All posts filed under: Social Commentary

The Australian Marriage Equality Postal Survey: How You Can Get Involved in Changing History

Published by thequeerav

Let’s face it, the marriage equality postal survey sucks. We didn’t want it, much of the Australian public didn’t want it – but we’re stuck with it. Now that the High Court has dashed any hope of getting rid of the postal survey, it’s time to unite to make sure we win a YES for marriage equality. Unlike a regular election, it isn’t compulsory and we know from past statistics on postal surveys that young people aged 18-24 are the least likely to respond to them. It’s up to everyone who is voting yes to make sure we can encourage as many people as possible to vote in favour of marriage equality, even in the face of adversity and lies from much of the ‘no’ side. Here are some tips on how to win the marriage equality postal survey: One-to-One conversations Social media is incredibly important, but the truth is one-to-one conversations with as many people as possible will be key in determining who will win this survey. This means volunteering and making calls with …

Avoiding BURNOUT: Trans Perspectives

Published by thequeerav

Avoiding burnout can be a difficult thing to do, particularly when you are so passionate about what it is you are doing. As someone who lives, works and breathes advocacy and equality for the LGBTI community, more specifically trans and non-binary communities, it can be difficult to stop the thought process of “how can I help someone else” and turn it into “how can I help myself”. As advocates, we try to help those who may not be able to help themselves. To put it simply, we care, sometimes too much and we don’t want to let others down. To add to this, we’re not just advocating for other people, but also for ourselves and our right to exist freely and equally; it’s all very personal and that can have a huge effect, even on the most positive minded person. For a long time I only ever helped myself by helping other people. I volunteer at various youth, mental health and/or LGBTI organisations, attend events and rallies to stay up to date with LGBTI issues, …

One Big Lezzie: NBC’s New Show Takes Queer Lady Visibility Right Back to 1994

Published by thequeerav

Did you guys catch One Big Happy last night on NBC? If you didn’t, you can always head over to AfterEllen (cough *sponsored by NBC* cough) to catch up on the hype. And it’s no wonder people had high hopes for the show, with Liz Feldman and Ellen at the helm. But…sigh. Remember in Friends (especially in the first season), when all we knew about Ross’s babymama Carol was that she was a lesbian — and wasn’t it funny? Sentences like “she’s a lesbian” and “Susan and I are getting married” were met with raucous laughter. Of course, that was a long time ago. High waisted jeans have gone out of style, come back into style, and (possibly) gone out of style AGAIN. In the meantime, the country has made great strides towards marriage equality. And especially in recent years, lots of gorgeous, funny, nuanced queer lady characters have graced our screens, playing whole people who had entire lives, and were also gay or bi or pan or curious or just plain slutty. At this point, in …

Why the Trans Community Needs to Ban the Word “Transtrender” for Good

Published by thequeerav

The other day, I was called a “transtrender” by a trans woman who refused to acknowledge my gender identity because I have, up until this point, not hormonally transitioned. Because the only thing that determines your gender identity is, you know, hormones (sarcasm). A “transtrender” refers to a person who identifies as transgender because they think it’s cool to do so. This particular trans reader insisted that I was not a “true” trans person, and that I claim this identity only because it’s the trendy thing to do. This isn’t the first time my transness has been called into question, but there’s something particularly sinister about this word that made me angry. Here’s the funny (and sad) thing about a trans person calling me a transtrender: They aren’t just hurting me. They’re hurting our community, and undermining our cause. There’s a lot of problematic implications that go with the term “transtrender.” It implies, for example, that a person’s gender identity is for outsiders to decide. It suggests that there is only one way to transition. It marginalizes …

Let’s Talk about the ‘I’ in LGBTI

Published by thequeerav

For a long time I didn’t know what it meant to be intersex. I’d briefly encountered the term in discussions and books but not enough to latch onto it’s actual definition and importance. Having just come to terms with my sexuality at 19, I was more focused on myself, and how my sexuality effected my life and those around me. In fact, it wasn’t until years later, when I started re-questioning my sexuality and for the first time, my gender, that I started becoming more interested and involved in the LGBTI community as a whole. I saw a BuzzFeed video today (below), talking about what it’s like to be intersex. I got really excited at the idea of mainstream media covering such a topic; though I wouldn’t expect anything less from BuzzFeed. It got me thinking though, about why I was so excited. The more I thought about it, the more I realised it was because of how little society actually knows about intersex people and how little they generally get talked about or represented in the media. …

Gay Marriage Vs. Marriage Equality: Not the same thing

Published by thequeerav

As the world comes closer to reaching marriage equality (baby steps people), I thought it might be an appropriate time to point out what the term ‘marriage equality’ ACTUALLY means. Too often I see the terms same sex marriage, gay marriage and marriage equality used interchangeably and I have to point out that it is incorrect to do so. I know this issue has been written about a lot in the past but it’s still something that happens frequently, so I thought it might be time to revisit. Some people might think this is me being too picky and/or too concerned  with being politically and linguistically correct though I would have to disagree. If there’s anything I’ve learnt from being a part of the queer community, it’s that language IS VERY IMPORTANT and something that can’t just be ignored or generalised by the wider community for the sake of ease. Same sex marriage and gay marriage are terms frequently used by the wider community to refer to a marriage between two people of the same sex; 2 …

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

Published by thequeerav

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 …

Why You Shouldn’t Gay Yourself Down For Anybody, Including Your Potential Boss

Published by thequeerav

When I was twelve-years-old I decided that I wanted a career in Journalism, the reason being of course, I wanted to meet Hilary Duff and nothing was going to stop me. This is what dreams are made of…Am I right?! This of course transformed into a desire to meet many interesting people from all over the world. Flash forward a few years to when I was 16 and my dreams were still as strong, my degree picked out and my goals set whilst those around me fumbled with what they wanted to do with their lives and what they wanted to study. I began a degree in Mass Communication majoring in Corporate Screen Production and Journalism at the beginning of 2010 (Aged 19) at Curtin University. I was shocked at first to find the degree, and indeed my future profession seemingly dominated by an array of picture perfect, feminine, stereotypically straight looking women. I would be lying if I said I didn’t feel threatened. With my much more masculine appearance and identifying in the not …

Orange is the New Black – 13 Quotes That Can Be Used In Everyday Conversation

Published by thequeerav

If you haven’t been living under a big ol’ queer rock lately then you’ll have heard of the new TV show Orange is the New Black. It’s a show that focuses on the story of Piper, a middle class blondie who is doing jail time for a crime she committed years ago with ex girlfriend Alex. Lots of queers…jammed into one space…crazy eyes…sexual frustration…PIE… Let’s just say It’s well worth the watch; a comedy with meaning. It even has (M)tF trans representation by someone who is trans in real life, which is rare on such a big show. Because I loved the first season so much, and am eagerly awaiting the second, I thought I’d come up with a list of OITNB quotes with examples of how they can be used in everyday conversation. Because lets face it…we all want to talk THAT talk. 1. Mr Healy’s ‘lesbian-based rooming’ talk with Piper     “Lesbian Request Denied.” Whilst you may want to use this every time you tell your girlfriend you’re “too tired”, it would be advised not …