Author: thequeerav

The Gay Chef: MKR’s Jordan Bruno Releases FREE Cook Book for a Cause

Published by thequeerav

Perth Man Jordan Bruno was a semi finalist with his mum Anna, in the Australian cooking show My Kitchen Rules earlier this year. Not one to take a break, and someone who’s always willing to help the LGBTIQ+ community, Bruno has just released his latest project; a free e-cook book dedicated to raising awareness for mental health issues of all young Australians. Donations for the e-cook book, The Gay Chef, can be made to two organisations in particular; Minus18 and Headspace. Minus18 is Australia’s largest youth led organisation for LGBTIQ+ people offering mental health support, social events and volunteering opportunities all while aiming for a homophobia and transphobia free Australia. Headspace is the National Youth Mental Health Foundation providing early intervention mental health and well being support and counselling for all young Australians. The e-book itself is full of some amazing recipes, info about Bruno, his family and his relationship with food, and dedicated largely to queer youth to which Bruno says, “You are not alone”. “This book is extremely close to my heart as …

Interview: All Trans Band Ryan Cassata & The Rhythm

Published by thequeerav

Ryan Cassata & The Rhythm formed in July of this year, the by-product of connections formed through college, social media and the Long Island music scene. With a rock sound, a passion for music and some studio singles in the works, I’m not surprised if you think this band sounds a lot like the many others out there. This however, is not the case. The thing that sets this band apart are its members, Ryan (singer, acoustic guitarist, harmonica player) , Jordi (electric guitarist), Destroy (drummer) and Acadia (bass player). They are all amazing musicians, and they ALL identify on the trans spectrum. Trans visibility is continually increasing but still low, so to have an all trans band making some noise in the music scene is amazing, and up until this point more or less unheard of! Lead member Ryan Cassata is well known as many things; a singer-song writer, actor, YouTuber and LGBTQ activist. We had a chance to ask Ryan a few questions about the newly formed band, trans visibility and projects …

VIDEO: Rallying for Marriage Equality in Australia Continues

Published by thequeerav

On Saturday October 15, Perth hosted one of the first marriage equality rallies in Australia since it was officially confirmed the Labor Party will block the plebiscite once it reaches the senate. Equal Love’s Sam Cavallaro, Greens member Lynn MacLaren, activist Caleb Holmes, activist Jacqueline Blackburn and Clare Francis from the National Union of Students all spoke at the rally, demanding the government hold a free vote in parliament. Despite the lack of support for a plebiscite from Labor and Greens politicians as well as the vast majority of the Australian population, various politicians are still determined for it to go ahead. Special Minister of State Scott Ryan has dismissed calls for a free vote in parliament while Nationals MP Andrew Broad has stated he will walk away from the government should the prime minister change his current approach to marriage equality. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has yet to state what his next move will be once the plebiscite is blocked; he supports marriage equality, though the plebiscite was a major component of the coalition …

The World’s First App for Gender-Non Conforming & Queer People

Published by thequeerav

The admirable thing about people in the queer community is the amount of hard work we are willing to go through to build connections and friendships with people of all types of diversity. To listen to the stories of others and understand or empathise with the hardships, celebrate the successes, and be there for each other. To create safe spaces where we don’t have to justify anything, or feel like the odd one out, but can simply just be ourselves. Enter GENDR, an app that encapsulates all of the above. Released on July 12, 2016, GENDR is the end product of an idea from two friends who realised there were no specific apps available to bring together the people, products and places that connect to the continuum of human sexuality and gender identity. With gender non-conforming and queer members from all over the world, the community chats, private messages and shares photos and stories on topics such as transition tips, makeup tutorials, gender neutral apparel, breaking news, health resources, travel and more. The app itself …

13 Awesome YouTuber Coming Out Videos

Published by thequeerav

Today, October 11, is National Coming Out Day! YouTube is a place where I’m sure many of us have found ourselves at one time or another as we try to understand what it means to be LGBTIQ+ and what coming out might mean for our future. Because of this, we’ve put together a list of YouTuber coming out videos and stories for you to enjoy! 1. Ingrid Nilsen – Something I Want You To Know (Coming Out) 2. Danielle Brianne – I am Transgender 3. Connor Franta – Coming Out 4. Shane Dawson – I’m Bisexual 5. Kat Blaque – My Coming Out Story 6. HeyoDamo – Coming out as Asexual 7. Troye Sivan – Coming Out 8. Lane S – Coming Out to Your Parents as Nonbinary 9. Joey Graceffa – Yes I’m Gay 10. Hannah Hart – So. This is me. 11. AmandasChronicles – My Coming Out Story 12. Jazzberry Rose – Coming Out as Pansexual! 13. Mason Healy

