Pride Line vox pops, file 5

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Length

Notes

Transcript

Prideline_2023-06-01_1747.mp3

00:44.3

So I am from a country town that has so many churches it's not even funny. And growing up it was always a struggle to try and realise I was a homosexual because it was just so like taboo to talk about and exist and the fear my family put in me was very hard to overcome. But eventually, um, through the power of being forced out of the closet, I was finally able to open up about who I truly was in high school and have my friends and family accept me. So yeah, that's my little, my little story of being a country gal.

Prideline_2023-06-01_1759.mp3

00:28.9

Hello, my name is Curtis Forage and I came out when I was 14 years old and I am from Tamworth, NSW and ever since I have lived my life authentically and I am now a modestly successful drag queen. And I think Pride is all about diversity and inclusion and love and teaching people to be kind and tolerant towards one another. Thank you. Goodbye.

Prideline_2023-06-03_1425.mp3

00:16.8

Hi, it's Raquel Lennon here. I'm from the Gold Coast, originally born in Sydney and I just wanted to say love is love. You can't help who you fall in love with and I think everyone's beautiful. Have a good day.

Prideline_2023-06-04_1528.mp3

00:29.4

This recording contains offensive language

I'm a massive lesbian. And I thought that it was nice to know that because of how shit the world is these days and how much stigma there is against us, just in general.
So fuck the homophobes and fuck women. Thank you for listening to my Ted talk.

Prideline_2023-06-06_1314.mp3

03:55.4

This recording covers sensitive subject matters including murder and suicide

Hi, this is my first time in Australia. I'm from the United States. Umm, I'm queer. And I'm here because when my uncle was my age, he lived here, and he was murdered here. And I'm here for the sentencing of the man who did it.

When my uncle was murdered, the police said that it was a suicide. Despite the fact that he was killed at a known gay beat. Um. Because why else? Why else would a a gay man die at the foot of a cliff? Other than suicide, what could he have possibly had to live for, right?

And it took about 30 years of my dad never leaving the police alone for them to investigate what was a murder. And they caught the man who did it. And I just came from court to this beautiful exhibit at the library. There's no sentencing yet. That will happen on Thursday. And I, I'm just having a lot of emotions right now.

I've been very lucky to grow up someplace safe. Um, in a family that loves and accepts me and a time that is more accepting than the time my uncle lived in. But I never got to have. Him in my life as a uncle, as a gay mentor.

And I've lived my whole life very aware that despite the safety and comfort I've enjoyed, people like me get killed and the police don't care about it. And that's a very sad thing to live with.

Anyway, I wish that I were seeing Australia for the first time in better circumstances. Um, I wish that I were seeing Australia for the first time with my uncle. And that he was here to show me around his favourite places.

Anyway, um, right now there's an inquest or an investigation, a Commission. That's the word, to a lot of other crimes from the same time and I hope that the families of those who died in the 80s, will be as lucky as my family has been to get answers, but I know that that isn't necessarily very likely.

Um, and, I just wanted to say. I don't know what I wanted to say. I, I. I'm very angry today. And I am angrier at the police than I am at the man who killed my uncle. And I think people think I'm supposed to be grateful to the police because they solved this.
But I'm not.

I, I don't know why I should thank somebody for doing the job they should have done 35 years ago. Um, I don't feel protected by them in this country or my own. Yeah. I'm angry. And I wish I'd known my uncle.

Prideline_2023-06-06_1319.mp3

00:20.6

I'm in Sydney just visiting family and seeing how queer friendly the city seems to be, I think I probably would have come out sooner. I think I'd probably be living my life lesbian if we lived here. It's nice to see. It's nice to think of it.

Prideline_2023-06-08_1151.mp3

00:21.4

I came out in 2019. I had quite a good experience but coming to Sydney it's really diverse here and I'm really loving it compared to some of the other places that I've been. Thanks for having us.

Prideline_2023-06-08_1736.mp3

02:11.1

Hello, I think I always knew. I was 8 years old and I was at my school, primary school and just really liking my friend, my best friend. I really liked him and I felt something for him. I told even my parents. I said I really have feelings for this person. Please take me to a doctor. Something must be wrong with me. That that's what I said to my parents and they said no, no, no, we can't take you. Children have it. It will pass. It will pass. I'm 50 years old now. It never did.

