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Welcome back to Let's Be Perfectly Queer Podcast, your go to LGBT Australian podcast for all things queer.

If you ever watched a childhood cartoon and thought “Hang on… were they queer?”, this episode is for you.

This week on Let’s Be Perfectly Queer Podcast, Archie and Katie dive into one of the most fascinating and complicated parts of LGBTQIA+ representation in media: queer coding.

From the age-old debate over Bert and Ernie to Tinky Winky and Ursula, we explore the childhood characters that generations of queer people have seen themselves in, even when those characters were never officially LGBTQIA+.

But why did queer coding happen in the first place?

We go back to the Hays Code and a time when openly queer characters were rarely allowed on screen, forcing writers and filmmakers to communicate queerness through mannerisms, relationships, fashion, personality and subtext. 

We also unpack the darker side of queer coding, particularly the long history of queer-coded villains and what happens when the only characters who seem to reflect you are the bad guys.

And then there's the big question: does it matter what the creators intended if queer audiences found genuine representation in those characters?

In this episode we discuss:

• Whether Bert and Ernie were actually queer
• What queer coding really means
• The history of the Hays Code and LGBTQIA+ censorship
• The childhood characters we may have completely missed were queer coded
• Why so many Disney villains have queer-coded traits
• Ursula, Scar, Jafar, Captain Hook and the history of the queer-coded villain
• Tinky Winky, SpongeBob, Velma, Shego, Elsa and more
• What happens when queer representation is associated with villains, outsiders and "the other"
• Why positive LGBTQIA+ representation in children's media matters

Whether you're LGBTQIA+, an ally, a cartoon lover, or someone who has ever looked back at a childhood character and thought “OH… I get it now”, this episode will have you questioning everything you watched growing up.

So… who was your queer-coded childhood character? 👀

🎧 Listen now, and let us know who you saw yourself in growing up... And until next time, stay perfectly queer! 🌈

Links we found useful when researching this episode:

• Liberal Arts Emerging Scholars
• Queer coded characters paper 
• Queer coded characters journal
• NBC  - Bert and Ernie are a gay couple 
• First they came for Bert and Ernie
• Bert and Ernie don't have a sexual orientation
• Queering my childhood
• The importance of lgbtq+ representation in childrens media

Support the show

Patreon:

If you love what we would do and would like to support the show it is only $1.13 Aud a month to help keep this podcast going. 

A big heartfelt thank you from us for all your support! It means the world to us.

Much love
Archie & Katie 🌈

Send us a message

Welcome back to Let's Be Perfectly Queer Podcast, your go to LGBT Australian podcast for all things queer.

If you've ever heard someone say being LGBTQIA+ is "unnatural," this episode is for you.

This week on Let's Be Perfectly Queer Podcast, Archie sits down with Lee Pivnick and Nicolas Baird, co-founders of the Institute of Queer Ecology, to unpack one of the most fascinating intersections of science, nature and queerness.

From gay swans and bonobos to trans clownfish (yes, Finding Nemo got it wrong), we explore the incredible diversity of sexuality, gender and relationships found throughout the natural world. But this conversation goes far beyond animal facts.

We dive into what queer ecology actually is, how science has historically overlooked queer perspectives, why biodiversity matters, and how viewing nature through a queer lens can change the way we think about ourselves, our communities and the planet.

In this episode we discuss:

• What queer ecology actually means
• Same-sex relationships throughout the animal kingdom
• Gender-changing fish and the real story behind Finding Nemo
• Bonobos, gay swans and surprising animal behaviour
• Climate change, biodiversity and conservation
• Why "it's not natural" is one of the weakest arguments against LGBTQ+ people

Whether you're LGBTQIA+, an ally, a science nerd or simply curious, this conversation will completely change how you think about nature

🎧 Listen now to learn about more than just gay swans... And until next time, stay perfectly queer!

Follow the Institute of Queer Ecology:
https://www.queerecology.org
Instagram: @queerecology
Instagram: @instituteforpostnaturalstudies

Support the show

Patreon:

If you love what we would do and would like to support the show it is only $1.13 Aud a month to help keep this podcast going. 

A big heartfelt thank you from us for all your support! It means the world to us.

Much love
Archie & Katie 🌈

Send us a message

Welcome back to Let's Be Perfectly Queer Podcast, your go to LGBT Australian podcast for all things queer.

This week we're joined by Tay from Australia's queer indie band FVNERAL to chat about their new EP Chosen Family, what it means to find community, and how music can connect LGBTQ+ people.

We dive into Tay's journey as a trans non-binary person, the fear of coming out, finding the language to understand yourself, and why chosen family can be one of the most powerful forms of resistance. We also talk about building a proudly queer band, collaborating with other LGBTQ+ artists, the importance of visibility, and the musicians who helped shape Tay's identity, from My Chemical Romance and Laura Jane Grace to SOPHIE, boygenius, and MUNA.

