbow on a product doesn’t really support us. This is entirely consistent with the way economics treats corporations, usually referred to as firms. Individuals have ‘utility functions’ that can include essentially anything – from easily countable ideas like wealth, to more abstract ideas like happiness from leisure and new social connections. However, firms are only ever considered in terms of profit. A hypothetical corporation that has a pure motive of advancing queer rights is fundamentally incompatible with the neoclassical economic modelling baseline. It’s a rather cynical view, but looking at rainbow washing, maybe it’s accurate. If companies only participate in rainbow washing because it’s profitable, then it doesn’t really do much to advance queer rights, since that usually means that what’s being promoted is already accepted by the mainstream. In the lead up to the marriage equality plebiscite, no publicly traded company opposed same-sex marriage. Maybe the lack of major corporate voices against same sex marriage helped. But it

ECON DIT

seems more likely that they backed gay rights because every poll in the lead up to the plebiscite showed the pro-same sex marriage side winning by a comfortable margin.

Only including queer representation which sells can also reinforce subtler forms of homophobia. In the 90s and 2000s, lesbianism became cool in the mainstream media. Most of that media started and ended with the idea of ‘hot lesbians’. Think Madonna at the 2003 MTV MVAs and Cindy Crawford shaving k.d. lang on the cover of Vanity Fair. This ‘represented’ only a small section of the community and it focused on glamour and conventional beauty. While glamour can be fun, I wouldn’t say it’s representation, in the same way that straight women aren’t really represented by Marilyn Monroe. The focus on beauty and the framing of that media also arguably promotes the notion that lesbianism is for men and male attention.

bunch of rainbows and positivity is unlikely to prompt personal introspection to root out subtler prejudices. Rainbow washing also rarely encourages examination of the structural problems in our society, which pose the biggest challenges. In countries where being queer is illegal and/or highly discriminated against, the rainbows are conspicuously absent. And maybe it’s just me, but that doesn’t really seem to do much. Photogenic queer couples in TV commercials didn’t stop the government from trying to advance the religious freedoms bill that would legally permit bigotry. And a month of rainbow flags on big mac boxes didn’t seem to slow the amount of causal homophobia I witnessed in my life.

This is happening now with trans identities – some companies are more than willing to include trans people in commercials, but almost exclusively those who ‘pass’. While this might be considered helpful in that it elevates trans identity, it can limit society’s views on what it means to be trans. Essentially, it all comes down to what sells. In countries where it’s profitable to co-opt queer imagery, what will be used is the most mainstream aspects of queer culture, ignoring marginalised people who might actually benefit from wider publicity and support. In these countries, homophobia is often of the ‘casual’ variety, and a whole 25

RURAL Words by Anomymous

Growing up, I knew being a homosexual man was okay and normal. My parents raised me in the glorious company of my mum’s uncles who were always the highlight of every social event. It was never weird to me that R and D were in love with each other, only that one of them had had a wife and child but didn’t see them anymore. Who wouldn’t love a man so fun and vibrant? Why would someone not let their child see their own father? Lesbians on the other hand were a whole other story. My mum’s best friend had a daughter who I spent many years of my childhood being babysat by. She had a child with her high school boyfriend and while pregnant broke up with him and started dating a woman. It was odd. It was weird. My parents had never explained that a woman could love another woman. As I moved to the hills with my family, I started attending Christian schools. No one had two parents of the same gender. There was one girl that my parents tried to explain to me was really a boy and that’s why she had to use the boys bathrooms not the girls. With the insight I have now, I realise how much easier it had been for me to know J as a girl but when my parents tried to over complicate her gender with her dead name and the school forced her to use the boys’ bathroom, that’s when I couldn’t get it. Why was everyone making such a fuss? Why did they ask me if I was okay with spending time with J? Was I supposed to be uncomfortable? As I got older and moved into mid-late primary school, changing schools once more to an even less progress religious place, the term ‘gay’ started taking on its insult properties. The boys in school always yelled the typical “That’s gay” or “You’re gay” at each other. But R and D were gay and they were the best? Why was everyone so afraid to be gay? Rumours started that a girl, A, who had just left our school in year 6 was seen kissing girls at her new school. Everyone made up tall tails. “A is a lesbian. She cheated on her boyfriend. I never liked her anyway.” People made false claims that they felt necessary to separate themselves from her and prove that they weren’t ‘in with her crowd’. I was the only one to contact her directly and thwart these claims. Soon after, we were in high school and now the blame of homosexuality was transferred to L. The story went that all through primary school she was

RURAL

STUDENT VOICE openly gay and no one wanted to hang out with her. But one girl did and went for a sleepover at her house. She was surprised to find that L slept in a different room to her and that somehow was a bad thing. If you’re so afraid of the supposedly contagious homosexuality, then wouldn’t it be better that she did consider your feelings and separate herself?

Year 10 rolls around and my best friend C confides in me that they’re only attracted to women and identify not with their assigned gender. Of course I supported them wholeheartedly but my other friends seemed not to understand quite so much. They distanced themselves just a little and started bullying C for everything under the sun that they assumed was a flaw. I wasn’t there to help C in year 11 and 12. I’d moved schools again and left them alone to fend for themselves against our shared ‘friends’. At my new school almost all of my new friends were Bi. We were at school in the heart of Adelaide now and acceptance seemed to ring a little truer here. No more teachers saying “I have friends that are gay, but I wouldn’t vote yes to gay marriage.” Just resounding “of course I’m voting yes!” from everyone. There was one friend who was strongly religious and determined to say no to the vote but most of us were ready to have our voices heard. It was here, in the chants of “one of us!” from my friends that I finally admitted I would date a woman. Suddenly I was bi and then all of a sudden I found myself defending the fact that I didn’t want to sleep with women. For the first time, someone asked me if I even wanted to sleep with men. I’d always assumed I wanted to wait until marriage. ‘Maybe you’re asexual’.

My mum had always played the game of “do you want to kiss your friends?” with me. It always went the same: “Would you kiss your friends?” “I don’t know, maybe.” “Would you do anything more with your friends?” “Definitely not!” I don’t have a clear answer for what my sexuality is. The closest I could say would be Demi or Pan but either way, my life in the Hills complicated my feelings so drastically over the years. If it weren’t for my city friends, would I have ever figured myself out? At least I have love for myself and the acceptance of a loving community and caring boyfriend who understands that while I feel attracted to every gender on a romantic level, he’s the only one that will hold my heart.

nterational DENT OICE

Words and Interview by N Y I thought about what life would be like if I didn’t come here and stayed in the Philippines instead. Questions about career paths and friendships came up. But the silent conversations I was having with myself always led back to the same topic: my identity. The differences between my two homes became increasingly apparent, and so I wondered what it was like for other international students. I’ll start us off, and I hope you stay to hear all six of us out. The Philippines is very conservative, most of the country being Roman Catholic. Sex should be between a husband and a wife, and that’s that. To an extent, we do accept non-married heterosexuals and even homosexuals. We have quite a few LGBT+ celebrities that people enjoy and find likable, and they’re in politics too. Samesex couples can’t adopt, but individuals can. I remember seeing a heart-warming story about a trans Filipina woman adopting and raising an orphan, that’s stayed with me for a long time. Going back to the topic of religion and sexuality: ideally, a person abstains from sex until marriage. But whenever I see teenage Filipino mothers on the news as young as 13 years old (which is also the age of consent in the Philippines), I am reminded that adolescents will still continue to have sex whether

they’re knowledgeable or not. And then I start to doubt that religious groups in the Philippines will ever stop opposing safe sex and birth control. There’s a particular pressure on women to stay abstinent, which feeds into a bigger issue of sexism (which I won’t get into today). Hence, it can be somewhat peculiar for me as an asexual aromantic woman, to imagine myself back in such a society that values virginity. I don’t think asexuality is wellknown in the Philippines; it’s often misunderstood that asexual = abstinent. And if asexuality is “misunderstood”, being aromantic is certainly unheard of! A side note: being aromantic doesn’t mean being heartless. Yes, I’m heartless, but not because I’m aromantic. And so you’d think being an ace person would be something praised in the Philippines? Marrying for love (even a platonic, aromantic love), having sex solely for procreation, yada yada. But as for whether it’s embraced in the Philippines or not, I struggle to even think of the word “yes.” Big caveat: I haven’t been back home since I was 11, and I wasn’t even old enough to think about sexuality back then. If you accused me of not knowing anything, I couldn’t argue with you. 29

As for Australia: as I grew into adolescence and my personality solidified, my parents noticed things. I didn’t come out to them then, but my dad had always assumed I was bisexual (which flattered me). My mum accepted the idea that I might marry a woman someday. But when I say I don’t think I want to get married at all (unless it’s for tax purposes), I’d get a strange look. When I told dad I was ace, he didn’t give me “The Talk.” He was just silent. And that’s the problem with my family in general, we don’t like talking about this sort of stuff, so I haven’t breached the topic since. I have only one ace friend I know of, and I’ve yet to find a community who can relate or even just sympathise. I pretty much hear the same thing from my friends here, Filipino-born or Australia-born or anywhere-else-born: “Maybe you just haven’t found the right person yet.” Why does that have to be the response every time I come out?