So um. Basically, I was born in Germany in Berlin and many children had colourful outfits. Then my parents took me back to Turkey when I was 5 and everything was more like brown and black and more serious and gloom. I didn't like it.

That's why after years, actually. I took all my courage and money and I came to Australia as a student. I was already 29 years old. I established my life here, back and forth. I went to Turkey, but I made this place my country as well. Now, I love it. It's, it's beautiful.

But if I, If I were not gay, would I have done the same journey and come here and learn so much different things, different angles about life? Probably no. I wouldn't have done it. I'm really happy. It was meant to happen, yeah. That's how I feel. I'm happy.

And thank you for actually organising this line and the telephone booth. It gives a little bit privacy actually. Thank you. Bye, bye.

Prideline_2023-06-09_1558.mp3

01:41.1

OK, I'm already I'm a second year PhD student at the University of Sydney and I'm almost 30 year. I just arrived in Sydney in January this year and I felt I belonged to here because I left behind a traumatic past of being a transmitter in China. I have been in HRD for 3 1/2 year and have done some surgery. A part of the surgeries, not not all of them. Really felt Sydney is an inclusive place that I feel supported so much here. I love Sydney at once.

OK, I'm also writing a memoir, titling Living Clients, about my transgender journey in China before I came to Sydney. I read my memoir last night to a large group of people and I feel supported again. I will publish this story one day to let more people about my courage and the power of literature that carried me all along this way to arrive at Sydney and about the treasured relationship with, with my friend here. That is my story. Thank you.

Prideline_2023-06-10_1412.mp3

00:04.0

Hey, Queen.

Prideline_2023-06-10_1556.mp3

00:42.6

It's hard to describe the experience. I fell in love with a girl. She hurt me a lot. She do the violence to me, gaslighting me so that I pay a lot of money and energy to save myself from depression and anxiety. So I decided I would never, I would never fall in love with anyone. That is my story.

Prideline_2023-06-11_1126.mp3

04:15.6

So as a kid, I never really had words for what I was. Um, I had an invisible brother who lived down my left side. And yeah, that sense of being both male and female at once. Um.

This when I was born story. Um, as it's coming out, the doctors like, 'It's a boy. It's a boy!' And the lower half came into view. And he's like, 'Oh, it's a girl.' And yeah, I always had that kind of tension through my life and that sort of story felt like it summed up something of that confusion from the moment that I was born.

And never really knew, kind of, how to take that into the world, and be this sort of complex person that didn't really have space and um, queer communities really, like, androgyny was a thing then. Certainly non binary wasn't.

So, but yeah, a few years ago. Yeah, [inaudible]. And I remember, that it was like in queer places. I was going down to Pride Festival and just put that, drew on my face. Um, and it's like one of the first times I've ever felt myself when I looked in the mirror.

And, um, it was just such a, it was a euphoric feeling of, I'd never realised the kind of dysphoria I felt looking in a mirror. You know, was connected to this sort of sense of, all that kind of confusion of myself which already come out. Not binary at that time, but still, yeah, this, tension, I suppose, of just like, how do I be myself in the world?

And, yeah, it's interesting. I still feel like, you know, like I have, you know, proper nice like hair moustache now, but I still feel like, sometimes I wear it in public at different points. It would be nice to wear it all the time. And I find it really interesting that there isn't more expression of that aspect of nonbinary-ness.

Um. And. Yeah, and I can feel sort of disapproval or I've never felt attacked or I've never had that from people, but but I still have that sense of not entirely being accepted in different spaces and certainly, yeah. Different queer spaces, yes, no.

So that's my little Pride story. But like, I do fucking love it. That's what I, that's what I love. I love expressing myself in that way and I can be all aspects of myself and when I, when I wear a mo. When I just can be this complex, creative aspect and it's not tied to anything I've seen before. It's like, it's just me being myself. So yeah, that's Pride.

Prideline_2023-06-12_1328.mp3

00:11.8

I love having, umm, parents that are LGBTQ

Prideline_2023-06-17_1202.mp3

00:58.9

Hi folks, I am at the Pride Revolution exhibit in the National, in the NSW State Library. It's part of Pride Month and I've just had a walk through with one of the 78ers.