Whether you're queer, questioning, an ally, or simply love hearing honest conversations about identity and creativity, this episode is packed with heartfelt stories, laughs, and reminders that you don't have to figure everything out alone.

In this episode we discuss:

•  What "chosen family" really means 
•  Coming out as trans and non-binary 
•  Building a queer-led band 
•  The importance of LGBTQ+ representation in music 
•  Why visibility still matters 
•  The artists who inspired Tay's journey 
•  Advice for young queer and trans people

🎧 Listen now to Tay's journey through music... And until next time, stay perfectly queer!



Links to FVNERAL: 

• Instagram: @fvneralworld
• Tiktok: @fvneralworld
• Youtube: @fvneralworld
• Facebook: @fvneralworld

Support the show

Patreon:

If you love what we would do and would like to support the show it is only $1.13 Aud a month to help keep this podcast going. 

A big heartfelt thank you from us for all your support! It means the world to us.

Much love
Archie & Katie 🌈

Send us a message

Welcome back to Let's Be Perfectly Queer Podcast, your go to LGBT Australian podcast for all things queer.

Why do so many LGBTQ+ people walk into a doctor's office already expecting to feel dismissed, misunderstood, or unsafe?

This week on Let's Be Perfectly Queer, we're joined by physician, educator, advocate and proud parent Dr. Lulu to unpack the realities of LGBTQ+ healthcare.

From growing up in Nigeria surrounded by homophobia, to navigating her own queer identity, raising a transgender daughter, and becoming one of the leading voices in affirming healthcare education, Dr. Lulu shares an honest and deeply personal conversation about bias, allyship, and what truly inclusive care looks like.

Together we discuss:

• Why many LGBTQ+ people avoid medical care
• The experiences transgender people face in healthcare settings
• How doctors can unintentionally harm queer patients
• The power of asking questions with compassion and consent
• Dr. Lulu's "Find Me, Feel Safe, Trust Me" framework for affirming care
• Her upcoming book First Do No Further Harm: Becoming Allies in White Coats
• Why there is still hope for families, parents, and healthcare providers to learn, grow and become better allies

Whether you're LGBTQ+, a parent, healthcare worker, educator, or simply want to understand how to create safer spaces for queer people, this conversation is full of insight, empathy, and practical ways we can all do better.

🎧 Listen now to hear Dr Lulu's experience... And until next time, stay perfectly queer!

How you can connect with Dr Lulu

Websites

• Dr. Lulu’s Pride Corner: https://drluluspridecorner.com
• Angels Haven Incorporated: https://angelshaveninc.org

Social Media

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1CypCwaSvB/?mibextid=wwXIfr
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drlulu?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app
• Instagram (Dr. Lulu’s Pride Corner): https://www.instagram.com/drluluspridecorner?igsh=MXE1M2IwNWhyMG9paQ==
• Instagram (Coach Udaku): https://www.instagram.com/coachudaku?igsh=MWF6dGYwb2VicWxmYg==

Podcasts

• Ask A Black Woman Podcast (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/@AskABlackWomanPodcast
• Moms 4 Trans Kids (Apple Podcasts): https://podcasts.apple.com/ng/podcast/moms-4-trans-kids/id1708676679

YouTube

• Dr. Lulu’s Pride Corner: https://youtube.com/@drluluspridecorner?si=WSAVPycmgU5QVLn-

Support the show

Patreon:

If you love what we would do and would like to support the show it is only $1.13 Aud a month to help keep this podcast going. 

A big heartfelt thank you from us for all your support! It means the world to us.

Much love
Archie & Katie 🌈

Send us a message

Welcome back to Let's Be Perfectly Queer Podcast, your go to LGBT Australian podcast for all things queer.

Have you ever noticed how many LGBTQ+ people also seem to be neurodivergent?

In this episode of Let's Be Perfectly Queer, Archie and Katie explore the growing research showing a significant overlap between queer identities and neurodivergence. From autism and ADHD to gender diversity, bisexuality, asexuality, and transgender identities, researchers are discovering connections that challenge traditional ideas about identity and what society considers "normal."

We unpack:

•  Why autistic people are more likely to identify as LGBTQ+
•  The connection between ADHD, gender diversity, and sexuality
• What the latest research says about being "neuroqueer"
• The Double Minority Effect and its impact on mental health
• Personal experiences of being queer and neurodivergent
• Why support, understanding, and community matter more than ever

While researchers are still exploring why this overlap exists, one thing is clear: nobody should have to hide who they are to fit into society's expectations.

Whether you're queer, neurodivergent, both, or simply curious, this episode offers insight, lived experience, and an important conversation about identity, belonging, and acceptance.