Yeah, you’re right, maybe I’m actually demisexual, or repressed, or what-the-fuck-ever. Sexuality is fluid, after all. But why do I need to be the one changing? Do I seem less than to you because I don’t feel the need to have another half? What if I kept telling you: you

say you’re gay but maybe that’ll change? Wouldn’t a gay person find that annoying? So I don’t bother telling anyone anymore. I don’t ever bring it up. Part of the resilience culture in the Philippines is not letting your problems get to you, but it can also mean not talking about them. But whether I do choose to keep silent for my wellbeing, or continue to be vocal in spite of it, I’ll keep living my life and going about my business.

B N, 3rd- Year Law My home country of the Philippines has a ‘love-hate relationship’ with the LGBTQ+ community. On the one hand, being queer is celebrate in many ways: gay comedy bars are a favourite Friday night pastime among city folk, gay media personalities enjoy a massive cult following, and BL (Boys’ Love) series and films have become mainstream in recent years. Even in the province, where people are seen as being more conservative, beauty pageants featuring cross-dressers are a peculiar mainstay in local Catholic festivities, called ‘fiestas.’ However, the Philippines is far from a queer utopia. Growing up, I have noticed that we are merely tolerated, but not fully accepted. Everyone is okay with having a gay friend, neighbour, or celebrity idol but, God forbid (no pun intended), one has a gay son, cousin or relative. It is still considered a cause of great familial shame. Moving to Australia has definitely helped me in accepting and being more confident in who I am. Perhaps, this is because there is less risk of ‘humiliation’ since all my extended family lives back in the Philippines; but also, Australian culture is more accepting (in the true sense of the word) of queer people. 31

A U, 4th-Year Engineering I’m queer obviously, and admittedly, I don’t really know what it is like now since I was 11 when I last lived there. But personally, from what I can remember when I was in Bangladesh, it is like I wasn’t even acknowledged. It has gotten worse for queer people recently. I read an article on the East Asia Forum by Amundsen saying that the LGBT community in Dhaka is scared of being openly queer because it can be life-threatening. Political and extremist Islamic groups, the lack of anti-discrimination laws, police brutality and existing social stigma have created an environment of true terror for the LGBT community. A prominent LGBT advocate recently got killed mainly due to people becoming more radically Muslim.

In Bangladesh, “whoever voluntarily has carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal, shall be punished with imprisonment for life, or with imprisonment of either description that is, hard labour or simple for a term which may extend to ten years, and shall also be liable to fine,” to which a cheap “official speaker” for the LGBT responds that “discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people is pervasive in Bangladesh.” WOW thanks a lot official

speaker, homophobia is officially eradicated! Sexuality, or even straight sex, is usually a very taboo subject to talk about. We don’t really have sex ed for students, so the conversation about sex is usually with your parents and wouldn’t happen until you’re closer to getting married. If you go see a gynaecologist, instead of being asked “are you sexually active?”, they will ask you “are you married?” Sex is seen only as a means of procreation, something that should happen strictly within marital bonds. My mum said, when she was young, even rumours about pre-marital sex could ruin somebody’s life. Although Bangladesh legally recognises a third gender called “hijra”, it is usually reserved for MtF (male-to-female) trans or intersex people. This was my only exposure to the “LGBT community” when I was still in Bangladesh. These people used to beg on the streets, and frankly, I was scared of them because I was taught to be scared of them. Mum would say to me, “if you talk to them, they’ll ask for a lot of money and won’t let you go if you don’t give it to them.” I think my mum was mistaking these people for prossies, but I couldn’t make that connection when I was 11 years old.

And that’s the problem. When I was there, I never really thought of them as people that could conceivably be educated, get a job, and be part of mainstream society. Like if I saw a poor person or a person living in the slums, I would still consider them as part of my worldview, but I couldn’t say I could do the same thing for hijras. Hijras are truly isolated and ignored by society. I’m sorry I was not a very woke 11-year-old, I wasn’t even exposed to those terminologies.

J R, 1st-Year Allied Health What I can remember is that until a few years ago, in India LGBTQ people are legally allowed to exist in society. If they were found out, they could be jailed or even killed. This has changed, though not for the better. While now LGBTQ people are not legally allowed to exist, in exchange for their existence, they must give up their right to work. Some LGBTQ people can work, but only because they hide their sexuality, which is why there are so many closeted people in India. So for those who can’t work, what do they do? They have no other choice but to accept their stigma and make money by scaring people with their sexuality. They played drums and make a spectacle outside people’s houses to beg for money, or else they threaten to kidnap these homeowners’ children to be raised amongst the queer and ended up being queers. The homeowners who refused to give away money will be stigmatised by the entire street for being associated. This happened to my cousins and my brother when they were young, and to me when I was on a train from Calcutta to a rural town. My mom was so scared, and I was confused as well, I was too young to know what was going on. 34

Now I know that this is not a singular phenomenon. This has been happening for such a long time and passed down from one generation to another for hundreds of years maybe. It might as well be a tradition too, one that is so accepted and ingrained in everyday life yet hidden away like a secret for no one to see. This may feel so far-fetched to believe, but there is a Bollywood movie that showcases the amount of stigma the LGBTQ people are experiencing in India. The protagonist is a closeted gay man who was forced into marriage with a woman, who in turn was so oblivious and in love that she had not been aware of the reality of his shame. I see myself as an ally, and I would love more than anything to see things change for the better. But honestly, I feel powerless, because unless society realises how much systemic stigma, discrimination, and homophobia there are that has lasted for multiple generations and is so ingrained in our everyday life, nothing is ever going to change. Not even when I’m old, wrinkly, and turning into dust.

Skylar, 3rd-Year Biology Being queer for me means there are jumbling thoughts in my head. In Vietnam, people say they don’t judge, but they also state that they don’t want their children to be queer. They will say that it is just a phase, that I just want to impress. Dating someone of your same sex is most likely to be described as “hanging out with a friend”, so I never dared to tell someone except for one close friend. So because of that, my feeling for this “friend” automatically has to be raised to a higher standard, it needs to be stronger than the stereotypical romantic relationship or “friendship”. My feeling also needs to be stronger than what I was taught growing up, which is that being queer was against the rules of nature.

young women, are expected to get married, have children, and build a family. Consequently, there is this invisible but very real stress that being queer is a sin, even though there are so many ways for queers to build a family like any other normal couple. Like adoption. Artificial insemination. In-vitro fertilisation. Realistically, there are so many possibilities. I am beyond optimistic. I am grateful to be here in Australia, where I feel like I have broken out of an invisible cage of expectations. In the end, I just want to be happy like everybody else. Isn’t it that our ultimate goal in life is to be happy?

Coming to Australia, things have changed due to several factors. Firstly, it is a country where people don’t know you for who you are like back home. Thus, it is easier to be yourself without being judged upon. In Australia, I have the freedom to explore my identity without having to cautiously lookout for judgments. I like that having kids is optional, unlike back in my home country where any young people, especially

T P, 1st-Year Health & Medical In my country Vietnam nowadays, things are a little bit more open. People are open to others being queer, but from my own experience, it’s more like “don’t ask, don’t tell”. That’s why at home with my family, I’m still in the closet. I usually try to avoid watching or listening or reading anything queer, because my family doesn’t really support that. Actually, even though they never say anything, I can still tell, and I believe that they have some prejudice and stigma against gay people.

sometimes I still accidentally act out and got too extra, because sometimes I forget!, and my family would be like: “What are you doing?!”

I think it’s a generational problem, but it can be more complicated than that. When I hang out with my friends, I get to be myself because they are also supportive of me. My family is from an older generation, particularly my parents, while my friends are from a new generation. Yet still, I can’t tell my younger brother or anyone in my immediate family about me being gay. But I did tell one of my cousins about this, and she’s so supportive of me. We talk about everything together, we are very close friends, and I told her everything.

It’s alright though, I’m used to it. Someone once asked me if I feel tired. Of course I’m tired, I wasn’t being myself! And despite that, I can’t bear to think about coming out, at the moment I am still dependent on my parents so it’s not really a wise idea. I still have to come back home to see them and I don’t know if I did come out what would happen next. So, for now, at home, everything is just in the closet. But I’m not in the closet here in Australia though! No, of course not! I feel more like myself here, I feel more open. And because I get to be myself, I do my work and get my studies done more productively and confidently. I feel like I have a community of friends and a cohort in my degree who are so chill. They don’t care! The only thing that they care about when they look at me is whether I am being who I am and whether I am being authentic or not.

I also have to act differently when I’m home. I have to behave in a certain way… there’s a standard to being a man, to be strong, to be masculine. But you know…

In terms of a gay community here in Adelaide… I had considered joining so many times. But because of the stigma back home, and I’m afraid my photos will be taken

and post online where my parents could see… that cannot be good for me. That’s why I really support the gay community here and everything, but I really cannot dare to join. You know once, at our uni we had this thing to celebrate IDAHOBIT day, the rainbow chains where you can add in a paper link to show support… I really wanted to put a link on the chain, but then I think, “what if somebody accidentally took a picture of me when I’m putting the chain on?” So I actually stayed behind uni until like 6 or 7 pm, when there’s nobody left, and that’s when I put my link on it. I just really hope that our queer community can show how we are just like everybody else. I don’t expect everyone to change their prejudice and judgment on us queer, I don’t care if they never changed their mind, I just wanted to be accepted as I am so I can go on living my normal life.

