Round Two 2022 Grant Recipients

Left of Centre

‘Left of centre’ can be defined as ‘different’, ‘not of the same opinion of most who just follow others’ and that sums up perfectly of who will be showcased in this variety night. This event will be effervescent, colourful, (think queer care bear vibes) and overloaded with HEART.  ‘A very Queer Christmas- Left of Centre’ this year on December 8, at Meraki Arts Bar, followed by two shows programmed for the Pride Amplified Festival, as part of World Pride 2023.

I Want it That Gay (queer cabaret)

I Want it That Gay is a comedic cabaret featuring popular music hits from the 1990’s and 2000’s – with a rainbow twist. The show sheds light, humour and darkness on the challenges of growing up with starkly heteronormative music, popstars and paradigms. 

The work encourages the queer community to dream of an upbringing filled with pop culture that is not limited to hetronormativity or cis-gendered bodies. The 90’s are not short of heternomative narratives and pop songs that deny our existence; but you can’t be what you can’t see. The work acknowledges the different childhood experiences of closeted gay kids, desperate to find a song, haircut or role model that they can relate to. The themes and experiences are universal and connect with audiences from all backgrounds, whilst presenting a quintessential Australian perspective.

Drag King History Australia: Behind the Zip

Drag King History Australia: Behind the Zip is a legacy project that acknowledges and celebrates the history and practice of Drag King performance in Australia. The project is an exhibition of Drag King History to be presented at Chrissie Cotter gallery in Camperdown, from February 16th to March 5th 2023 as part of WorldPride Arts, the Sydney WorldPride curated arts program. It will consist of: a curated free exhibition of photographs and posters from archival materials and photographic collections, video art, object installations and a visual timeline. A visual timeline will also be serrated and will be activated by QR Codes that will link to a website where a collection of interviews of national Drag Kings from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, NT, and Perth will be accessible.

There will also be a Drag King performance night, a panel discussion featuring past and current performers in an intergenerational conversation about their craft in envisioning, creating and presenting cross-gendered performance, as well as a discussion on creating spaces for Drag Kings, as well as performer workshops.

Commission for Out & Loud & Proud anthem

The funds from this Lesbian Incorporated grant will be used to contribute to the commissioning fee for Jazz Money (they/them) to write lyrics for the Out & Loud & Proud anthem.  The anthem will be the theme song of the international Out & Loud & Proud choral festival which will bring together 500 singers from around Australia and world.  The festival takes place from 19 to 23 February in Sydney and is part of Sydney WorldPride.  The anthem will be learnt, rehearsed and sung by the 500-strong choir, and premiered at the festival gala concert on 23 February at Sydney Town Hall.

It is important to us that as well as bringing people together to give LGBTIQA+ a voice and a sense of community, this also be an opportunity to showcase the talents of LGBTIQA+ musicians, workshop presenters, performers and composers.  There is a large First Nations component to the festival.  We are pleased to have selected Jazz Money, who is a Wiradjuri woman and lesbian, as lyricist for the festival anthem. 

Australian Lesbian Grandmothers Anthology

Just a Gran Havin’ a Splendid Time: An Australian Lesbian Grandmothers Anthology, as the title suggests, is a book written by lesbian grandmothers about their experiences and feelings, sometimes joyous and at other times sad, about being lesbian grandmothers to the children of their biological children or their lesbian partners’ children.

The topic of Lesbian Grandmothers is something that has never been written about or otherwise acknowledged by the lesbian or broader Australian community. Following on from the Lesbian Mothers political movement in the 1970s and 1980s these mothers are now grandmothers with stories to tell about this mostly joyous and sometimes demanding as well as the occasional sad aspects of  being related to and taking on the responsibilities of being a Lesbian Grandmother to the next generation. 

Soul Sister

The grant will help cover the running cost for Soul Sister and other social event activities. Soul Sister will run a story-sharing workshop that are held monthly. It is a safe inclusive space especially for those who are newly out to find their support network. With the aim to help each other rise higher and raise awareness to look after our mental health (especially during/post pandemic).

Some of the funds will also go towards supporting this social event which is also equally important to foster connection. Having a circle of friends who accept you as who you are is one way to support improving our mental health.

outLOUD First Nations LGBTIQA+SB Story Project

The outLOUD First Nations LGBTIQA+ Story and Writing Project is starting through a series of podcasts sharing personal and professional experiences of First Nations LGBTIQA+SB inviting and encouraging people to share their stories and gain confidence to share and tell their stories. We are seeking support towards the ongoing costs associated with producing consistently high quality podcasts.