🎧 Listen now to learn about the overlap of neurodiversity and queerness... And until next time, stay perfectly queer!

Trigger Warning: Discussion of mental health, suicidality, discrimination, and healthcare experiences.

If you have found anything we have spoken about in this episode difficult or triggering, you can reach out to the following services:

Phone:

• Lifeline is available 24/7 – 13 11 14
• Beyondblue is available 24/7 - 1300 224 636
• Crisis Care Helpline is available 24/7 – 1800 199 008
• Kids Helpline is available 24/7 – 1800 55 1800
• RUAH Community Services is available 24/7 - 13 78 24

Online:

• Head to health online chat  - headtohealth.gov.au
• RUAH Community Services - ruah.org.au or [email protected] 

Links we found useful when researching for this episode:

• https://www.audhdpsychiatry.co.uk/queerness-and-neurodivergence/
• https://neurodivergentinsights.com/trans-autism/
• https://www.thetrevorproject.org/research-briefs/mental-health-among-autistic-lgbtq-youth-apr-2022
• https://learnfully.com/the-link-between-neurodiversity-and-the-lgbtqia-community
• https://sparkforautism.org/discover_article/autism-lgbtq-identity/
• https://nhsdorset.nhs.uk/neurodiversity/living/lgbtq/
• https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/eating-disorders-among-gender-expansive-and-neurodivergent-individuals/202506/the-link-between
• https://www.audhdpsychiatry.co.uk/queerness-and-neurodivergence/
• https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/attention-deficit-disorder-add-or-adhd

Support the show

Patreon:

If you love what we would do and would like to support the show it is only $1.13 Aud a month to help keep this podcast going. 

A big heartfelt thank you from us for all your support! It means the world to us.

Much love
Archie & Katie 🌈

Send us a message

Welcome back to Let's Be Perfectly Queer Podcast, your go to LGBT Australian podcast for all things queer.

In this episode of Let's Be Perfectly Queer, Archie sits down with bisexual horror author and poet Henry Corrigan to explore the fascinating connection between queer identity, horror fiction, mental health and self-acceptance.

Henry shares how writing queer horror helped him come to terms with his own sexuality, why horror can be a powerful tool for understanding fear and trauma, and how LGBTQ+ readers often experience horror differently from straight audiences.

We also dive into the history of queer representation in horror, the harmful stereotypes that shaped the genre, and how modern queer horror writers are reclaiming those narratives.

Plus, Henry discusses his new novel Party of a Lifetime, a supernatural queer horror story about four friends trying to reclaim the prom experience they never got to have.

In this episode:

•  How horror helped Henry accept his bisexual identity
• LGBTQ+ representation in horror fiction
• Horror and mental health
• Why queer audiences experience horror differently
• Reclaiming queer stories and identity
• Henry's new novel Party of a Lifetime
• The hidden history of queer literature and horror

If you love LGBTQ+ stories, horror books, queer authors, mental health discussions and thought-provoking conversations, this episode is for you.

🎧 Listen now to learn a bit of queer horror history... And until next time, stay perfectly queer!



Henry's Links:

Instagram: @Henrycorrigan08

Good reads: Henry Corrigan

Bloodhound Books: Henry Corrigan

Support the show

Patreon:

If you love what we would do and would like to support the show it is only $1.13 Aud a month to help keep this podcast going. 

A big heartfelt thank you from us for all your support! It means the world to us.

Much love
Archie & Katie 🌈

Send us a message

Welcome back to Let's Be Perfectly Queer Podcast, your go to LGBT Australian podcast for all things queer.

In this episode Archie sits down with Wade Belair to unpack the “golden cage” of privilege, masculinity, and being a gay man in environments where fitting in feels like survival.

Wade shares how growing up in wealthy, hyper-masculine country club culture shaped his understanding of masculinity, relationships, and self-worth. Even with loving parents and stability, the pressure to be “one of the boys” left him battling deep internalised shame and fear.

In this episode we discuss:

•  The hidden mental health struggles that comes with being gay and privileged.
• Hyper-masculinity and “boys will be boys” culture
• Internalised homophobia and self-loathing
• Toxic relationships and emotional addiction
• Why privilege doesn’t protect you from shame
• The pressure to perform masculinity
• Healing, therapy, and self-acceptance

This episode explores a side of queer identity that often gets overlooked, the reality that pain, shame, and identity struggles can exist even when life looks “perfect” from the outside.

🎧 Listen now to to hear Wades honest and vulnerable story... ... And until next time, stay perfectly queer!



Links:

Instagram: @georgewbelair

Support the show

Patreon:

If you love what we would do and would like to support the show it is only $1.13 Aud a month to help keep this podcast going. 