Thank you to Ngoc Lan Tran. This article wouldn't exist without you.

SEX and THE (SMALL) CITY Putting the ‘B’ back in LGBT+

Words By Emeilia Haskey

For the majority of the time, I’ve been writing this column, I’ve approached it from the perspective of a straight woman bemoaning the current dating scene. However, this is not quite accurate a description of myself. While slipping into Carrie Bradshaw’s Manolo Blahnik’s is my usual way of approaching things since I also enjoy spending like I have far more money than I actually have, I thought I’d take a step back from that persona this issue. In truth, I am begrudgingly bisexual, and have spent a fair amount of time cruising through the queer dating scene. I say begrudging not because I am ashamed, but more because it’s not something I bring up very often – unless of course I’m feeling bad for constantly submitting my articles late (or not at all) and need to get back in favour at On Dit. I don’t usually bring up my sexuality as, alongside many other fellow bisexuals, it often feels like a cop out. How valid can you be as a bisexual if you’ve never had a long-term relationship with a woman? Or primarily dated men? Of course, it doesn’t matter who you’ve dated to identify as bisexual – but internalise it enough and it will make you quiet down in queer spaces. But I digress, there is something far, far worse than my own internalised doubt. Behold! Gaze upon the terrifying black hole that is the queer dating scene.

I once remarked that when meeting someone new in Adelaide you are never more than two degrees of separation apart. This is of course infinitely worse when it comes to the LGBT+ community, where everyone knows everyone and also everyone is also ex-girlfriends of your new girlfriend. It also doesn’t help that sapphic tinder in Adelaide is extremely small, and you can very quickly run out of queer women in your area in one fell swipe. So, what’s a sad bisexual to do? After complaining to my friends about the lack of anyone on dating apps, I couldn’t help but wonder… when it comes to queer dating…where is everyone? Reader beware, I do not claim to be the holder of all wisdom when it comes to queer dating, and considering I still keep one foot in the closet on occasion I had to rely on external advice. Luckily, I have a wide circle of very gay friends of all different sexualities and gender identities who came handy for this piece. Joanna Pastro, famous lesbian and co-host of Pride and Prejudice on Radio Adelaide had a few suggestions when it came to dating. “Be interesting and look interesting because all queer people seem to think that makes you interesting… also being a busy person seems to help because you have 100 things to talk about.” The local gay bar (of which we have two, only one of which is half-decent) was not the preferred spot to find a potential romantic partner either.

“Honestly I’ve never successfully actually picked up in a club. Just hooked up with a few people and never really went past that.” However, there is some hope in the form of exclusively queer dating apps such as Her and Grindr, although the latter has some unsavoury elements and the former is clunky as hell. Both provide a stream of fellow queers for your dating pleasure, though you are guaranteed to be ghosted by at least one queer woman as lesbians are busy people. There are of course, better options. There are numerous LGBT+ events held around Adelaide every year, with the slam poetry scene in particular having an abundance of friendly queer poets and performers. I probably would advise against trying to pick up at a poetry slam, but you can make some good friends even if you find the whole thing cringeworthy. The best thing you can do is, as always, go on plenty of dates and get to know as many people as you can. You don’t learn what you do and don’t want in a partner through endlessly mulling on it, you have to get out there and make mistakes. Eventually, with a bit of luck and with a wider gay community being injected in from interstate, you may meet someone who makes the whole process of dating worth it. Ultimately, if you really want to show the world you’re here and queer, do what I did and get a mullet. It makes you look like a sexier Rod Stewart.

LEFT RI Socialist Alternative

1. LGBTI+ people are under attack from constant reiterations of the Religious Freedom Bill and attempts to amend antidiscrimination bills to make it easier for schools, churches, charities and businesses to discriminate against LGBTI+ people. Both major parties perpetuate these attacks. Albanese recently slashed any commitment to stop schools from firing and expelling LGBTI+ teachers and students, Labor has put up no serious opposition to the Religious Freedom Bill, and both Labor and Liberal politicians in a NSW parliamentary committee called for homophobic amendments to the state’s anti-discrimination laws. 2. Ever since massive victories of Marriage Equality in 2013 (UK), 2015 (US) and 2017 (AU), the right has been trying to win back some ground for conservative “family values” – a code term for the nuclear family, repressive gender roles, sexism, transphobia and homophobia. They see trans rights as the weakest link in the LGBTI+ rights movements, as they think they’re more likely to get away with attacks on trans people. We need movements like those that won marriage equality to show them that they can’t. It’s in the interests of all LGBTI+ people – and in fact anyone against discrimination – to fight against transphobia. 3. Capitalists have never been on the side of LGBTI people. Pride is not about corporations selling merch, it’s about fighting oppression. The capitalist class was against this fight when it was controversial but want to use it to make money. In Australia, gay men earn 20% less than straight men. If businesses really want to support LGBTI+ rights, they should stop exploiting their LGBTI+ employees.

Labor Club 1. The community has come a long way in Australia over the past decade. Equality has been achieved in many areas but, big and small, inequalities still exist. Be it in the census where LGBTQ+ people were not properly counted or in the big fight with religious freedoms and whether that includes religious organisations being able to lawfully discriminate against queer people. Equality was not achieved with the 2017 plebiscite, there is much room for improvement. 2. The rise of transphobic legislation can be linked with the resurgence of a Christian right. Secularists and progressives need to stand up against an encroaching Christian right that puts ideology before respecting basic freedoms. 40

1. What do you believe are the most pressing issues facing the LGBTQ+ community in Australia, and how effective would you say each of the main political parties are at addressing these? 2. This year has seen a wave in anti-trans legislation across countries such as the United States and United Kingdom. One example of such legislation is Arkansas HB 1570 which prohibits health care professionals from administering gender-affirming care to minors. What do you attribute this increase to and how would you suggest it can be best combatted? 3. In recent years, more and more debate has surfaced around 'rainbow washing' and 'rainbow capitalism' in which corporations show solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community. Do you believe such displays of solidarity ultimately benefit or harm the LGBTQ+ community?

RIGHT Liberal Club

1. Although the LGBTQIA+ community has successfully advocated for change in recent years, the movement still faces many challenges. Gay conversion therapy, homophobia and high suicide rates amongst LGBTQIA+ youth are critical issues that need to be adequately addressed. In a sense the Government is limited in what it can do, as these problems cannot be remedied by simply passing legislation. Australia needs a culture shift. Public attitude needs to change. This kind of action is not something a government can do alone. 2. The rise in anti-transgender legislation is primarily fuelled by a lack of education and awareness surrounding the issue. This is particularly apparent when considering the banning of gender-confirmation surgeries for minors. The best approach to combat these legislative changes is to ensure that our policy makers are aware of the crucial role that such surgeries play in the well-being of the transgender youth. 3. Rainbow Capitalism, although a thinly veiled attempt to increase revenue, does ultimately benefit the LGBTQIA+ movement. Through showcasing queer focused advertisements featuring same-sex couples and non-gender conforming individuals, corporations are raising awareness on LGBTQIA+ issues. Moreover, this approach is particularly valuable when labels such as Adidas sponsor openly queer athletes such as Tom Daley, who can utilise their public platforms to aid the wider LGBTQIA+ community. Whilst Rainbow Capitalism can be thrown to the side as just another means to maximise revenue, it should not be discouraged as it is generally beneficial to the LGBTQIA+ community.

Solidarity is needed amongst all peoples to confront the apathy that enables far-right idealogues to get away with harmful legislation. 3. Companies showing solidarity during Pride Month should not be seen as a necessarily bad thing. Of course, companies should not be using the rainbow flag to make a quick buck at the expense of LGBTQ+ people but it does show how far society broadly has come. However, It would be of more benefit to LGBTQ+ people if corporations fairly paid their workers, ensured safe working conditions and didn’t destroy the earth. 41

SUSTAINIB Disposable Pride

Words by Angry Bisexual Lefty If you’re a moderately switched on Zoomer, you’re probably aware of Pride month. You might also be aware of the criticisms levied against it. Don’t get me wrong, Pride. Yay! Woohoo! The strides we’ve made as queer people for recognition and representation cannot be understated. Obviously, we’ve still got a ways to go, but you can’t fault our progress. Unfortunately, today I’m not here to talk about our progress.

how to appropriately interact with LGBTQ+ individuals in the workplace (hint, hint, you’re just supposed to be respectful, like we were anyone else). In these documents, I found something of particular interest. Something like 55% of people are MORE likely to purchase from a company that actively supports Pride. Conversely, something like 68% of people are less likely to purchase from a company that doesn’t openly support Pride.

As you are aware, we live in a society. A capitalist society, to be precise. A pre-dystopian capitalist society to be more precise. Everything is commodified and given a monetary value, even, you guessed it, our Pride. It’s memed beyond shit at this point that companies only care about Pride during Pride month.

And just like that, we commodify our Pride. When companies realised that being a fag is trendy for them, they jumped right on board. Now obviously that doesn’t mean that they actively espouse these views worldwide, or genuinely commit to doing anything about supporting LGBTQ+ individuals, just where it’s trendy. Please see below.

