The Unsuitable - LGBTQ Stories

By Shane Ave Productions

What's The Unsuitable - LGBTQ Stories about?

The Unsuitable is the podcast of innovative Sydney clothing designer and manufacturer, Shane Ave. Founded by Deb Saywell, Shane Ave specialises in clothing for the Queer Community and the podcast is a natural extension of the business, presenting the stories of some of the world's most interesting people.

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The Unsuitable - LGBTQ Stories episodes:

02.22.2023
S5 E8 When living abroad brings you more than you expected!
Last episode we chatted with Rae Hill who shared their life story and their marriage to our very own Aussie born Dibs. Dibs and I first met back in 2018, when Dibs came to get a suit made from Shane...
02.22.2023
S6 E1 My brother told family members that I was a lesbian so I set out to prove him wrong!
Today's guest has an interesting story that saw her leave her homeland in France in search of a better life down under. Arriving on Australian shores in 2012 as a newly married couple, Lucie and her husband settled into Australian...
01.04.2023
S5 Ep 7 Exploring non binary transgender!
Born to a Buddhist mum and an atheist dad, todays guest was raised in a small family with 60’s hippy parents in Victoria Canada. Rae lived in Central America for a number of years as a young adult which they...
12.21.2022
S5 Ep 6 It took over 50 years for Alice to find her soul mate in the most unlikely fashion!
We often hear stories of guests struggles through life not knowing where they fit in terms of their identity but todays guest has a different story to share. In her mid 50’s, Alice found herself in a relationship with a...
12.08.2022
S5 Ep 5 Are you trying to be a man???
Natasha studied at university with the aim of becoming a designer for Disney and whilst doing so worked in retail environments where she developed a passion for suiting. Fast forward a few years and Natasha is a much sought after...
11.23.2022
S5 Ep 4 Being harassed out of the army for being gay ensured Jen never let anyone hold anything over her ever again!
Growing up in the housing area of the western suburbs of Brisbane in the 60’s, Jen spent a large portion of her youth trying to be the peacemaker in a family that was filled with physical violence at the hands...
11.16.2022
S5 Ep 3 Optus Dei to Gay
Alex identifies as a lesbian and has a wonderful relationship with her partner Jackie. Alex attended an all girls Catholic School run by Opus Dei. Alex enjoyed school and her faith, so much, that she made the decision at 16...
11.09.2022
S5 Ep 2 From alcohol and substance abuse to clean and sober after transitioning!
Originally from Glasgow Scotland, Sam is a transgender guy who has had to overcome some massive hurdles in his journey to understanding gender and what it meant for him. Sam abused alcohol and substances as a means of masking the...
11.02.2022
S5 Ep 1 $14k to save their beloved dog lead Zac to make a life changing decision!
Zac Callaghan spent their entire life living between two identities. Born female, Zac struggled with body dysphoria and their identity for almost 50 years. Top surgery in Australia is not covered by medicare and starts at around $12k, so having...
10.21.2020
S4 Ep 8 A move to the US allowed me to be open about my identity
Izzy grew up in Adelaide and lived a normal life that saw her start playing soccer at age 6 when her mum knew the energetic Izzy needed a sport to exert her energy. Life was spent playing soccer, boating in...
10.07.2020
S4 Ep 7 When Ebony nearly loses her life, The Good Fight was born
Alli and Ebony have a story that has tested their relationship and saw them come out stronger than ever with a passion to help others going through mental health challenges. Alli identifies as gay and Ebony identifies as bi sexual....
09.23.2020
S4 Ep 6 Being gay is hard enough, and then the unthinkable happens!
Growing up in Brisbane with a twin sister, Georgina was a happy, sporty active kid. Then at age 10, the unthinkable happened and Georgina had to not only figure out her individual identity but somehow figure out how she was...
09.10.2020
S4 Ep 5 Drag King Antonio Mantonio spent most of his life bullied as a child
Antonio Mantonio is the Drag King performer name of Olivia Hopkins. Olivia spent her high school years in a super conservative school which she found extremely difficult particularly when most days were filled with bullying in one way or another....
08.19.2020
S4 Ep 4 What do you do when your students suggest on social media that you should "kill yourself"
