Well Well Well

Jack and Cal return to the world of leather, kink, and fetish title competitions through Cal’s journey as Mr. Australian Leather, including his visit to Auckland for the inaugural MX Gear New Zealand title.

We hear from contestants including a 74-year-old trans man finding his second wind in community, a South Island pup advocating for trans rights, and a self-proclaimed “comedy queen” channelling Princess Margaret on their path to the title.

The conversation unpacks how these titles serve as platforms for sexual health advocacy, community building, and solidarity at a time when queer infrastructure is under pressure globally.

00:00 – Intro and Cal’s sash queen revelation

02:02 – Cal’s history in Melbourne leather community

02:55 – Origins of leather title competitions

03:37 – Evolution toward inclusive mixed gear titles

05:08 – Cal wins Mr Australian Leather title

06:21 – Inside look at leather community gatherings

10:53 – Titleholders as advocates and community leaders

13:10 – What judges look for in competitions

20:53 – Luca 74 year old trans man competes

28:44 – Chief represents South Island at competition

34:16 – Robbie Abundance wins inaugural Mix Gear title

44:18 – Producer Sean on launching the event

All chapter timecodes are approximate.

Check out our other JOY Podcasts for more on LGBTIQ+ health and wellbeing at joy.org.au/wellwellwell.

If there’s something you’d like us to explore on the show, send through ideas or questions at [email protected]

Find out more about LGBTIQ+ services and events in Victoria and South Australia at thorneharbour.org.

Produced by: Jack Crnjanin & Caleb Hawk

Jenna Love has worked as an independent sex worker for over a decade, and now leads Sex Work Advocacy work as the president of Scarlet Alliance.

In this episode she speaks with Jordan about her experience at the Women Deliver conference in Melbourne to the fight for decriminalisation across so-called Australia.

We explore the long history of peer-to-peer organising in the sex worker community, the contagious spread of the Nordic model, and what genuine allyship looks like.

00:00 — Introduction

05:00 — Meeting incredible overachievers at Women Deliver

10:00 — Creating the sex worker networking zone

15:00 — Emerging Together: Sex Work at End of Empire

20:00 — Global solidarity among sex workers across borders

25:00 — Advice for allies supporting sex worker advocacy

30:00 — The Nordic Model and its harmful impact

35:00 — Queensland’s decriminalisation as best practice model

40:00 — Whore Walk: sex work history walking tours

45:00 — Sex work and digital rights

All chapter timecodes are approximate.

Check out our other JOY Podcasts for more on LGBTIQ+ health and wellbeing at joy.org.au/wellwellwell.

If there’s something you’d like us to explore on the show, send through ideas or questions at [email protected]

Find out more about LGBTIQ+ services and events in Victoria and South Australia at thorneharbour.org.

Produced by: Jack Crnjanin & Jordan

Jack and Cal are joined by new Thorne Harbour Health CEO Chad Hughes, and discuss the critical challenge of delivering equitable health services to our diverse communities in regional Victoria and South Australia.

Chad dives into the organisation’s strategy of embedding practitioners with lived experience into mainstream rural clinics to ensure privacy and reduce stigma for those not ready to come out locally.

We also explore the unique dynamics of regional pride events and the importance of empowering local experiences over a one size fits all approach.

Given the growing crisis of misinformation in the age of AI, Thorne Harbour’s forty-year legacy of trust is more vital than ever, especially as the organisation expands its national reach through innovative digital platforms.

00:00 – Intro

01:56 – Chad’s origin story involving genetics, a trip to Uganda in the late 90s, and the pivotal moment that drove him toward public health

06:14 – Setting up harm reduction programs over four years living in a remote Nepalese village, learning the language, and overcoming his needle phobia

11:39 – Leadership philosophy, focusing on mentoring others, the satisfaction of population-level impact versus individual care, and his framework for making tough decisions under pressure

14:45 – Living in Daylesford, the unique nature of regional queer communities compared to the city, and the specific challenges of delivering health services to isolated trans and gender-diverse youth

20:00 – The importance of supporting local autonomy in events like Bendigo Pride

24:46 – Thorne Harbour’s 40-year history of adapting to diverse community requirements

28:47 – Misinformation and AI-generated content, highlighting why Thorne Harbour’s reputation for trusted health information is more valuable than ever

33:32 –  The current political climate, funding challenges in Victoria, the importance of a unified sector, and the significance of having a community member as the new Minister for Health

38:13 – Chad’s hobby of birding, his spark bird, and how observing nature serves as a mindfulness practice

48:14 – Parallels between the patience required for birding and the calm, observant leadership style needed to manage staff dealing with vicarious trauma and complex community crises

49:42 – Ensuring services are truly community-led, responsive to emerging threats like Mpox, and accessible to everyone regardless of location or identity

Check out our other JOY Podcasts for more on LGBTIQ+ health and wellbeing at joy.org.au/wellwellwell.

If there’s something you’d like us to explore on the show, send through ideas or questions at [email protected]

Find out more about LGBTIQ+ services and events in Victoria and South Australia at thorneharbour.org and samesh.org.au

Produced by: Caleb Hawk, Jack Crnjanin

Queer content creator and influencer Odus Moore joins us to unpack the unique challenges and responsibilities of being a voice for sexual health and harm reduction in the digital age.

Odus traces his journey from streaming on Twitch during lockdown to highlighting the intersection of entertainment and serious health advocacy.

We tackle the “influencer” label, the difficulty of securing ethical brand partnerships, and the necessity of values-based content creation in an increasingly polarised political landscape.

Check out our other JOY Podcasts for more on LGBTIQ+ health and wellbeing at joy.org.au/wellwellwell.

If there’s something you’d like us to explore on the show, send through ideas or questions at [email protected]

Find out more about LGBTIQ+ services and events in Victoria and South Australia at thorneharbour.org and samesh.org.au

Produced by: Joel Parker, Jake Neville