What does this come back to? Money! (duh!) With more people in the western world acutely aware of HUMAN RIGHTS, it’s capital suicide not to come out in support of our queer brethren. A company that I work for (that will remain nameless due to the social media clause written into my contract), pushed out over 100 pages of documents detailing

I know this may be an unpopular opinion, but I fucking hated the Pride Lego set. I thought it sucked. It wasn’t creative, it wasn’t cool, it wasn’t even well priced (is Lego ever?). I scoured the Lego website, the only mention I could find of anything to actually support LGBTQ+ people, was one line about supporting a UK-based charity

BILI-DIT working to “educate children about inclusivity and empathy”. Thanks Lego, I guess that stops my fellow gays being thrown off roofs in Saudi Arabia. Oh wait. I think there’s a lot of good stuff that comes from Pride month, but that good stuff rarely comes from big corporations. Celebrate your Pride, and by all means support queer-owned businesses, but think twice before spending your hard-earned on anything from those dirty capitalists. Oh yeah, this is Sustainabilidit. You probably want to hear something about the environment? Capitalism is bad for the environment. Also, think about all the trees cut down and wasted on branding and physical advertising during Pride month, only to be taken down and thrown away one day later. A not-so-subtle metaphor.

sp club

C rs we Ans

the Pride club

y es rt

un s)

Pr id

y (an lub d r Bi Pres ident Kansas

o pr

What year did the club start? Our date of incorporation is amazingly back in 2001 (the year I was born!) What are the meeting times and location?

How has the club positively impacted you? When I was fresh out of high school, it gave me a touchstone to find people I could relate to. Everyone has different interests and hobbies but just having the immediate knowledge that we had something in common was so relaxing.

tlight We have fortnightly afternoon teas which are our main meeting opportunities for people to come along and hang out. These are usually held in the Rumours Café on Wednesday afternoons (Our Facebook and Discord have more specific details closer to the events.) What is the aim of the Pride club?

Our aim is for queer students to have an opportunity to learn about the queer community and to feel comfortable knowing that they are with people who share similar experiences and won’t judge or discriminate against them. Why should students join?

What advice do you have for other queer-identifying students navigating university? Connect with people! Check out the resources that are available to you (the Ally Network, SHINE, the Rainbow Room in Union House) and get to know other queer students and staff members who can support you and answer any questions you might have about your uni experience. We all have such diverse experiences that there’s bound to be someone who can help; whether that be getting disability support or figuring out how to explain your name and pronouns to your tutors!

Because we offer a vibrant group of individuals who are always excited to meet new people, make new friends, and support each other with whatever they need, as well as the fact that we have the Rainbow Room which is such a great place to relax and vibe and make a cup of milo. What exciting events does the club have in store for students in semester 2? We teamed up with some amazing organisations (the Ally Network, Feast, ECH) and ran a Wear It Purple Day event on the 27th of August. We’re also hoping to run a talent show, as well as our regular Afternoon Teas.

Quee JAN x

x x

The Trump administration rolls back nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQIA+ individuals seeking services from health and welfare programs funded by the US Department of Health and Human Services. Sophie, a transgender pop music producer, dies at 34-years-old from an accidental fall.

Apr

North Dakota governors veto bills banning trans women from competing in school sports. The lawsuit over Lil Nas X’s ‘Satan Shoes’ is settled. The company behind the creation agrees to voluntarily recall the shoes as part of the legal settlement with Nike.

Feb

Mar x

Mardi Gras makes a return and is hosted in the Sydney Cricket Ground (SGC). SBS on Demand live streams the event due to COVID restrictions. A Japanese court rules that not allowing same-sex couples to marry is unconstitutional.

May x

x 46

Victoria’s Upper House passes a bill to ban LGBTIQ+ conversion therapy.

US Health Secretary announces that the Joe Biden administration restored protections under a provision of the Affordable Care Act, against sexual discrimination in healthcare. Peter Dutton commands Defence Force chief Angus Campbell to stop future events where “personnel are encouraged to wear particular clothes in celebration.” This came after a morning tea event for International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT). Demi Lovato comes out as non-binary.

er Jul x

x x x

2021

Lakeisha Watkins

Aug

Australian-first LGBTQIA+ hub, The Pride Centre, opens for Melbourne’s queer community allowing access to essential services. EU executives take legal action against measures they say discriminate against LGBT people in Hungary, Poland.

Jun x

NEWS

The UK eases rules on blood donations for queer men after a health committee recomends the blanket ban be lifted. Men who are sexually active with other men are now able to donate blood and plasma without having to wait three months after “having oral or anal sex with another man before donating.” Hungary passes a law preventing LGBT content in schools. France allows single women and lesbians to undergo IVF. Florida bans trans women and girls from competing in female sports at schools.

x x

The Australian census opts to not include questions about individuals sexuality or gender identity. New Zealand moves closer to passing a ‘self-identification’ law to make it easier for people to change a person’s sex on their birth certificate. New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard becomes the first openly transgender female athlete at the Olympics.

SEPT x

The Morrison Government votes against an amendment to the Fair Work Act that would see better protections against descrimination for trans, gender diverse and intersex people. The Victorian government announces its extension of the states anti-vilification laws to include sex, gender identity, sexuality, disability and HIV/AIDS status.

Editors Pi Being queer is hard without good content to help you understand yourself. The Queer Dit editors have listed some of their favourite LGBTQIA+ content for you to check out. Whether you’re looking for a new musical, music artist, or video game, there’s sure to be something here you’ll like.

Lakeisha

Caitlin

Artists and Illustrators x Noah (insta @noahdea.art) x Amalas (insta @amalasrosa) x Gabriel Picolo (insta @gabrielpicolo) x Roxy (insta @cranitys) x Twitter comic artists @vincent1vintage and @kirameks Musicians x Lil Nas X (musician) x Lil Peep (musician) x LSDXOXO (musician) x Shygirl (musician) x Lady Gaga (musician) x SOPHIE (musician) Entertainment x Hades (video game) x Stardew Valley (video game) x The Sims (video game) x The Silence of Words (web comic) x Sunshower (web comic) x Fluidum (web comic) People x Morgan Godvin – writer and advocate for drug policy reform and decarceration x Chai - book reviewer (twitter @ proyearner) x Tyler Gaca (tiktok @ghosthoney) x Mason Denverr on tiktok Places x Mary’s Poppin - Adelaide queer nightclub

Entertainment x Harley Quinn TV Series (TV show) x Batwoman: Elegy (comic) x Midnighter (comic) x Scream, Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street (documentary) x Transgender Marxism (book) People x Natalie Wynn – trans YouTuber (ContraPoints) x Abigail Thorn – trans YouTuber (Philosophy Tube) x Poison Ivy – DC Comics character

icks Annabel

Dean

Entertainment x Bohemian Rhapsody (film) - queer film about Freddie Mercury x Rocky Horror Show (musical) cult classic x I Am Not Okay With This (TV show + comic) x Kinky Boots (musical) - drag musical People x Elliot Page - Trans actor x Shelby Grace – Ace Minecraft YouTuber (Shubble) x Brendan Maclean (musician) x Claire Raymond - Queer Disability Influencer on instagram x Jacob - Trans comic artist (insta @FloatySpaceCat)

Entertainment x Disclosure (documentary) - trans representation in media on Netflix x Melted Honey by JANE DOE - debut single from upcoming queer Adelaide musician (Spotify @ JANE DOE) LGBTQIA+ Instagram Influencers/Educators x @alokvmenon x @indyamoore x @chellaman x @pinkmantaray x @mattiv x @nevozisin x @mx.deran x @autogyniphiles_anonymous x @pidgeon x @madisonnwerner Places x Diverse-City: Adelaide queer-owned event venue, café and bar x My Lover Cindi’s: Adelaide queer-owned bar and nightclub x Drop In Care Space: Adelaide-based community drop-in space that is peer-run for LGBTQIA+, autistic, neurodivergent and disabled folks (insta @dropincarespace)

Queer DIT

Resources List

Dean Plesa In light of the announcement that LGBTQIA+ Australians will be erased from the 2021 census, I’ve put together a list of resources. This is by no means a complete and finished list, but we tried to cover as many sanctions and intersections as we could. All of these resources have been checked to be currently active (as of 16th August 2021). First, here’s my top 5 for those just getting started:

ShineSA

The core body of Adelaide’s LGBTQIA+ health services, this is generally one of the first places baby queers are recommended to when they first come out. ShineSA is a not-for-profit health clinic that specialises in reproductive, sexual health and relationship wellbeing. They offer primary care services and education for sexual and relationship wellbeing, including medical clinical assessment, treatment and counselling. Their sexual, reproductive health and GP services are free for people under the age of 25 and those with a valid concession/health care card (excluding the cost of medication/ consumables). For those over 25, don’t worry – fees for appointments are subsidised by Medicare. Additionally, they have a free library full of physical resources at their Woodville clinic, as well as multiple resources (free and paid) available for download on their online shop.

NOTE: To my knowledge (current as of 16th August 2021), the specialist doctors at ShineSA’s Hyde St practice are not taking new patients for folks looking into hormone replacement therapy (or the waiting lists are really long). See the SA Practitioner’s List for other available medical professionals.