VIDEO: LGBTI+ People Talk About the Plebiscite on Marriage Equality

Published by thequeerav

Talk of marriage equality in Australia has taken centre stage over the past 12 months, even more so since a date for the upcoming plebiscite was announced for February 2017. The plebiscite as it stands, will essentially be a $160 million + popular vote on whether Australians want marriage equality or not. This, despite the many opinion polls that have already taken place and consistently show support for marriage equality, has been labeled by many as a waste of time, money and effort, especially seeing as the result is non-binding. This is a small price to pay though, compared to what the negativity from the plebiscite will do to the mental health and well-being of LGBTI+ Australians. It is therefore time for politicians and the media to take a seat, and for LGBTI+ people to have their voices heard, as it is their lives that will be directly and negatively affected should the plebiscite go ahead. We talked to six LGBTI+ people about how the plebiscite will affect the community, what they have to say …

11 Inspirational Celebrity Quotes to Celebrate Bi Visibility Day

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Today, September 23, is Bi Visibility Day. It sits in the middle of Bisexual Awareness Week, both aimed at celebrating and raising awareness of bisexuality, and to an extent, other non-monosexual identities as well. Bi Visibility Day was first celebrated in the U.S. in 1999, the brainchild of three United States bisexual activists; Wendy Curry, Michael Page, and Gigi Raven Wilbur. The day has since been expanded into a week long event, and is now celebrated all over the world. As acceptance of gay and lesbian identities increase, acceptance of those with bisexual and non-monosexual identities haven’t, at least not to the same extent. Bisexual people are still more likely to experience discrimination from queer AND straight communities alike, because they don’t fit neatly into the categories defined and accepted by society. Because of this, and to celebrate Bisexual Awareness Week and Bi Visibility Day, we’ve compiled a list of inspiring quotes from bisexual and other non-monosexual identifying celebrities. Take a look! 1. “It’s a really, really hard thing to be silenced, and it’s deeply …

R U OK? 12 Videos of LGBTI People Talking Mental Health & Suicide

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R U OK? is a question Gavin Larkin started asking in 2009 due to the loss of his father to suicide in 1995. His aim, to inspire and empower everyone to meaningfully connect with people around them and support anyone struggling with life. Now, R U OK Day is a widely popular day in the year where Australians are encouraged to communicate and check in with their loved ones with the overall aim of preventing suicide. Suicide is a particularly important issue for the LGBTI community given their higher rate of suicidality than any other population in Australia: LGBTI young people aged 16 to 27 are five times more likely to attempt suicide than the general population Transgender people aged 18 and over are nearly eleven times more likely to attempt suicide than the general population People with an Intersex variation aged 16 and over are nearly six times more likely to attempt suicide than the general population LGBT young people who experience abuse and harassment are even more likely to attempt suicide 16% of …

Review – The Queen of Ireland

Published by thequeerav

The Queen of Ireland is a documentary film about the life of Rory O’Neill, better known as Irish drag queen Panti Bliss. The film looks at everything from O’Neill’s life growing up gay in the small town of Ballinrobe, County Mayo, to living with HIV and his gay rights activism, particularly in the lead up to the historic marriage equality referendum in Ireland in 2015. The film is beautifully directed by Conor Horgan who, until this point, was most well known for directing the 2009 post-apocalyptic Irish drama One Hundred Mornings, the winner of many awards. After watching The Queen of Ireland though, I can’t help but feel he has reached new levels of artistic achievement, and that this film will go down as a classic in queer cinema. You see, he didn’t just lay out the facts of a story already written, he captured the honest, intelligent and quirky character that is Rory O’Neill/Panti Bliss. He showed us why Panti is a hero and an inspiration for LGBTI activists everywhere, even when, in fact …

Interview: Avery Holderness-Roddam Talks About Organising Australia’s First National Trans Camp

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Avery Holderness-Roddam is a 29 year old trans individual from Tasmania, Australia. Now past the early stages of his transition, Avery is eager to give back to the trans community by organising Australia’s first national trans camp. The camp is aimed at giving information and support to the trans community, their family and friends, information Avery wishes he’d had easy access to when starting his transition. We had a chance to talk to Avery about what to expect from Trans Camp 2016, transitioning and supporting the trans community. How did the idea for Trans Camp 2016 come about, and what pushed you to take it beyond just an idea? I was at a Yule festival in 2015 and the location struck me as a great place to hold a camp for the Trans community. There’s plenty of privacy, it isn’t close enough to suburban areas that we’d have random people stumbling upon us, and there’s an area for camp fires… by which I mean marshmallows toasted over a camp fire. What more could you want? …