Tash grew up a tomboy and over the years they have grown and evolved to gain an understanding into what that really meant for them. Tash is a high school teacher and an advocate for safe spaces in schools. Tash...
08.13.2020
S4 Ep 3 Growing up in a country where being gay could mean jail or even worse being killed, Nerissa lived an isolating and lonely life
Growing up in India and born into a strong Christian faith meant Nerissa had to spend the first 22 years of her life suppressing any feelings that would allow her to identify as gay. A move to Sydney at age...
08.06.2020
S4 Ep2 MasterChef contestant Sarah Tiong experienced her fare share of discrimination
Sarah Tiong is an accomplished Lawyer however her passion for food and cooking led her to apply for a spot on Masterchef and she hasn't looked back. Sarah is a passionate ally for the LGBTIQ community and shares with us...
06.08.2020
S4 Ep1_ Years of depression and longing to be in the arms of a woman
Growing up in the 70's and 80's usually meant you married in your early 20's, had kids bought a house and supposedly lived happily ever after! Thats exactly what Kylie did except the happily ever after never came. Kylie spent...
06.04.2020
S4 Intro
Deb welcomes everyone back! We have had a bit of a break whilst we navigated our way through the current situation. We are pleased to say we are excited to be starting Season 4. We will be bi weekly for...
02.26.2020
S3 Ep6_ Nik made the decision to live and not simply exist
Nik Kacy was born in Hong Kong and grew up in New York before heading to LA for college. Nik is the founder of NikKacy Footwear and we had the pleasure of accessorizing some of our designs at the dapperq...
02.19.2020
S3 Ep5 Discovering AFL allowed Pepa Randall to find her true self
Pepa Randall is a semi professional athlete. When she isn't taking to the field with GWS Giants, she can be found tending to the grounds at GIANTS Stadium as a Greenkeeper. Pepa grew up in Melbourne and had what she...
02.12.2020
S3 Ep4 - The impact of moving across the world as an 8yr old
Carol Stephenson was born in Canada and spent her early childhood in Edmonton, before moving to Sydney at the age of 8. Life was different, moving to a new country and new school bought its challenges including the onset of...
02.05.2020
S3 Ep3 - Life is not always rosy, even for someone like Chloe Logarzo!
Chloe Logarzo is living her dream as a midfielder with the Australian National Football Team and will soon be heading to the UK to join Bristol. A lot of girls dream to be where she is at. Some will say...
01.29.2020
S3 Ep2 Married with 3 boys, but something wasn't right. Tammy just felt different!
Tammy did was most women who grew up in the 80's, she left school, got married, had kids and lived happily ever after. Well at least that what she thought was going to happen. At 30, Tammy had her 3rd...
01.22.2020
S3 Ep1 Through the eyes of adult raised in a same sex family
Lori was born into a traditional family environment with mum and dad and two younger brothers. At age 13 Lori's world as she knew it was about to change forever. Her mum fell in love with a woman and before...
12.12.2019
S2 Ep8 - 3rd highest ranking female barber in Australia shares her story and passions in life
Sarah Wall has forged a very successful career as a top female barber/hairdresser. Ranking as 3rd in Australia's top female barber. Sarah has worked for Toni and Guy for over 16 years as a hairdresser and educator before moving on...
11.27.2019
S2 Ep6 Reaching top 13 on The Voice brings more than applause from a nation
Luke Antony is a singer and recording artist who lives in Sydney and identifies as gay. Luke is the eldest of 3 and was raised in a christian household that was very close and spent lots of time camping, water...
11.20.2019
S2 Ep5 "You might not need me, but you will want me"
The modelling world is a tough environment that only the strong survive. When you are a black lesbian who is masculine presenting, the modelling world suddenly becomes a whole lot harder. Vjay is a police officer in Chicago who has...
11.13.2019
S2 Ep4 Trapped in the wrong body, now its time to be me!
Kris has been in a wonderful relationship for 11 years with his partner Jacqui. Kris lived life as a lesbian before coming to the realisation that he was in fact a man trapped in a womens body. Kris spent his...
11.06.2019
S2 Ep3_ Understanding what it means to identify as nonbinary pansexual
Rey grew up in Manila and called a warehouse home until they migrated with their family to Australia in 2012. Rey spent their first 12 years in the Catholic School System in Manila where they experienced bullying and torment. Rey...
10.30.2019