3 2 5 4 Say It Out Loud

Rainbow Directory SA A newly-launched website by the Catalyst Foundation where you can search for LGBTQIA+ services and activities across South Australia. More groups and resources will be added with time, but already has presets for crucial services such as health, housing and training.

Launched by ACON (Australia’s largest HIV organisation) in 2016 and expanded to a national scale in 2020, Say It Out Loud is a world-first online resource specifically catered to abuse and domestic violence in LGBTQIA+ relationships. Visitors have the option to specify their state for curated resources, or keep the location setting on national. If you’re currently questioning whether a relationship that you’re in isn’t healthy (romantic, friend, family or other), there’s a free online quiz designed to provide some perspective to consider the next course of action for the relationship.

Rainbow Room Bringing things back to campus, we have our very own Pride club and Rainbow Room. Located on the 6th floor of Union House, it’s accessible via stairs and elevator and open to anyone that wishes to enter – they’ll be incredibly friendly queer folk there that are more than happy to socialise!

Trans Health SA

An online resource website operated by members of the South Australian trans community, for the South Australian trans community. It provides a variety of resources that cover every aspect of support for living as a trans person (organisations, community-created resources, guides and how-to’s, etc.) as well as social engagement (sorted into trans-specific, LGBTQIA+ specific and parent-specific categories.) Perhaps most crucially, Trans Health South Australia hosts the SA Practitioner’s List – a comprehensive guide to practitioners in SA known and/or reported to provide clinical support to sex and gender diverse persons (though please note it is not an endorsement of said practitioners). It is an ever-evolving guide, kept diligently up-to-date with the help of community reports and feedback.

Organisations Minus18 x Victoria-based but national organisation and charity fighting for the LGBTQIA+ youth in Australia. Intersex Human Rights Australia x National body by and for people with intersex variations that promotes the human rights, self-determination and bodily autonomy of intersex people in Australia. Transcend Australia x Advocacy group that supports families with transgender children in Australia. Gay and Lesbian Immigration Task Force x Voluntary community non-for-profit organisation whose prime objective is to offer support and assistance to same-sex couples applying for Partner Migration Visa. TLLPC — Kindred Spirits Australia x Social support group for LGBTQIA+ people, families and allies. ShineSA — SAMESH x South Australian community-based organisation that provides support, education, outreach and clinical services regarding sexual health. Their primary focus is people living with HIV. Black Rainbow x A national organisation that strive to alleviate the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBTQTI+SB (lesbian, gay, bisexualm queer, transgender, intersex + sistergirl and brotherboy) people.

Advocacy LGBTQ+ Health Australia x National peak health organisation in Australia for organisations and individuals that provide health-related services, programs and research focused on LGBTQIA+ people. South Australian Rainbow Advocacy Alliance x Volunteer-based non-for-profit organisation that advocate, educate and create space for LGBTQIA+ people in South Australia.

Legal Justice Connect self-help resources x Documentation on how to pursue legal action against gender discrimination and transphobia, and your rights as an LGBTQIA+ person in schools.

Sport ACON — Pride In Sport x A nation-wide sporting inclusion program that supports organisations with the inclusion of players, employees, volunteers and spectators with diverse genders and sexualities. Proud2Play x An organisation committed to increasing engagement of the LGBTQIA+ community in sport, exercise and active recreation. Sport Australia — Trans and Gender Diverse Inclusion x The current guidelines to the inclusion of trans and gender diverse folk in Australian community sporting at all levels.

Support Services Uniting Communities — BFriend x Social support group, counselling and workplace training for LGBTQIA+ people and allies Moolagoo Mob & Blak Lemons x Social support group for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBTQIA+ people that hold monthly meetings in Adelaide Southern Fleurieu Q+ x Social support group for LGBTQIA+ young people (up to 25 years old) for folks in the Southern Fleurieu Relationships SA: PEACE Multicultural Services — UNIDOS x Support group for Adelaide-based (or planning to be Adelaide-based) LGBTQIA+ people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Relationships SA: PEACE Multicultural Services — Boyz x Social group for gay and bisexual men aged 18-35. Hosted by the same facilitators of UNIDOS. Queer Housing Adelaide x Facebook group for LGBTQIA+ people to post in search of queer-friendly housemates or households in Adelaide. ECH Aged Care — LGBTI Connect x A service that provides LGBTQIA+ people over 55 an opportunity to connect with a designated Connector (also queer) of a similar age. QLife and Diverse Voices x Free, anonymous national telephone and webchat services that provides LGBTQIA+ peer support for people wanting to sexuality, identity, gender, bodies, feelings or relationships. Rainbow Disability SA x A community support group for LGBTQIA+ folk who live with disability.

Don’t Forget The A(ce) In LGBTQI 54

Making asexuality visible Ngoc Lan Tran

The absence of sexual attraction sets asexuality out of the terms of reference with the rest of the LGBTQIA+ community. Whereas identities of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, and intersex people depend a lot on their sexual and gender identities, asexuals do not. “When we talk about gender, we talk about sex,” as found by Dr Karen Cuthbert, a researcher on asexuality from the University of Sheffield. So, whenever sex is irrelevant, gender may also become an obsolete term of reference for one’s subjectivity and development of sexuality. This is partly the reason why people leave out the A in LQBTQIA+. Conceptually, asexuality exists apart from the rest because of its absence, void, invisibility. After all, asexuality is also known as the “invisible sexuality”. But this is inherently problematic, because its invisibility makes it easier to pretend that it is not there, and therefore not a problem. Asexuality can thus be easily forgotten.

Yes, our sexual orientation is not salient. It is a lack of sexual attraction instead of a divergence of sexual orientation other than heterosexuality. But just because it cannot be seen does not mean it is not there. Discrimination against asexuality exists. Acephobia includes beliefs that pathologises asexuality as a mental illness which dehumanises it as an incapability of love or affection, blatantly refuses to accept it as a genuine orientation, or mistaking it with celibacy or abstinence. Like discrimination rooted in hate and bigotry, discrimination based on ignorance

and lack of awareness is just as distasteful. It completely negates a group of people on the spectrums of sexual and romantic attractions, and diminishes asexuals as well as aromantics from their experiential perspectives of being and living. It is also hilarious how there is very little logic to it. How can one hate nothing? Why would one be so upset over nothing that is literally the absence of something, and in this case, the avoidance of sexual and/or romantic attraction? Visibility is therfore a problem that resonates endemically with discrimination, because the invisibility of asexuality has the implication of making acephobia not seen. The problem with visibility lies in that it is hard to pick out something that is not there. It is difficult to pinpoint on an absence, let alone to label it as “deviant” or other. This creates a more specific set of problems, which is that of making asexuality visible and seen within the LGBTQIA+ community at large, understood by their allies, and most especially accepted within ourselves. A lot of asexual people never knew they were asexual because of the lack of visibility of asexuality. The knowing of what is not there can be especially difficult when in this hypersexualised world, everything that is sexual can overpower all that which is not. I never realised I was asexual because I never knew asexuality exists. Being asexual also doesn’t change how people see me on a day-to-day basis because of its “invisible” nature, so coming out was never a concern worth my attention. As a result, I have never

really seen myself as quite a part of the LGBTQIA+ community, even though the A is indeed there, and I am sometimes discouraged by how people do often forget the A. But as I find myself increasingly comfortable with my lack of sexual orientation and sexual invisibility, I also realise that this is also a problem. My lack of speaking up contributes to asexuality’s invisibility. This article is me, speaking up. It depends on me as well as each individual’s voice to amplify it. Change does start with us, and it starts with making the invisible,

VISI

IBLE. 57

Acceptance or

Libera

Divide of the movement, mainstreaming of the culture. Jordan Nedosyko Since the beginning of the LGBTQ+ rights movement, there has been a fundamental debate about what our “end goal” should be: invisibility and indifference within mainstream society, or the desire to forge a unique identity that breaks free of the ‘oppressive’ ideals inherent to a heterosexual, cisgender world. A majority of the earliest advocates for legal reform in the West that fought for same-sex attraction, such as early utilitarian philosoher Jeremy Bentham, were not queer people. Inspired by anticlericalism and the humanist ideas of the Enlightenment, these reformists’ works were — generally — not written to take genuine action towards homosexual rights, but was instead a reaction against traditional Christian morality. ‘Progressive’ works of the 1800s tended to view homosexuality as a mental illness requiring compassion, or held a romanticised nostalgia for Greco-Roman pederasty. The first mass queer movement to sweep across the West was inspired by the zeitgeist of freedom that accompanied fights against fascism in the aftermath 58

of World War II. Known as the homophile (from the Greek roots meaning ‘same love’) movement, its very name clues one into its political orientation. The movement attempted to distance the gay community from the ‘decadent’ and ‘degenerate’ undertones of the term ‘homosexuality’, which it had gained from its association with the European aristocracy of the 18th and 19th century. Michael Sibalis, professor emeritus of history at Wilfrid Laurier University, described the attitude of the homophile movement with the following: “public hostility to homosexuals resulted largely from their outrageous and promiscuous behaviour; homophiles would win the good opinion of the public and the authorities by showing themselves to be discreet, dignified, virtuous and respectable.” Due to its illegal nature in the United States, few members of these groups publicly revealed their identity; thus, the preeminent method of spreading their ideas was through the anonymity of magazines. These early publications

ation? were filled with art that aimed to create self-acceptance and community when queer people were denounced by the American government as threats to the country’s way of life. Queer people were nothing but communist sympathisers to the straight American population, whose existence threatened religion, the nuclear family, capitalism; and thereby, the United States itself. Lyrical poems sung of the purity within same-sex love and beatniks scribed the emerging queer culture of the West Coast, helping to craft a sense of identity for queer people — even for those unable to participate. The readership of these magazines extended beyond the scope of the LGBTQ+ community and dismantled the harmful stigmas of the age. A 1958 issue of One Magazine (the most widely distributed of these queer magazine of the time) adorned the title ‘Successful Homosexuals’ and featured an interview with an openly gay police officer. The homophile movement established a new sense of queer pride and openness in the Anglophone world, so much so that progressive US cities saw a spike in the appearence queer-friendly facilities.

