Author: thequeerav

Top Queer Picks – Fringe World Festival Perth 2015

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Perth Fringe is Finally here and in all my excitement I’ve compiled a list of of Top Queer Picks for 2015! I haven’t seen any of these shows before so this list is based purely off what I think looks and sounds a) entertaining b) super queer. Get excited! HEX – “Award-winning young choreographer James Welsby presents HEX, an hour-long, three person dance work reflecting on AIDS, activism, sex, and disco through the eyes and bodies of Generation Y. HEX depicts the arc of the AIDS epidemic and its impact on the queer community through allegorical vignettes using popular club dance vocabularies.” Le Gateau Chocolat – I Heart Chocolat – “This is an exclusive party featuring a delectable hand-picked selection of musical arrangements, as random as a box of chocolates…you never know what you’re going to get! But you can guarantee Le Gateau’s infectious energy and gargantuan voice will satisfy your festival taste-buds. From Glyndebourne Opera to singing for the Queen as part of the Jubilee Flotilla and touring the globe with La Soiree; to performing at the …

Vagine Regime hosts WA’s first Queer Derby Bout

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Vagine Regime hosted Western Australia’s first queer derby bout Sunday January 18 at Morley Rollerdrome. Vagine Regime is an international community of queer derby folk and allies who promote and celebrate the inclusion of queer peeps in the sport. In an interview with Out In Perth Recently, WA Co-founders Mary Fagdalene and Nurse Stax talked a bit more about it. “The Vagine Regime aims to build an international community of queer derby folk. Through a commitment to inclusive solidarity we hope to create networking opportunities, cultivate acceptance, and foster derby love matches.” Said Nurse Stax Mary Fagdalene went on to say “Whilst it might not be a big thing to be ‘out’ in derby, it can still be a very difficult to be queer in the world. For gender queer or trans people, being involved in sport can be very challenging. VR has worked to advocate for the acceptance of trans women in the sport and to call out discrimination where it is present. If we can build a safe and accepting environment within our sport then it …

Internet Cat Video Festival 2015

Published by thequeerav

Crowds of people gathered at Northbridge Piazza (Perth) yesterday for the 2015 Internet Cat Video Festival. Whilst this wasn’t a queer specific event, I thought I would still go down to laugh at some funny cat videos, enjoy the amazing weather, admire everyone’s cat costumes and go pet some kittens. Unfortunately, the kitten petting line looked like over an hour wait so I gave that a miss. As for everything else, it was cat-tastic! Plus, free entry! The event was brought to Perth by Cat Haven WA, the team at Northbridge Piazza and City of Perth. It was hosted by THE ever popular Famous Sharron, with Delish Ice providing the treats and the team at Flying Glow Worm Entertainment providing face painting fun for everyone. Check out the photos below!

Why News.com.au Misses the Mark on Caitlin Stasey’s New Website

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I first heard about Caitlin Stasey’s new feminist website ‘herself.com‘ from news.com.au. The headline read ‘Why Caitlin Stasey’s new website misses the mark.’ Thoughts started racing through my mind as to what she could have possibly published that would make someone  so unimpressed by her actions.  My question was soon answered…nothing. Stasey (Neighbours, Tomorrow When the War Began), released a feminist website reclaiming the female body by posting interviews accompanied by nude photos of herself and other women. I think this is amazing! News.com.au writer Rebecca Sullivan certainly didn’t. In her article she writes: “Stasey’s noble aim — to give women back their bodies — has been lost here. By putting naked photos of yourself on a public platform, you are simply offering your body up to the world for scrutiny and judgment. You are complicity foregoing total ownership of your figure and inviting others to weigh in.” We are taught to be ashamed or embarrassed if our body doesn’t resemble the ideal figure marketed to us by advertisers. Billions of dollars are spent trying to …

Ruby Rose Confirmed for Orange is the New Black

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Australian Model, DJ and TV presenter Ruby Rose is going to prison…kind of. Rose has confirmed they will be appearing in season three of Orange is the New Black playing Stella Carlin, an inmate “whose sarcastic sense of humor and captivating looks quickly draw the attention of some of Litchfield’s inmates.” The character will be playing the love interest of main characters Piper Chapman (Taylor Schilling) and Alex Vause (Laura Prepon). Season three is currently in the making and set to be released this year; Can’t wait! To get further insight into Ruby’s new role get your hands on a copy of Elle Magazine, where they’ve been named one of the Magazines fresh faces on TV to watch in 2015.

