NATIONAL NEWS
Latest LGBTIQ national news from Australia
Beetrooter tells flasher Katie Hopkins: Pack your bongo!
Australian Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce this morning joined calls for quarantine flasher and far-right British media celebrity Katie Hopkins to leave the country. Reminiscing about his role in the Johnny Depp Scottish Terrier saga, the Beetrooter said Hopkins should “Pack your bongo and get out of the country.” Katie Hopkins video at end of …
Sandra Pankhurst, The Trauma Cleaner, passes away
Sandra Pankhurst, the subject of Sarah Krasnostein’s book The Trauma Cleaner, has died in Melbourne. Aged in her late 60s, Sandra suffered from a pulmonary condition before her death. Sarah Krasnostein’s award-winning biography bought Sandra Pankhurst’s amazing story to the public in 2018. Sandra described herself as a transgender woman “adopted into an abusive family, forced …
NAIDOC Week with Felicia Foxx and much more on TikTok
TikTok this year celebrates NAIDOC Week by highlighting the diverse cultures and people of Australia’s Indigenous community. TikTok’s dedicated NAIDOC Week Hub is a week-long programming initiative to elevate First Nations creators and content. Among the highlights, Jessica Mauboy will perform live while there’ll be a spotlight on proud Gamilaroi and Dunghutti Sistergirl Felicia Foxx. …
Eloise Monaghan sells Honey Birdette to Playboy for $443m
Playboy last week spent $443,000,000 to buy lingerie and sex toy company Honey Birdette. Eloise Monaghan and then-girlfriend Janelle Barboza founded the label in Brisbane in 2006. Eloise Monaghan said the inspiration for the brand came from her first-ever visit to a Brisbane sex store. Out shopping for a hen’s party gift, she encountered a …
Just over half of gay and lesbian Aussies say they trust police, ABS finds
The Australian Bureau of Statistics has released new data showing gay, lesbian and bisexual Australians trust police, the justice system and the healthcare system less than straight folk. The ABS spent four months last year conducting their General Social Survey for 2020. From June to September, they surveyed a range of Australians on a variety …
Researchers call for Aussie LGBTQ+ Christians to share experiences
Are you a Christian who is attracted to people of the same gender as yourself? Would you like to participate in a study aiming to understand your experience of Christianity? This study aims to explore the impact of Christian positions on homosexuality on people’s beliefs about their own sexuality. It will ask questions about your …
Almost half of Australians say they wouldn’t date a bisexual
Nearly half of Australians wouldn’t date someone who openly identifies as bisexual, the ABC has found in its new Australia Talks survey. For the big survey, the ABC reached out to 60,000 Australians to get their opinions on all sorts of topics. Hosts Annabel Crabb and Nazeem Hussain presented the results in a TV special …
Hobart street art celebrates Tasmania’s LGBTIQA+ history
Hobart civic dignitaries joined LGBTIQA+ community representatives last month to unveil street art celebrating Tasmania’s LGBTIQA+ history. Hobart Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds, and former Lord Mayor Rob Valentine, joined members of the LGBTIQA+ communities for the unveiling of a signal box painted by local artist Katelyn Geard. Scenes commemorating significant milestones in LGBTIQA+ Tasmanian history …
Push for Australia to follow UK’s new policy for gay blood donors
Australia’s blood donation authorities should follow the lead of their UK counterparts and lift blanket bans on gay men donating blood, LGBTIQ advocates say. On Monday, the UK began new blood donation rules assessing the risk of donors individually. The new policy replaces blanket restrictions on gay and bisexual men. Under the rules, male donors …
Greens senator Janet Rice slams ‘ridiculous’ trans blood donation rules
Greens senator Janet Rice has lashed “ridiculous” blood donation rules affecting Australian transgender women with male partners. In Australia, our Lifeblood donation service makes men who have sex with other men wait three months after sexual activity to donate blood. Transgender men and women must also wait three months after sex with a male or …
93% of Australian students hear homophobic language at school
New Australian research has found alarming rates of homophobic language and harassment in schools, with students reporting teachers rarely intervene. Jacqueline Ullman is an Associate Professor in Adolescent Development, Behaviour and Wellbeing at Western Sydney University. Her new study Free2Be … Yet? surveyed Australian high school students identifying as LGBTQ+ diverse. The report surveyed 2,376 …