S2 Ep2 _ Life in the country as a closeted lesbian can be tough!
Mack is the youngest of 3, grew up in a conservative Roman Catholic Family where the environment was strict and loving but emotions not discussed. Mack grew up in Detroit Michigan, studied an undergrad in Music education before completing the...
10.23.2019
S2 Ep1 Life as she would know it was about to change forever!
It was the year of the millennium when founder of Shane Ave and host of The Unsuitable Podcast, Deb Saywell's life as she knew it was about to change forever. It was in the year 2000 Deb fell in love...
10.16.2019
S1 In Review
Season 1 of The Unsuitable has come to an end. Rod Morrie chats Deb Saywell about Season 1 and the success of the podcast to date. Tune in for Season 1 in review and discover who the surprise guest is...
10.09.2019
Ep12 _Breaking the cycle of family DV enables Frank to live his life as a gay man freely
Frank is the youngest of 4 siblings and the only queer in his family. Frank lived a turbulent life that was filled with domestic violence at the hands of his father before leaving the family home for the last time...
10.02.2019
Ep11_ From Lesbian to Non Binary in Nashville
They, them, their are pronouns our guest LP uses to identify themselves. We are living in a world that is becoming more inclusive of people and their identities. Yet for many people there is a lack of real understanding around...
09.25.2019
Ep10 _ Growing up in a conservative Jewish family
Coming to terms with your own identity can take time and often that time can be spread over a number of years. By her own admission, Mindy Friedman's coming out to her mum and dad was somewhat passive aggressive in...
09.18.2019
Ep9 - A candid look at growing up as a lesbian
Fair to say not every story has doom and gloom attached to it. Tam Prins lived a relatively normal childhood in the southern suburbs of Melbourne and grew up attending an all girls Catholic School. When in her mid teens,...
08.21.2019
Ep8 - Did we really need same sex marriage? YES #this is why
After more than a decade together, Lara and Elise had what could best be described as the perfect life. They shared a love that was the envy of their friends, they were both successful in their careers, they owned a...
08.14.2019
Ep7 Work colleagues taking bets on your sexual orientation
Lacie -Jade is a proud femme queer lesbian who has had her fair share of challenges not only in the wider community but in the lgbtiq community as well. Often mistaken as a straight woman, men often become hostile when...
08.07.2019
Ep6 Spat on and abused in a public place during the same sex marriage debate!
Spat on, abused and bullied during the same sex marriage debate. Despite the fact the vote went in favour of legalising same sex marriage, there is still a large portion of the community that feel they have the right to...
07.31.2019
Ep5 - Live my authentic life or end up in a box!
Sam Badrice is living a life filled with self love and a passion for helping others through body dysphoria and choosing to live a life of authenticity. But it wasn't always this way. Sam was born in the body of...
07.25.2019
Ep4 - Gay Conversion Therapy in the 20th century, surely not!
Alex bears the scars of gay conversion therapy, and in this weeks episode she speaks openly and honestly about the lasting effects of her experiences around gay conversion therapy and the religious organisations that continue to practice this unethical and...
07.17.2019
Ep2 - Humiliated and rejected at the Brisbane Pride Festival in 2007- Rebecca Johnson
Rebecca Johnson and her friends were humiliated and rejected at the first Brisbane Pride Festival in 2007. Today Bec is President of Brisbane Pride and the co founder of Indigilez that was formed as a direct result of the treatment...
07.17.2019
Ep3 - Remove the content on your social media or lose your job! - Kim Sheehy
Remove the content on your social media or lose your job! This is what Kim Sheehy was told when she started a new job as a music teacher in a Catholic School. Kim grew up in the country town of...
07.04.2019
Ep1 - Life as a Bisexual, Lesbian, Transman and now Non Binary - Dibs Barisic Sprem
At 13 Dibs came out as bisexual. By 15, they identified as lesbian. At 17 they felt more trans masculine though fast forward seven years and Dibs now identifies as gender non binary. ...
06.07.2019
The Unsuitable Ep 01 - The Preview
Welcome and thanks for clicking on our new podcast, The Unsuitable. Through my business Shane Ave I have been exposed to some of the most remarkable human stories imaginable. In fact, they are stories so good I couldn't keep them...