The Identity Project – What Defines You

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I came across this project on Tumblr and thought it was definitely worth sharing as it shows the diversity of the queer community around us in a positive, artistic and inspiring way. The Identity Project is a photography project started by  San Francisco based portrait photographer Sarah Deragon at the beginning of 2014. “This photography project seeks to explore the labels we choose to identify with when defining our gender and sexuality.” Society is still catching up on the realisation that sex, sexuality and gender are all something a lot more complicated and diverse than the binary system we’ve been taught to constrain ourselves in and this project really shines a light on this diversity. To be eligible for the project participants must be a member of the LGBTQ community, choose 1-5 terms related to gender and sexuality to self-identify with, sign a model release and come to the Portraits To The People studio in the Outer Richmond neighborhood in San Francisco. Having said this, the project made it’s way to Portland, New York & Chicago in the second half of last year …

2014 – What a Queer Year!

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A lot has happened in 2014, and a lot of progress has been made for the queer community. Let’s end the year on a high note and have a look at some of the more positive events and milestones from the last 12 months. The Queer Av! Okay so this is not exactly global or anything but I’m in the process of changing the name of this blog from The Gay Av to The Queer Av to make it more inclusive of the whole community. In other news, we are now on Instagram (@thequeerav), AND there are new and exciting projects and articles to come in 2015. Watch this space! A looooot of people came out this year in the LGBTIQ community. I’m not a fan of the whole ‘coming out ritual’ and I wish is wasn’t necessary for people to have to do. I can’t wait for the day when peeps don’t assume one’s gender and sexuality from the get go and therefore the event of coming out won’t exist. Having said this, it’s still …

Queer Fashion – What’s Out There?

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I’ve recently picked up an interest in queer fashion and different queer labels currently available for sale. There’s a plethora of options available online, and for once, I can thank the marketing gods for pushing these options my way. Whether it’s a new queer print piece your after, or just some androgynous clothing that finally fits your style, here’s just a small list of  options available so you can queer up your wardrobe today! 1. PROUD ANIMALS I came across this brand when trolling Instagram for new queer content and people to follow. They have a cool range of sexuality and gender themed prints available on t-shirts, hoodies, socks, plugs, and much more. I haven’t bought anything from them yet but FYI they ship internationally and the pricing on the products don’t seem unreasonable ($32 for a tee, $48 for a sweater just to give you an idea). My favourite is the ‘Fuck Gender Norms’ sweater; Can’t wait for winter! Check out their Instagram and Website for more info and updates. 2. ANDROGYNY Androgyny was founded by Melissa …

Perth Community Comes Together For World AIDS Day 2014

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WA AIDS Council invited volunteers, staff, clients and supporters to join them at Robertson Park December 1 for World AIDS Day. The theme for this years World AIDS Day was Getting to Zero; zero fear, zero stigma, zero discrimination, zero ignorance, zero risks, zero new cases and zero deaths. During the event WAAC announced that almost $3,000 has been raised by staff members to be donated to BaanGerda, an organisation located north of Bangkok which provides homes to children orphaned due to HIV and HIV care. WAAC volunteers were thanked, in particular office volunteers Natalie Seed and Jenny Thomas who received awards. Visit www.waaids.com to learn more about what’s happening in the Perth community and what you can do to help in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

In My Shoes – The Gender Centre Project

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‘In My Shoes’ is a documentary short looking into the lives of five transgender people – the good times, the struggles and how they’ve got through them. It’s an initiative of the Transgender Anti-Violence Project at The Gender Centre Inc., NSW. “We hope that this film will serve as a resource for the wider community to better understand the issues facing young transgender and gender diverse people,” says the Gender Centre. “We also hope that it encourages transgender and gender diverse people of all ages to come forward and access support if they need it. “Thank you to these extraordinary young people for sharing their stories and to the incredible co-directors Monique Schafter and Mat Govoni.”