Important message on LGBTQ Domestic Violence Awareness Day
The right to live a life free from domestic violence and abuse is a person’s most basic human right. But for many LGBTQ people, it is sadly not a reality. More than half of LGBTQ people will experience some form of domestic, family or intimate partner violence or abuse in their lifetime. But most victims …
Billionaire backing Israel Folau rugby league comeback
In an ad on the front page of today’s Courier-Mail, billionaire Clive Palmer calls for the return of Israel Folau to rugby league. The paper reports the pair will front a joint press conference today where they will announce plans for a Folau rugby league comeback. Update Later today, Palmer pledged at the press conference …
LGBTQIA+ social media ‘happy spaces’ need further work
A report by researchers from Western Sydney University explores how sexuality and gender-diverse young people used social media platforms during COVID-19. The researchers also made recommendations to ensure better support for LGBTQIA+ people online. The report found that homes were at times difficult spaces for LGBTQIA+ people during lockdown. However, young people largely used this time …
Brendan Pang shows us Snapchat lenses in time for IDAHOBIT Day
Brendan Pang has teamed up with Minus18 and Snapchat to launch Snapchat Lenses. The release of the series of augmented reality lenses is timed to coincide with IDAHOBIT 2021. Perth-based cook Brendan Pang came out after appearing on Masterchef Australia in 2018. He also appeared on the show in 2020. Brendan said the lenses celebrate …
IKEA flying the Progress Pride Flag for IDAHOBIT DAY 2021
IKEA Australia will fly the Progress Pride Flag tomorrow to commemorate IDAHOBIT Day 2021. The move follows earlier innovations for the company’s ‘Progress is Made’ campaign. IKEA will also offer rainbow-coloured receipts and shopping bags on IDAHOBIT Day 2021. Last year, the company introduced gender-neutral toilets into their Australian stores. The company website states IKEA …
Much loved Doc Q Fiona Bisshop passes torch to Dr Rhys Young
Much loved Doc Q Fiona Bisshop passes the torch this month to Dr Rhys Young. Dr Bisshop began penning her regular column for QNews almost a dozen years ago. In addition to becoming our longest surviving columnist, she’s also been one of the most loved and respected. My dear readers, Can you believe I’ve been …
Dawn Fraser sets record straight on lesbian rumours at age 83
Olympic great Dawn Fraser addressed decades-long rumours about her sexuality in an interview with the Courier-Mail this weekend. Dawn Fraser One of Australia’s best ever swimmers and greatest Olympians, Dawn Fraser won four Olympic and six Commonwealth Games gold medals. She won individual gold medals for the same event at three consecutive Olympics. Only two …
Transgender Day of Visibility: Hobart Council flies trans pride flag for first time
The Hobart City Council is flying the transgender pride flag from Hobart Town Hall for the first time this week to celebrate Transgender Day of Visibility on Wednesday (March 31). The Trans Day of Visibility has occurred on March 31 since 2009. The aim of the day is to celebrate the lives and achievements of …
Tom the Whistleblower outed over outing parliamentary wanker
Earlier today, Channel 9 newspapers outed the gay man who calls himself Tom the Whistleblower over his outing of Canberra’s gay parliamentary wanker. The self-titled whistleblower shared images with the media of the parliamentary wanker masturbating. Tom the Whistleblower We all know politics is full of wankers. And lots of people film themselves masturbating. Indeed, …
Gay Aussies blast petition to rename Golden Gaytime ice-cream
Scores of gay Australians have signed counter-petitions to oppose a Melbourne man’s call to rename iconic Australian ice-cream brand Golden Gaytime. Gay Melbourne man Brian Mc launched the Change.org petition this month. He’s directing the petition to manufacturer Streets and parent company Unilever. Mc described the name of the ice cream, created in 1959 when …
Credlin alleges gay orgies & rent boys in Parliament House
With conservative political forces in disarray following recent allegations of rape and sexual impropriety, Peta Credlin last night added gay sex into the salacious mix. Tony Abbott’s former chief of staff alleged that Liberal staffers held gay sex orgies in Parliament House. Further, she claimed a former minister invited rent boys to his ministerial office. …