Queer Thinking

Welcome to a very special installment of Queer Thinking – Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras are celebrating our 45th anniversary in 2023 and over this four-part series we’re taking you on a journey through time as we tell the full story of one of the largest pride movements in the world. From the protest of 1978, to over 1 million event attendees at the first WorldPride in the Southern Hemisphere and everything in between – we’re unpacking all the moments that made Sydney Mardi Gras the force for pride, progress and community it is today.  

For our final episode, host Triana Butler speaks to Sydney WorldPride Festival Co-Creative Director Ben Graetz and Equality Australia's Legal Director Ghassan Kassisieh. Ben and Ghassan round out the four-part series and speak to the 2010s, early 2020s and the monumental Sydney WorldPride - as well as share their hopes for the next 45 years of our iconic movement.

Queer Thinking is produced on the sacred lands of the Boon Wurrung people of Kulin Nation and will discuss events that took place on Gadigal, Cammeraygal, Bidigal, Darug and Dharawal lands. We’d like to extend our acknowledgement to all lands on which you, our listeners, are tuning in from and pay our respects to Elders past and present, with a special acknowledgment to the Rainbow Elders – part of the longest-continuous culture in the world. Sovereignty has never been ceded. This Always was, always will be Aboriginal land.

For our Aboriginal or Torres Strait listeners, please know this podcast may mention the names of the people who are no longer with us.

Welcome to a very special installment of Queer Thinking – Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras are celebrating our 45th anniversary in 2023 and over this four-part series we’re taking you on a journey through time as we tell the full story of one of the largest pride movements in the world. From the protest of 1978, to over 1 million event attendees at the first WorldPride in the Southern Hemisphere and everything in between – we’re unpacking all the moments that made Sydney Mardi Gras the force for pride, progress and community it is today.  

For episode 3 we land in the 90s and the 00s. A tumultuous time filled with some of the most renowned parties in Sydney Mardi Gras history, political and social attacks galore and the horrific peak of the AIDS epidemic. Triana is joined by Sydney DJ Sveta Gilerman, multidisciplinary artist and Sydney Mardi Gras Workshop extraordinaire Jane Becker, and Campion Decent, Festival Director throughout the mid-90s.

Queer Thinking is produced on the sacred lands of the Boon Wurrung people of Kulin Nation and will discuss events that took place on Gadigal, Cammeraygal, Bidigal, Darug and Dharawal lands. We’d like to extend our acknowledgement to all lands on which you, our listeners, are tuning in from and pay our respects to Elders past and present, with a special acknowledgment to the Rainbow Elders – part of the longest-continuous culture in the world. Sovereignty has never been ceded. This Always was, always will be Aboriginal land.

For our Aboriginal or Torres Strait listeners, please know this podcast may mention the names of the people who are no longer with us.

Welcome to a very special installment of Queer Thinking – Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras are celebrating our 45th anniversary in 2023 and over this four-part series we’re taking you on a journey through time as we tell the full story of one of the largest pride movements in the world. From the protest of 1978, to over 1 million event attendees at the first WorldPride in the Southern Hemisphere and everything in between – we’re unpacking all the moments that made Sydney Mardi Gras the force for pride, progress and community it is today.  

For this episode we head back to the 80s. Triana is joined by renowned photographer William Yang and our first female President Cath Phillips. They reflect on a decade filled with parties, politics and the frightening early days of the AIDS epidemic.

Queer Thinking is produced on the sacred lands of the Boon Wurrung people of Kulin Nation and will discuss events that took place on Gadigal, Cammeraygal, Bidigal, Darug and Dharawal lands. We’d like to extend our acknowledgement to all lands on which you, our listeners, are tuning in from and pay our respects to Elders past and present, with a special acknowledgment to the Rainbow Elders – part of the longest-continuous culture in the world. Sovereignty has never been ceded. This Always was, always will be Aboriginal land.

For our Aboriginal or Torres Strait listeners, please know this podcast may mention the names of the people who are no longer with us.

Welcome to a very special installment of Queer Thinking – Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras are celebrating our 45th anniversary in 2023 and over this four-part series we’re taking you on a journey through time as we tell the full story of one of the largest pride movements in the world. From the protest of 1978, to over 1 million event attendees at the first WorldPride in the Southern Hemisphere and everything in between – we’re unpacking all the moments that made Sydney Mardi Gras the force for pride, progress and community it is today.  

First stop: the 70s. Triana is joined by 78er legends Robyn Kennedy and Karl Zlotkowski who share their experiences of being LGBTQIA+ in 1970s Australia. They recall a Sydney on the brink of transformation in the lead-up to the very first Sydney Mardi Gras on 24 June 1978. The events that followed set off a chain of change that still continues today.