A big heartfelt thank you from us for all your support! It means the world to us.

Much love
Archie & Katie 🌈

Send us a message

Welcome back to Let's Be Perfectly Queer Podcast, your go to LGBT Australian podcast for all things queer.

In this episode, Katie is back for a chaotic, funny, and surprisingly educational episode full of queer facts, hidden history, and conversations that spiral beautifully out of control.

From the accidental creation of San Francisco as a global queer capital to female samurai warriors erased from history, this episode dives into the stories we definitely didn’t learn in school.

We also unpack:

•  The rise of homophobic language in schools 
•  Australia’s queer animal kingdom 
•  Why clownfish completely destroy anti-trans arguments 
•  LGBTQ+ history hidden in ancient cultures 
•  The Budapest mayor charged for supporting Pride 
•  Why language and gender have always evolved 
•  And the very important question… does Kirby have a gender? 

Theres a bit of queer education, and a lot of chaotic conversation, like... “how did we end up talking about monkey arms?”

If you love queer history, LGBTQ+ culture, random facts, social commentary, and laughing while learning, this episode is for you.

🎧 Listen now and learn some wonderful facts with us... And until next time, stay perfectly queer!

Links that were useful for this episode:

• Lgbt History Months Facts
• Stone Age Woman buried like a man
• Word origin
• History of the word Girl
• Gay lovers in Egyptian Tomb
• Egyptian Tomb
  
  
  

Support the show

Patreon:

If you love what we would do and would like to support the show it is only $1.13 Aud a month to help keep this podcast going. 

A big heartfelt thank you from us for all your support! It means the world to us.

Much love
Archie & Katie 🌈

Send us a message

Welcome back to Let's Be Perfectly Queer Podcast, your go to LGBT Australian podcast for all things queer.

In this episode of Let’s Be Perfectly Queer, we sit down with Heather Hester  author, speaker, and host of More Human, More Kind,  to talk about something a lot of parents and allies struggle with… fear.

Fear of saying the wrong thing.
Fear of not understanding.
Fear of getting it “wrong.”

Heather shares three powerful mindset shifts that can completely change how parents and allies show up for their LGBTQ+ loved ones especially in a world that often feels loud, divided, and overwhelming.

We explore::

•  Why silence can be more harmful than saying the wrong thing
•  The shift from judging to curiosity
•  Why trying to control your child doesn’t work (and what does instead)
•  The game-changing difference between fixing vs validating
•  How to support your child without expecting them to educate you 
•  What allyship actually looks like in real, everyday life 

This episode is honest, practical, and full of those “oh wow… I do that” moments. Whether you’re a parent, partner, or just trying to show up better for the queer people in your life.

💬 If you’ve ever thought “I want to support… but I don’t know how” — this one’s for you.

🎧 Listen now and learn how to be a better ally... And until next time, stay perfectly queer!

Heather Hester links:

Website: https://www.heatherhester.net/

Podcast: More Human, More Kind

Book: Parenting with Pride

Substack: https://heatherhester.substack.com/

Support the show

Patreon:

If you love what we would do and would like to support the show it is only $1.13 Aud a month to help keep this podcast going. 

A big heartfelt thank you from us for all your support! It means the world to us.

Much love
Archie & Katie 🌈

Send us a message

Welcome back to Let's Be Perfectly Queer Podcast, your go to LGBT Australian podcast for all things queer.

In this episode Archie sits down with wellness coach and licensed social worker Devin Scott to unpack something so many LGBTQ+ people experience, but rarely talk about: the exhaustion of masking, code switching, and trying to “belong.”

With Devin we unpack what it really means to play the “game of belonging”… and why even when you “win,” it can still feel like something’s missing.

If you’ve ever felt exhausted from being “on,” struggled to feel seen even when your life looks successful, or questioned who you really are underneath it all, this conversation is for you.

We explore:

•  Why masking and code switching are survival tools for LGBTQ+ people 
•  The mental health impact of long-term masking (burnout 👀) 
•  Queer perfectionism and the pressure to “fit” everywhere 
•  How shame shows up and why it’s not always the enemy 
•  The difference between being accepted and actually being seen 
•  Where to start if you’re realising you’ve been “playing the game” 

Because the truth is a lot of us were never taught how to exist as ourselves safely.

So we adapted. We performed. We survived.

🎧 Listen now and ask yourself… are you being yourself, or just playing the game of belonging? And until next time, stay perfectly queer!

Get in touch with Devin:

Email: [email protected]
Website: https://findyourmeaning.coach/
Instagram: @devinscott.nyc

Support the show

Patreon:

If you love what we would do and would like to support the show it is only $1.13 Aud a month to help keep this podcast going. 

A big heartfelt thank you from us for all your support! It means the world to us.

Much love
Archie & Katie 🌈