It’s international day of the family, so Rach & Dean decided to explore what family means to them.

In our communities we know family can mean many different things, but biological or not, they matter.

The next book in Rach & Dean’s QUILTBAG is ‘The Hips on the Drag Queen go Swish, Swish, Swish’ by Lil Miss Hot Mess & illustrated by Olga de Dios.

The Hips on the Drag Queen Go Swish, Swish, Swish encourages readers to boldly be exactly who they are. This playful picture book offers a quirky twist on a classic nursery rhyme by illustrating all of the ways to “work it”. The story plays off “The Wheels on the Bus” as it follows a drag queen who performs her routine in front of an awestruck audience. A fun frenzy of fierceness, this book will appeal to readers of all ages and is a celebration of being your most fabulous self.

Grab a copy here.

There is nothing more bonding than a group of strangers thrust into a studio and discovering a universal love of music and familiar sense of humour. Thus formed Shorehaven, 4 young musicians from Boorloo/Perth invigorating our ear holes with their deliciously sweet indie pop sound.

They joined Rach to tell them all about their new track Millys Car Ride.

Find out more about them here.

Living Positive Victoria’s AIDS Candlelight Memorial returns this Sunday for another year.

The Candlelight Memorial aims to raise HIV awareness and provides space to remember friends and family lost to AIDS, along with people today living with HIV.

The organisation’s CEO Richard Keane joined Rach and Dean to discuss this years Memorial that has the theme “honouring our positive family”.

Register to attend and find out more here.

A throw back in the JOY offices  got Rach & Dean thinking what space or place was the first time you felt ‘community’?

This past weekend was the anniversary of the passing of the legendary Jan Hillier, owner of Penny’s and Pokey’s who left us in 2001.

Jan worked with the queens and performers to develop the Pokeys night at the Prince of Wales here in St Kilda, and fought for years to have recognized gay venues and functions and created the foundation for the spaces we have today, but they weren’t just about having a party, they were also about community.

 

Rach and Dean have an actual QUILTBAG for their Story Time today, as they highlight another rainbow story on JOY Breakfast, A House for Everyone by Jo Hirst.

‘A House for Everyone’ is a very simple story that challenges gender stereotypes and shows 4 to 8 year olds that it is OK to be yourself.

At lunchtime, all of Tom’s friends gather at school to work together building their house. Each one of them has a special job to do, and each one of them has a different way of expressing their gender identity. Jackson is a boy who likes to wear dresses. Ivy is a girl who likes her hair cut really short. Alex doesn’t feel like ‘just’ a boy, or ‘just’ a girl. They are all the same, they are all different – but they are all friends.

Written by an amazing mother that couldn’t find stories to reflect her child lived experience, she made her own. This book will assist parents and teachers in giving children the space to explore the full spectrum of gender diversity and will show children the many ways they can express their gender in a truly positive light.

This podcast discusses violence against women and sexual assault.

This morning, Rach and Dean spoke about the epidemic of violence against women across the country, and Rach shared her own fears while discussing a recent experience in the city.

Find support at joy.org.au/support.

Today’s gossip gay segment sees Joel King-Mayne dive into the brand new, and hot, tv series I Kissed A Girl, A first of its kind.

Dannii Minogue is joined by 10 single ladies who are paired up and go in for a kiss before they’ve even met, but will they kiss more or get the kiss off?

 

She matters…

These words penetrate deep as we reflect on the lives of 35 women in Australia this year who have lost their lives from the action of men. We are not here to compare men to bears, the internet has already made that comparison abundantly clear, we are here to stop this number from increasing, and god forbid repeating.

Sherele Moody is an award winning journalist who has spent more than 20 years as a reporter and is leading the way in reporting violence against women and children. She has developed the Red Heart Campaign, The Australian Femicide and Child Death Map and The Memorial To Women And Children Lost to Violence.

Find support at JOY.org.au/support

About