Queer Thinking is produced on the sacred lands of the Boon Wurrung people of Kulin Nation and will discuss events that took place on Gadigal, Cammeraygal, Bidigal, Darug and Dharawal lands. We’d like to extend our acknowledgement to all lands on which you, our listeners, are tuning in from and pay our respects to Elders past and present, with a special acknowledgment to the Rainbow Elders – part of the longest-continuous culture in the world. Sovereignty has never been ceded. This Always was, always will be Aboriginal land.

For our Aboriginal or Torres Strait listeners, please know this podcast may mention the names of the people who are no longer with us.

The conversation around transitioning and the life of a transgender person is still unbelievably being questioned to this day. It's an area that desperately needs positive change and representation as we fight for safety, awareness and the kind of gender euphoria experienced by cis people every single day.

In this episode of Queer Thinking we have the rare opportunity to discuss the trans experience without input or moderation by non-trans individuals. The guests and host, Triana Butler (she/them), discuss the nuances of living life as a trans person and the unique challenges and needs the community faces.

Keeping things uplifting. We look at the powerful and beneficial movements we've seen within the world and within the guests own gender journeys. Joining Triana is Erin (they/them), a trans non-binary Sydneysider who founded and runs their own gender expression store called Sock Drawer Heroes. Erin is able to share their journey of gender affirmation and the way they've been able to help the trans community and provide a service that is desperately needed.

We’re also joined by Bambi (she/her), a trans woman from Melbourne who has amassed a following of millions online as a content creator documenting her own transition and life as a trans person. Bambi shares her unique perspective, how she handles all the attention and the way she's able to positively influence the space through trans advocacy.

Bisexuality is a mis and underrepresented part of the LGBTQIA+ community. As more people identify as multi-gender attracted, more conversations are highlighting the nuances of bi identity and the detrimental impacts of bi erasure.

Today, we'll be delving into the world of those who are bisexual and multi-gender attracted. Some studies have shown that these communities actually make up the majority of people across the LGBTQIA+ acronym! Never confused, never just on-the-way to being gay or being straight, and definitely not just a phase.

Joining the podcast we have Steven Spencer, who first came out as gay, and now identifies as pansexual. Steven walks us through that journey of discovery, realising that there are binaries to break even within our own communities. He also shares his stories of navigating the dating world while being HIV positive.

Anna Kochetkova also joins the conversation, sharing her story of growing up in Russia and what it was like being queer in a country where people are prosecuted for being who they are. She chats about her book, Bi and Prejudice - her story of connecting the dots of identity and sexuality across years, continents and cultures.

Finally, I'm joined by Bree Mountain, the creative director of BiCONIC, an all-inclusive party and events organisation for the Bi+ community and their allies.

The relationship between our LGBTQIA+ communities and religion is a complicated one - many queer people have had adverse experiences with religion, whether it's being told that their identities are not compatible with their beliefs, that some behaviours are sinful, or they'll be forced through conversion practices in the hopes they can be changed. But for some people, being queer and religious is at the core of their identities and in this episode of Queer Thinking, we'll be chatting to LGBTQIA+ people of faith. This episode of Queer Thinking discusses conversion practices and the relationship the queer community has with religion. For a list of LGBTQIA+ support services head to mardigras.org.au/support

We enjoyed round one of our Queer Sex chat so much, we thought it would be best to go back for round two - and in this episode of Queer Thinking, we're going deeper. First up, we'll chat to Mistress Tokyo - one of Sydney's premier BDSM Dominatrices. Mistress Tokyo shares their experience on the incredible world of BDSM, her clientele, boundaries, safe words as well as what she loves about being a Dominatrix.

Sex is a big part of the queer community. Whether it’s attending sex on premise venues or sex parties, identifying as asexual, a commitment to monogamy, or being in a polyamorous or open relationship – there are many layers to queer sex. Many people use it as a chance to explore their sexuality and their identity. However, there are also many issues around queer sex that don’t often get spoken about - such as consent, STIs, stigma around those who are HIV positive, sexual racism - and, for members of the asexual community, sex isn’t on their radar at all. In Queer Sex Part 1, we explore the layers of queer sex, and how to cut through stigma in the modern dating scene.

Queer families come in all shapes and sizes. For some it's a straightforward process, for others it can take years of trying, hope and strength. In this episode of Queer Thinking, we'll be chatting to those who are a part of the rainbow community and had children through adoption, sperm donation or surrogacy.