However, political gains were sparse and the movement died out in the 1970s, but was soon replaced with a new wave of more radical activism. The start of this new gay liberation movement is typically pinpointed to the 1969 Stonewall Riots, which have become one (if not the only) event to transcend the pages of queer studies textbooks and enter public consciousness. Stonewall mimicked demonstrations from both second-wave feminism and the Black Power movement, adopting their practices to advance their own liberation. In contrast to the homophiles, these new radical activists saw the previous generations’ progress as evidence that it would be of the impossible for queer people to integrate into a heterosexual-led reality. Trans and gender non-conforming people were granted loud and blatant visibility with the first Pride parades in 1970s America — a direct contradiction of the previous ‘respectable homosexual’ image. The Gay Activists Alliance performed a ‘zap’ at the American Broadcasting Company to protest the demonisation of 59

homosexuality in the show ‘Marcus Welby, M.D’. The legal reform that occurred as a response to the gay liberation movement was astronomical: numerous jurisdictions around the globe — including South Australia — legalised same-sex activity, Sweden became the first country to allow transgender people to legally change their gender, and LGBTQ+ people entered public office in unprecedented numbers. Unfortunately, these increases in political acceptance were not mirrored socially; in fact, the opposite occurred. Homosexuality went from an invisible topic to the subject of open hatred and mockery, reinforcing the belief that queer identities could not assimilate into heterosexual society. The tension reached a climax during the AIDS crisis with a renaissance of conservatism in the 1980s and the proliferation of Protestant churches across the Anglosphere. Modern queer culture has never seen itself so closely aligned with mainstream society. Take drag, for instance. What was once a rejection of gender normativity and a unique form of self-expression for gender diverse and gender non-conforming folk — an intersection of queerness and underground party culture shunned into shady gay bars — has been transformed by the growth of social media drag into a mainstream component of the beauty and entertainment industries. Makeup techniques that originated on the stages of LGBTQ+ night clubs have trickled down into the practices of celebrity makeup artists and reappropriated into modern beauty standards. This shift from a predominantly queer to predominately straight audience was also seen when Rupaul’s Drag Race moved from Logo TV (which focused on LGBTQ+ content) to VH1 (a sister channel of MTV). A quick glance at the most popular drag queens on Instagram reveals this new audience’s liking to flamboyant and sassy ‘comedy queens’ or conventionally attractive, ‘female-passing’ queens. The transgressive nature of drag has 60

been discarded in favour of mainstream sensibilities. Massive amounts of slang popularised among Millennials and Gen Z through platforms such as TikTok originated in the ‘ballroom culture’ of New York City. It is a testament to the progress made by the LGBTQ+ community that any conversation from the momentous documentary Paris is Burning would make more sense on 2021 Twitter than it would on the streets of the city it was filmed in. It would be unthinkable to the legendary Venus Xtravaganza, one of the multiple trans women and Q-POCs starring in the documentary, that the slang she used would come into widespread and global use irrespective of having her life taken in a transphobic hate crime 30 years prior. And this cyclical phenomenon continues — house music originated at the underground house parties of Q-POCs in 1980s Chicago. Adopted by the likes of Janet Jackson and Madonna, house was passed around the mainstream music industry until it became more associated with newer, often white artists and trickled down into the mainstream to the point where it is more associated with people such as Calvin Harris and Avicii. A similar trend is currently taking place with the rise of ‘hyperpop’. The original confluence of homemade remixes and sugary, overproduced sounds in A.G. Cook’s ‘PC Music’ have been propelled out of obscurity by frequent collaborations between transgender icon Sophie Xeon (SOPHIE) and Charli XCX. Despite not currently topping the charts, SOPHIE has worked with some of the most prominent pop artists in the West, namely Rihanna and Lady Gaga. The genre is bound to fall victim to the same fate as the rest — watered down to suit the tastes of the dominant population. While all this may be construed as edgy, ‘hipster-ish’ whinging about queer culture

becoming trendy, it can be argued that this integration into pop culture is a good thing for LGBTQ+ people. We have seen that queer subcultures emerge when we are forced to seek refuge from the oppression of ‘cis-het’ life; now that this oppression is slowly fading, the need for a distinct queer identity and culture fades along with it. Today’s Pride parades show a melange of corporate logos. Profile pictures of massive corporations’ social media accounts are doused in rainbows, and in a capitalist society, acceptance by the moneyed is an asset. Though it shouldn’t be assumed that acceptance of our culture inherently implies acceptance of us. With the same irony that has Black inequality still embedded in Western society despite Western music being dominated by genres pioneered by Black Americans (including rock, soul, R’n’B, hip-hop), the progress made in the past few decades can just as quickly be reversed. History should not be viewed as a linear progression from oppression to equality; If LGBTQ+ rights loses its cultural cachet, queer culture will be discarded just as quickly as it was adopted.

Apartheid...

Isn’t a good look The Homonationalism of ‘Brand Israel’ Chanel Tresize ‘Homonationalism’ is the integration of queer idenitites and pink-washing (e.g. the corporatisation of queer idenities) into nationalist ideology. Scholar Jasbir Puar coined the term homonationalism to illustrate the polarities of the cultural wokeness used by Western nations to embellish the apparent ‘unwokeness’ of Muslim nations. Scholar Sarah Schulman also notably employs homonationalism in an examination of the Palestine-Israel conflict. For instance, homonationalism can be seen in the attempts of Israel to frame itself as ‘woke’ and inclusive in comparison to its rival, the ‘homophobic’ Palestine. By slotting Palestine into an ‘unwoke’ binary Israel purposefully ignores the validity of Palestine as a nation and the queer communities within it. In a desperate attempt to shroud its image as an imperial aggressor, Israel’s foreign ministry concocted ‘Brand Israel’a national marketing campaign which attempts to parade Israel as inclusive and woke to contrast itself to the supposed barbarism of Palestine. During the Tel Aviv Gay Pride Parade in the second week of

June 2019, some 250,000 people marched the streets for gay pride. But Tel Aviv’s Gay Pride mocks the Palestinians Israel oppresses and kills in the West Bank and Gaza because while it boasts of inclusivity, it obviously excludes Palestnians, including queer Palestinians, from this movement. In 2010, Sarah Schulman declined to speak at the Tenth Annual LGBT Studies and Queer Theory Conference at Tel Aviv University to instead meet with various LGBTQI activists within Palestine and Israel. Schulman’s journey within Palestine’s occupied territories influenced her opinions of the Palestine-Israel conflict and sparked her eventual attempt to engage US-queer activists with The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel. Within her work, Schulman employs a lens of homonationalism to highlight the tokenism and self-interest which motivates Brand Israel. In her opinion piece to the New York Times, Schulman remarked that, despite Israel’s apparent ‘wokeness’ its gay PR stunts do not ‘offset [its] human rights violations’. Schulman further asserted that the ‘long-sought realization of some rights 63

for some gays should not blind us to the struggles against racism in Europe and the United States, or to the Palestinians’ insistence on a land to call home’. Palestine, of course, is a rich, multifaceted, cultural nation which is home to many queer identifying Palestinians and organsations who suffer under Israeli occupation - for example, the LGBTQI activist organisations Aswat, Al Qaws (for Sexual and Gender Diversity in Palestinian Society) and Palestinian Queers for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions. Unfortunately, however, Israeli authorities regularly weaponise the homophobic perceptions of some Palestnians by targeting and blackmailing queer individuals into becoming informants with threats of exposing their sexuality. The threat of perscution and ostracisation (gay men face up to 10 years in jail and the Palestinian National Authority condemns same-sex activity) is not treated with empathy by Israel, as would be the case if they were true allies, but rather weaponised for their own political gain. Al Qaws responded to Israel’s blackmailing offences in a statement that “...singling out sexuality 64

ignores the stranglehold that Israel’s militarized colonial regime has on the lives and privacy of Palestinians more generally throughout Palestine.” Further, Al Qaws added that while blackmailing is ‘an act of naked oppression’ it is not dissimilar from the full picture of Israel’s viciousness. This is because Israel’s targeted blackmailing of LGBTQI individuals illustrates the selfinterest that motivates Brand Israel and the exclusivity of its ‘progressiveness.’ Israel not only ignores the queer individuals in Palestine, but actively oppresses them, and this is because despite its marketing attempts, Israel is not woke. Even if it is not often socially acceptetable to be openly gay in Palestine, its common cultural attitudes should not determine whether it should be placed under violent apartheid like Israel’s homonationalist tactics suggest. Palestine’s apparent ‘unwokeness’ does not undermine its national legitimacy, nor justify its occupation and continual oppression by Israel. Additionally, Israel’s hypocritical use of LGBTQI allyship to shift conflict narratives in justification of apartheid is not woke- it is an ugly, ugly, very unwoke look.