Geelong Pride Film Festival – Lesbian Shorts

The Geelong Pride Film Festival (GPFF) screens LGBTIQA+ themed feature films, short films and documentaries in Geelong and online as part of an inclusive film festival and associated one-off screenings. 

Their grant from Lesbians Incorporated will support a package of lesbian short films as part of its 2023 festival. This package will showcase a diverse range of lesbian short films from around the world, with an emphasis on including films that are uplifting and celebrate our diversity. 

Picabeen Safe Space

Picabeen Safe Space is an established drop-in program that supports LGBTQIA+ young people and allies, facilitated by an identified lesbian/queer youth worker. Picabeen Safe Space supports young people to build their skills and connections through the development of teamwork, communication, resilience and education on issues that impact the community.

Groups explore health and wellbeing topics in terms of mental health and healthy relationships, and assistance they can access through peer support from other group members and the qualified youth worker that facilitates the group. Picabeen understands the impact young people’s social network has on their health and wellbeing, leading to important education surrounding their safety through friendships and respectful relationships.

Stride with Pride’ – 5km Program

This project aims to improve the health and well-being of lesbians through participation in a weekly walking/running group. The group will be led by a qualified running coach. Taking place at Camperdown Oval (Sydney) which is easily accessible by public transport and has street parking available nearby. The program will run for six consecutive weeks and the group will conclude their program by participating in Sydney Frontrunners ‘Stride with Pride’ event that is part of World Pride Festival in late February 2023. 

Each session will be one hour in length and will gradually build upon each participant’s individual fitness level. Sessions will include mobilisation and activation exercises to warm up and prepare for activity, walk/runs, followed by a cool down and stretching exercises.  We will create an environment that is inclusive, positive and friendly to ensure all participants feel valued and supported.

memory film: a filmmaker’s diary’

‘memory film: a filmmaker’s diary’ is a poetic documentary based on Jeni Thornley’s Super 8 archive (1974-2003), filmed during the decades of her personal and political filmmaking, while producing ‘Maidens’, ‘To the Other Shore’, ‘Island Home Country’ and the collaborative feature ‘For Love or Money’. Documenting the activism of three decades, amidst the intense sexual politics of radical feminism and social change, ‘memory film’ is a road movie of an inner journey of liberation – gender fluidity, utopian lesbian separatism, love and its tribulations, the pleasure and pain of motherhood, violence against women and the desire for a world free of war and colonising. It is an experiential, lyrical film expressing cinema’s power, not in an ‘issue’ based way, but with a poetic sensibility via images and music, as in silent cinema. Accompanied by a unique music score, with no speaking voices, narration or interviews, the film offers an immersive experience into radical politics and the dynamic interplay between the personal and the political – transforming lives.

The Kings of Joy Drag King Workshop

The Kings of Joy Drag King Workshop project will be 1 day filled with various workshops presented by industry professionals. Participants will move around different rooms that will each feature a different workshop. These workshops will include: Drag King makeup, costume construction, social media presence, setting yourself up to win and how to do the admin side of performing as a Drag Kings, plus Drag King Mastery with Sexy Galexy

This workshop will be the first of its kind in Sydney and will be a trial as we hope to make this workshop a regular offering for our community. This workshop has been asked for repeatedly by members of the drag king community. There is a demand for upskilling and community development as spaces like this are rarely offered for drag kings. 

An Ex in Provence short film

Sofia Chapman’s short story ‘An Ex in Provence’ was published in the anthology ‘One Surviving Story’ in 2020. Sofia has developed a plan to turn the story into a short film. The film will use virtual French backdrops, footage from past trips, original drawings, montages and dioramas. This will work well with the internal nature of the workings of the minds of each character, how they although in love, each have secret plans and solo desires of self-actualisation, one of them wanting to transition from female to male.

She Loves Her

She Loves Her is a organisation that supports women who are discovering their same sex attraction later in life. It’s the only program like it in Australia, and is tailored for women 35 and over with a focus on regional and rural women.

10 week course that supports women who are discovering their same sex desire later in life. It is a supportive group process where these women can come to terms with themselves and their desires in a safe and comfortable environment. It also allows them to build community and reduce isolation, while also receiving mental health support, sexual health information, and a better understand both themselves and wider lesbian culture. It addresses both the structural and personal forces that result in later in life awareness of queerness, and it creates a pathway forward to loving and dating women, and becoming part of the queer community.