All posts tagged: trans

Review: ‘I Am My Own Wife’

Published by thequeerav

A lone figure enters. She makes her way to a gramophone placed off centre stage, and talks about her fascination with it, and the other items that belong to her extensive museum of furniture and everyday objects. For the next 90 minutes, this is the only person to grace the stage, playing over 30 different characters throughout the entire performance. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and Tony Award for Best Play, ‘I Am My Own Wife’, by Doug Wright, made its WA premiere over the weekend at The Heath Ledger Theatre Studio Underground. Set in Germany amidst the Nazi and Communist regimes, the story follows the life German antiquarian, Charlotte von Mahsldorf, played by Brendan Hanson. Charlotte, who is plagued by memories of her late father, manages to live her life fearlessly and unapologetically as a trans person in a time and place where it was not safe to do so. As she talks about her life to an enthusiastic array of different characters, a fascinating, intricate and emotive story emerges. Sourcing items …

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 …

VIDEOS: Nick, Robin & Lex Share Their Stories for Trans Awareness Month

Published by thequeerav

Last month was Transgender Awareness Month. We decided to share the stories of three transgender Australian’s to spread awareness of trans issues and experiences. Nick’s Story Hear Nick talk about his experiences growing up, coming out as trans, and founding TransFolk of WA. Robin’s Story Robin talks about her experiences coming out, transitioning and working with the transgender community! Lex’s Story Lex talks about being trans, the confines of the gender binary and their amazing artwork.

Transitioning on a Budget: a Trans Woman’s Experience

Published by thequeerav

Once I realised the only way to ever be happy or at peace as a person was to transition, then my real battle began. For me, the steps I’ve had to take in order to transition hormonally and socially have been a huge burden on me financially. Trans people such as myself still face high levels of transphobia all over the world. This can lead to high unemployment rates and homelessness, as well as increased rates of mental health issues. In Australia, 25% of transgender people report current feelings of suicidal ideation compared with 2.7% of the general population. Up to 50% of trans people have actually attempted suicide at least once in their lives. To overcome all of this, and to then have the finances to comfortably transition, is an uncommon occurrence for transgender people. I was unemployed for a very long time in my twenties. This was probably due to a combination of lack of skill, lack of direction and bouts of depression I suffered on and off for many years, partly due …

VIDEO: The Powerful New Ad Pushing for Marriage Equality in Australia

Published by thequeerav

Australian Marriage Equality has just released an ad as part of the Equality Campaign. The campaign aims to achieve marriage equality together as a nation, through a free vote in parliament, not a plebiscite. The ad, shows families, couples, friends, young and old, from all corners of the country coming together to paint a rainbow Australia on a blank wall, writing things like ‘for my mums’, ‘for fairness’, ‘for commitment’ and ‘for love’ in the process. “The Equality Campaign is about building on the momentum and energy generated across the nation for marriage equality and continuing to campaign for a straightforward change to be achieved by a vote in the parliament,” co-chair of Australians for Equality, Anna Brown told Huffington Post. “This campaign is about putting the human face of the issue back in the centre of the discussion. It is based on the importance of human stories and the message to LGBTI people, their families and friends that collectively we can be the agent of change.” Many have already tweeted their support for the …

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 …

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

Published by thequeerav

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? …

Meet Eli Erlick: A Trans Youth Activist Who Stars in Tegan and Sara’s New Music Video “Faint of Heart”

Published by thequeerav

Tegan and Sara released the music video for their song “Faint of Heart” last month. The song, from their 2016 album Love You To Death, is an 80’s inspired pop anthem about listening to your heart and not worrying what other people think. The music video, starring a group of young and inspiring LGBTQ people dressed as iconic figures in music history, is a beautiful hit of nostalgia, self-love and diversity. One of those young and inspiring people is Eli Erlick. Erlick is a queer transgender youth activist, writer and public speaker. She is also the Co-Founder and Director of Trans Student Educational Resources and has an uncanny resemblance to the Quin sisters themselves. We had the opportunity to talk to Erlick about the trans activism work she does, working with Tegan and Sara, and what it’s like to be the long lost Quin sibling. How did you get involved in the filming of the new Tegan and Sara video – Faint of Heart? It all started with a shirt. A friend commented that the …

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, …

Rally for Marriage Equality in Perth, June 2016

Published by thequeerav

Hundreds of Perth people gathered for one final rally for LGBTI rights on June 25 before the upcoming election on July 2. The Rally for Marriage Equality, hosted by Equal Love WA, was one of many happening across Australia on Saturday. The crowd and speakers were particularly angry over the proposed plebiscite from the Liberals which would cost tax payers $160 million despite current public support for marriage equality. With the election less than a week away, opposition leader Bill Shorten has committed to making marriage equality his first act as Prime Minister should Labor win. “The first piece of legislation I introduce into the 45th Parliament will be a bill to amend the marriage act, a simple change,” he said. The words “a man and a woman” are replaced with “two people”, no $160 million plebiscite, no hurtful, hateful government-sponsored advertising campaign for us.” Should this be the case, this will not only be a win for same gender couples, but also trans, non-binary and intersex people. The Greens support for marriage equality hasn’t …