Palestine's apparent 'unwokeness' does not undermine its national legitimacy, nor justify its occupation and continual oppression by Israel."

Queer ICONS ACROSS MEDia Lakeisha Watkins

For this issue, I want to highlight some of the greatest queer icons from recent decades. Whether they’re music artists or fictional characters, these icons deserve all the attention they get (and more). Though there are many who can make this list, I’ve tasked myself with the challenge of limiting it to five queer icons.

Lil Nas X – Singer/ Rapper Lil Nas X serves absolute bangers and knows how to work social media to his favour. His iconic work radiates an energy that never fails to get you hyped. Call Me By Your Name was a major hit, and so was his most recent release Industry Baby. Lil Nas X is the biggest queer music icon of 2021. He is unapologetically gay, talented, sweet and stands up for what’s right. He’s showing people that it’s okay to be who you are, refusing to let the haters bring him down. And what’s more, he’s using his fame for good, donating to The Bail Project, a nonprofit organisation that pays bail for those who require the assistance.

HIM – Cartoon Character Though never stated, one look tells you that this character is a queer-coded icon. This Powerpuff Girls villain is brilliantly and flamboyantly evil and he lavishes in it! (Note that HIM is referred to as he/him in the show). HIM does what he wants whilst looking absolutely stylish, refusing to conform to gender roles. The character is a queer villain done well. He’s evil, but we love that for HIM! He is a bringer of chaos, king of darkness and a devil who serves looks. His character also scares children enough to stop them from watching the Powerpuff Girls! Truly evil indeed.

Zagreus – Video Game Character As if the 2020 video game Hades wasn’t already great enough, its main character gives it an extra flare of greatness. Zagreus is a total bisexual icon. Dating gorgeous underworld figures, gaining the favour of the gods, and beating up his crappy dad. Zag is living a life all of us could only dream of. He’s charming and downright loveable. He’s powerful yet considerate of others. He also has quite a way with words, whether it’s a joke, flirty lines or wonderfully constructed insults.

Tim Drake – Comic Character A new, but nonetheless iconic member of the LGBTQIA+ community. Tim Drake was made bisexual in issue 6 of the comic Batman: Urban Legends. What makes him so iconic? The fact that he is allowed to be anything but straight considering the heavy heterosexuality surrounding other prominent DC characters (more specifically, those in Batman comics). The comic world can always use some more kickass LGBTQIA+ characters. Tim is also a great hero, using his intellect and crime-fighting skills to do good.

Lady Gaga – Singer & Actress Though I’ve already listed a music artist, I simply couldn’t leave out bisexual icon Lady Gaga (and in my defence, she has also worked as an actress). Her music speaks to the LGBTQIA+ community with its messages of acceptance and loving who you want. Her 2011 song Born this Way is a cherished gay anthem. The star has also worked in film and TV, such as the movie A Star is Born and television show American Horror Story. She is also an advocate, using her platform for many great causes. Gaga is a huge icon for so many reasons!

Jessica Timms (She/her) Photography Feature I’m Jess Timms, a 1st-year student at Adelaide uni. I started identifying as bisexual a few years ago and that had a large influence on the kind of creative work I started doing - I came to realise how gender expectations influence so much surrounding sexuality and expression. I also have a photography account on Instagram @orangenectarines_

Title: 'reflections of masculinity' Camera: Canon EOS 50 Film: Kodak Gold 200 colour film Models: Amos Timms & Orlando Furbank Our ideas surrounding gender, masculinity and femininity need to become more fluid. Children are reflections of the society they live in, mirroring the dominant attitudes and beliefs upheld by us and our institutions. They shouldn’t think that it’s ‘emasculating’ to wear a dress or do the laundry. It should be empowering. It’s the internalising of these reductive stereotypes that fuels gender standards and places confining boundaries on people’s expression of their identity. If you struggle with gender expectations, you are not alone. It’s difficult when all you see are reflections of what you ‘should’ be and projections of how you ‘should’ behave. It’s important to try and deconstruct these domineering standards and create a space where everyone feels comfortable being ‘them’. Wearing a dress is one small step.

gender

You skate like a girl. You look like a boy. You speak like a chick. You walk like a dude. You dress like a guy. We need to eliminate gendered stereotyping in our everyday conversations because they guide the dominant standards found in activities like sport. Skating is such a powerful form of expression that girls are excluded from, purely because they are girls. This creates a constant pressure to subscribe to the prevailing gender constructs. If not? Then fear rejection. Skating like a girl should be a compliment, not an insult, and heck If we want to wear a dress when we skate or if we want to wear an oversized hoodie and jeans we should. And nobody should feel the need to comment about it.

Title: 'skatelikeagirl' Camera: Canon EOS 50 Film: Kodak Gold 200 colour film Model: Cassie Wellens

Hi, I’m Isabelle. I study maths and French, have a black belt in taekwondo, and am trying really hard to unwrap my love of Harry Potter from J. K. Rowling’s overt transphobia. I’m also asexual. That may or may not have provoked an uncomfortable image of me somehow splitting apart as I break into two Isabelle clones. Whilst that would be kind of wild, for better or worse, that is what cells do, not humans. That asexual spectrum falls under the oft forgotten letter ‘A’ at the end of LGBTQIA+, and has existed since forever, but fairly large chunks of society are only just catching up to that idea. On that note, that ‘A’ also encompasses aromantic folk (people who don’t experience romantic attraction) and, depending upon who you ask, agender folk (people who don’t experience gender), but I’m going to focus on asexuality, as that’s where my lived experience lies. As you may have inferred from the previous definitions, being asexual means not experiencing sexual attraction. This makes it a bloody hard orientation to put your finger on, since how are you meant to know you don’t feel something if you don’t feel it!? Sometimes it feels like a bit of a Sherlock-esque mystery; there are clues about what this whole ‘sexual attraction’ thing is just about everywhere, but, since I’m not Sherlock, I can never quite solve the mystery. (On that note, if you do have a good way to explain to me what sexual attraction is, please share, I’d be grateful.) So, for me, saying I’m asexual could be more accurately described as ‘there’s this thing out there that most people seem to feel but I don’t think I do since I really cannot relate to some of this stuff so I assume I don’t feel it, whatever it is’. In case you’re confused by that (honestly, I’m confused just writing it), let me simplify this into a (very short) list of some things that I don’t get. Before I start, do note that I am but one asexual and this list does not apply to all asexuals since we are a broad and intersectional spectrum of wonderful people. That being said I don’t really get why porn is interesting Or why ‘waiting until marriage’ is hard Or why people want to hook up with someone that they deem attractive but don’t really know THAT DOES NOT MEAN I THINK THESE THINGS ARE BAD! People are entitled to do whatever they want (so long as it’s consensual) and I don’t condemn any of the above, I just don’t quite get it.

An Ace Isabelle Greco She/They

So let me stop for a quick Q&A: Do I need my hormones checked? – Nope, but you need your manners checked. Would my feelings about sex change if I just did <insert some inane suggestion here>? – First up, being asexual is about sexual attraction, not about sex. And also, please stop trying to ‘cure’ me. Asexuality is not a disease. Is it just a phase? – What am I, the moon? Sexuality can change over time, but right here, right now, I am asexual, I have been for a while, and, like many others, will probably stay this way for the foreseeable future. Did you just make this up? – Nope, we’re real. We’re estimated to make up at least 1% of the population. I could have given you an exact answer on the number of asexuals in Australia if the Census had actually asked, but alas. Am I sad that I’m missing out on something? – To be honest, nope. Being panromantic, I have an incredible partner who is nothing but supportive and amazing (love you lots if you’re reading this!) so I’m not quite sure what else I need. That last question is quite interesting, because it taps into how important we deem sexual and romantic attraction in society today. We have books and movies written about people’s quests to fulfil their sexual attraction. We assume that if someone isn’t interested in having sex then there must be something awful wrong with them. We apply this judgement most forcefully to men who, we seem to constantly assume, must be interested in sex all the time. We firmly believe that someone single cannot be living a full and fulfilling life by deriving pleasure from the platonic connections that surround them. All of this can make firstly discovering asexuality and then accepting this a non-trivial journey. I wrote this piece in part to educate so that allosexuals (i.e. non-asexuals, enjoy that double negative!) could hopefully be that little bit more supportive of asexual people in their lives. But mainly I wrote this for the person who’s reading this, and seeing a little of their own experience. And to you, I have the most important message of all. You are amazing. You will live a life that is full of love and joy, no matter what form that love takes. You are not broken. You are not frigid or a prude or any of those other names. There is no such thing as needing to be ‘asexual enough’. You are not being a ‘bad’ asexual. You, just as you are, belong in this community, with us. Because, that’s what it is, a community, and you are not alone.