This has been quite an emotional experience both for myself, as a queer trans person, and for the people in my community. It shows me just how much we have to unite in our struggle and fight.

So, during this Pride month, I'll be thinking about you all. Lots of love and solidarity. Love to you all.

Prideline_2023-06-17_1459.mp3

00:32.6

Hi, umm my name is Isabella. I'm 27 and I'm a lesbian. Umm. I guess I thought I should call because I finally met the girl that I think I want to marry and she's currently away overseas for a couple of months. But I'm about to go and see her. And it just felt like the right time to say it. Thanks.

Prideline_2023-06-19_1150.mp3

01:02.4

I was watching Even Cowgirls Get the Blues last night. And I was thinking about how important the iconography of Cowgirls was in my upbringing. As a queer girl growing up in the country, I didn't know it's significant back then. Feeling like an outsider, like an outlaw, like, the dangerous woman. And yeah, it's not until I'm in my 30s that I realised how big a part of my identity being queer is. And I feel really lucky and proud to finally be able to express that and maybe even live loudly as a cowgirl.

Prideline_2023-06-22_1125.mp3

00:45.1

Thank you for this exhibition. Me and my partner really liked it. We are in an age gap relationship and it's been quite a trek, but it's really worth it.

Yeah, I agree. And I think it was really helpful to see the amount of history, particularly coming from America and seeing the stories of people in Sydney, which are unique to themselves but also overlap a lot with some of the things that we see in my country. And it was really nice to be able to connect with those stories.

Bye ,love you.

Prideline_2023-06-22_1253.mp3

00:23.7

We're two girls from Canberra, um, who come from very strict Catholic families. And we met in high school and the, you know, the rest of the journey is kind of history now. It's, um, it's just really hard for both of us to come out.

Prideline_2023-06-30_1915.mp3

00:07.6

Just queer and happy to be here. Love you.

Prideline_2023-06-30_2046.mp3

00:41.3

Hi, my name is Sarah. I moved to Sydney, Australia in 2015. At the time I was dating, I almost got engaged to a man and I come from (?) Muslim background, which notoriously is a very conservative Muslim background.

But I found Trikone in Australia, a South Asian LGBT group who helped me through my entire journey and I'm very happy to have had not one but two amazing partners since I moved to the city. I am happy to share my story.

Prideline_2023-06-30_2049.mp3

01:08.4

Hi, my name is Shiva Deshmukh born in India. I grew up in India. Came to Australia for a better life. Left India when it was illegal to be queer.

Have been here 10 years now. I've been able to build a life that I never dreamed of. Volunteered with a number of organisations, worked with First Nations communities and been on the board of a not for profit that supports queer South Asians.

But more importantly living the life that I did not even dream of that this land has given me this opportunity. Started my own business now six months in and here for the first time at the State Library for the queer stories show.

Way inspiring and, and, and humbling and, and grateful for the life that I have here. And came across this Pride Line. So that I'll leave my story as late. Given me so much. Thank you.

Prideline_2023-06-10_121213.mp3

00:23.0

Hi, just wanted to say thank you for this experience. I really enjoyed it and I hopefully I can do it again.

It'll be a great time to explore about my sexuality and about my pride. And it was just a really great time to talk to you guys, to see it and talk to you. OK, thank you. Bye.

Prideline_2023-06-10_121215.mp3

00:58.0

Hi, I'm Lex Tan. Founder and owner of Lex Tan Visual Graphic Arts Studio. As a queer gay artist, I'd like to thank this Pride Line for the hard work I've done for the graphics team, and my graphics pictures that I've created for the LGBTQIA group.

And to be honest, I am grateful that this project I did inspires me as being a queer gay. And I'm proud to be queer gay, actually. And I love it. But except I want to thank my group for organising this outing and to thank everyone for organising everything for me.

Thank you and have a good weekend and I'll see you guys shortly. Take care. Bye, bye.

Prideline_2023-06-13_1158.mp3

00:37.0

Hey, I just wanted to share my story as part of the State Library LGBTQI collection. I came out in 2007. And my European Egyptian father said to me you got to come over for lunch so we can meet your new partner. And I went over for lunch and dad kept on feeding us and Mum just cried the whole time. But they've embraced my partner and our children. So that's my story. Thank you.