What's The Unsuitable - LGBTQ Stories about?

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The Unsuitable - LGBTQ Stories episodes:

S5 E8 When living abroad brings you more than you expected!

S6 E1 My brother told family members that I was a lesbian so I set out to prove him wrong!

S5 Ep 7 Exploring non binary transgender!

S5 Ep 6 It took over 50 years for Alice to find her soul mate in the most unlikely fashion!

S5 Ep 5 Are you trying to be a man???

S5 Ep 4 Being harassed out of the army for being gay ensured Jen never let anyone hold anything over her ever again!

S5 Ep 3 Optus Dei to Gay

S5 Ep 2 From alcohol and substance abuse to clean and sober after transitioning!

S5 Ep 1 $14k to save their beloved dog lead Zac to make a life changing decision!

S4 Ep 8 A move to the US allowed me to be open about my identity

S4 Ep 7 When Ebony nearly loses her life, The Good Fight was born

S4 Ep 6 Being gay is hard enough, and then the unthinkable happens!

S4 Ep 5 Drag King Antonio Mantonio spent most of his life bullied as a child

S4 Ep 4 What do you do when your students suggest on social media that you should "kill yourself"

S4 Ep 3 Growing up in a country where being gay could mean jail or even worse being killed, Nerissa lived an isolating and lonely life

S4 Ep2 MasterChef contestant Sarah Tiong experienced her fare share of discrimination

S4 Ep1_ Years of depression and longing to be in the arms of a woman

S4 Intro

S3 Ep6_ Nik made the decision to live and not simply exist

S3 Ep5 Discovering AFL allowed Pepa Randall to find her true self

S3 Ep4 - The impact of moving across the world as an 8yr old

S3 Ep3 - Life is not always rosy, even for someone like Chloe Logarzo!

S3 Ep2 Married with 3 boys, but something wasn't right. Tammy just felt different!

S3 Ep1 Through the eyes of adult raised in a same sex family

S2 Ep8 - 3rd highest ranking female barber in Australia shares her story and passions in life

S2 Ep6 Reaching top 13 on The Voice brings more than applause from a nation

S2 Ep5 "You might not need me, but you will want me"

S2 Ep4 Trapped in the wrong body, now its time to be me!

S2 Ep3_ Understanding what it means to identify as nonbinary pansexual

S2 Ep2 _ Life in the country as a closeted lesbian can be tough!

S2 Ep1 Life as she would know it was about to change forever!

S1 In Review

Ep12 _Breaking the cycle of family DV enables Frank to live his life as a gay man freely

Ep11_ From Lesbian to Non Binary in Nashville

Ep10 _ Growing up in a conservative Jewish family

Ep9 - A candid look at growing up as a lesbian

Ep8 - Did we really need same sex marriage? YES #this is why

Ep7 Work colleagues taking bets on your sexual orientation

Ep6 Spat on and abused in a public place during the same sex marriage debate!

Ep5 - Live my authentic life or end up in a box!

Ep4 - Gay Conversion Therapy in the 20th century, surely not!

Ep2 - Humiliated and rejected at the Brisbane Pride Festival in 2007- Rebecca Johnson

Ep3 - Remove the content on your social media or lose your job! - Kim Sheehy

Ep1 - Life as a Bisexual, Lesbian, Transman and now Non Binary - Dibs Barisic Sprem

The Unsuitable Ep 01 - The Preview