Up my

leeve 75

THe First oF

Many Many Many Many Many Many Many

Annabel Fedcesin

She was gorgeous. Still is, but not in the way she used to be. While her appearance has not changed, my eyes for her have. But she will always hold that place, somewhere in my brain, my little love. It was only a small crush, but it lasted long. It changed me. My first female intrigue, something outside of the conservative norm I’d known for years. My family, promarriage, were not pro-me and I didn’t even know yet. But she strolled in, beauty in a button up shirt, hair cropped on one side and shaved on the other then dyed green and fading. On days she was feminine, dresses and cottagecore. Others she was alternative and masculine, flannel, and hoodies. These words and ideas of fem and masc fell away from me and all that was left was her. The styles she wore were only her and nothing else. I kept her, in a little box in my head, my secret love. Untouched for so long. I didn’t know why I felt shame. I didn’t know why I wanted her in ways I had wanted men in the past. The lack of consistency confused me. And one day she slipped, down from the perch I’d made for her. Someone else took her place as I, newly discovered, evolved. She continues through my life and of course I look on and wonder “what if?” but that is all. Nothing more. What could have been is not anymore but may be again one day. For now she is gorgeous but in a different way.

Georgia Fitzgerald (She/her) Photography Feature 78

@geoshotss

wave of w e n A

Celebrity-endorsed, yet are they inclusive and accessible? Emily Tattersall Illustration by Annabel Fedcesin We are used to seeing clothing lines, fragrances, teeth whitening kits, and the like, being promoted by celebrities and social media influencers online. Yet, in recent years sex toys have taken rise. Why? From a business point of view, a global pandemic that has resulted in a large proportion of people spending a lot more time in their homes, away from their partners etc., means there has never been a better time to sell sex toys. Alongside the fact that our society is continually becoming more progressive. One of the first examples of celebrityendorsed sex toys are by Gwyneth Paltrow’s often controversial brand, blog, and online store, Goop. The website has a large selection of sexual-wellness products created by the Goop Wellness brand and other well-known sex toy manufacturers. As a result, Goop probably has the most varied price range for sex toys with offerings starting from 60 USD to 3490 USD for a “24 karat gold sculpted dildo”. 82

The online store and products have an incredibly luxurious aesthetic, and are much more attractive than the bright pink and purple vibrators, stored in locked glass cabinets at the back of a dingy sex store. Overall, Goop’s pricing could definitely be deemed unreasonable, and their products appear to be mainly targeted at women, and a mostly heterosexual audience. For these reasons, Goop would obviously not be considered very inclusive or accessible. This being said, the popularity of Goop has most likely inspired more celebrities to follow in Paltrow’s footsteps, either by investing in sex-positive businesses, or bringing out sex toys of their own. Such celebrities include Kourtney Kardashian with her blog and online store, Poosh, which follows a rather similar set-up to the previously mentioned Goop, and has a small selection of sex toys casually advertised amongst the typical ‘self-care’ items - silk eye-masks and overpriced candles.

Continuing on, actresses Cara Delevingne and Dakota Johnson, both joined the teams of existing sexual wellness brands in 2020. Delevingne is now a co-owner of Lora DiCarlo, a brand that sells a variety of their own products under sub-categories like “gender neutral”, “human touch”, and “Cara’s favourites”. Whereas Johnson has become an investor in Maude, and a co-creative director for the brand, which currently only sells two types of vibrators. Although they have their differences, the two celebrity-endorsed brands share a mutual emphasis on empowering, educational, and explicit messaging. Most importantly, both are also evidently gender inclusive with product lines focusing on gender-neutral shapes, and earthy colour palettes. It should also be noted that all the examples discussed are available via online stores only. This allows one to browse and purchase sex toys without discomfort or judgement, read detailed descriptions and genuine reviews, find out “what vibrator is for [them]” through online questionnaires, and receive parcels in discrete packaging. Though the celebrities and social media influencers that have been mentioned are not necessarily anymore qualified to design and endorse sex toys than the average person, they are initiating a much needed dialogue with their huge online platforms and level of influence on consumer trends. Furthermore, it is refreshing to see their media presences playing a role in softening stigmas around self-pleasure, especially for women. In the long run, there is still room for improvement, such as promoting and developing more environmentally sustainable, and disability friendly sex toys. So, with more competition being generated, hopefully the sooner we will see more sexual-wellness products aimed at an even more diverse range of customers. 83

Dean’s Guide to

Changing Y Step 0 Determine whether you want to pursue an official name change or use a preferred name. x Official name change will replace your old name with your new name in the university’s database and across all your student resources (email, MyUni, student ID, etc.), but requires proof documentation. x Adding a preferred name will change your name only in your email and on MyUni (meaning your old name will remain in the database for legal purposes), but does not require proof and can be changed at any time.

Step 1

Go to the Ask Adelaide website, and click the Ask ADEL button to get to the FAQs search section.

Step 2

Type in the keyword ‘name’ and click either “How do I change my name officially?” or “Is it possible to use a preferred name at Uni?” based on your decision in step 0 (this is to find the relevant information – both pages redirect you to the same form page anyway). NOTE: You can still change your name officially from having previously registered your name from a preferred name. If it’s the same, it will delete the preferred name.

Step 3

After understanding the information, click the hyperlink to in the text answer that leads to the Students Only forms page. Select the change of details bar and select the relevant form from the drop-down menu. Log into your student account when prompted.

Your Name At Adelaide Uni

Step 4

Your page will reload to the chosen online form. If you’ve chosen the wrong form, there will be a side bar linking to the other form, as well as further text prompts with relevant hyperlinks. Read the information on the page carefully (which will be a reiteration of what you read at Step 2 with more detail where necessary) and fill out the prompts.

Step 4A

Step 4B

Filling out a change of details form. x A long form with five sections. Section 1 is for your name details; Section 2 is for your gender details; Section 3 handles potential implications for graduating students; Section 4 is where you upload your proof documentation; and Section 5 is student authorisation to process the requested changes.

Filling out a preferred name form. x A short form where you only edit one textbox (which will already be filled out assuming you logged into your student account) and tick two boxes. First, tick the box to confirm you would like to use your preferred name in both your email and MyUni. Second, edit your name in the ‘email’ textbox to write a new Adelaide Uni email with your preferred name. Thirdly, tick the last box to authorise the changes.

Step 5 Click the ‘Submit’ button at the bottom of your desired form and allow for some time for your new details to be processed. 85

Other Information For trans and gender-diverse people, your proof documentation will likely have to be an amended birth certificate issued by the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages. If you are officially changing your name and/or gender and you have any kind of student loan, be sure to update your details with the Australian Taxation Office. If those details don’t match exactly, it could mess with your enrolment and payment support. The university also makes note of this on their information page. If you are using a preferred name, your old name will still appear on your graduation certificates. If you wish to change your name and are trying to graduate, there may be a cost to reissue your certificates. There is a separate form available for former students who wish to change their details, of which a physical copy must be handed into the university. Changing your details will not ‘out’ you to professional or academic staff (meaning you still have the option to be stealth should you wish), but it may be necessary to contact those people in certain situations (i.e. laying down expectations of pronouns). I can’t speak to this personally as I went down the stealth route with my classes – I’ve come out more in my assignments than I have in real life. In my experience, it seems like it’s university culture for no one to care, or they don’t ask because it’s none of their business. However, if you do find yourself in instances where you experience transphobia/homophobia/ queerphobia that’s making you feel unsafe, the university has protocols and services for you to access, like the ‘Human Resources’ and ‘Safer Campus Community’ sections of their website and campus counselling services.

You may still get emails with your old name from the automated mailing system that the university uses to send out its news and information. That’s because the details those emailing lists use come from your SATAC application and not the university’s database. If seeing your old name makes you dysphoric or distressed, here are some things you can do: 1. Contact your faculty about the old name in your automated emails. This may trigger the process of going back and forth between SATAC and the university. Use screenshots of your correspondence to prove your case and have the issue resolved. 2. Respond to the automated emails, explaining that is distressing to see your old name and request that it stops. It took me about five or so emails for a staff member to respond and offer to unsubscribe me from everything but the essential emails. Personal story: Having this change amended was the most difficult part of the process for me; changing your SATAC details once you’ve accepted a university offer is complicated because you technically have nothing to do with SATAC anymore. I had to send proof of my email correspondence with SATAC (who told me it was the university’s responsibility to fix it) to the Faculty of Arts and they had to call SATAC to figure out how to fix the issue. They were incredibly kind, accommodating and supportive of me for the entire process, despite being just as confused as I was. To all my trans, non-binary and gender diverse folks, I hope this guide makes your university experience that little bit easier.

w h e m o em o P

y Annabel Fedcesin b n io rat t s u ill I have nothing No feelings towards others A love for them But nothing below the belt Is this just the anxiety Or is there something more? I feel small things for people Romantic and longing A level of sexual interest But primarily nothing more Like a block “Do not pass go” I can feel things Often, I choose not to I will for him But for no one else Is it normal to have a switch That I can flick to ignore it?

Why do I feel so empty? I don’t need to be. I could be more full With the love of men, women And everyone in between Or outside of these bounds In love, I need not though. I do love, strongly For him and no one else The emptiness has passed And I feel freedom within With him

he re

p ec 89

I finally understand why we chose the rainbow to represent us.

We are beautiful.

Queerness is beautiful. 91