Queering The Air

Lachy Siu is a freelance graphic designer and art direction. He focuses on print, branding and UX Design. In 2017, he was shortlisted for the “Cornish Family Prize for Art and Design Publishing” and the “Australian Photo Book of the Year”. Lachy has undertaken projects for the Sydney Opera House, Kaldor Arts and also owns Etcetera Press.

Iris is joined by Timmah Ball and Azja Kulpińska who talk about the launch of volume 2 of their zine Wild Tongue. Azja and Timmah talk to many issues including their experiences of unpaid labour, zine production and some of the contributors to the zine.Wild Tongue Vol. 2 – How Should an Artist Be? is launching on the 19th of May at Southbank Library from 2-4pm. There is also a  zine workshop at 5:30pm at the same venue on the 16th  of May.

Iris is joined by Fatima and Nidaa to talk about Palestine, pinkwashing and solidarity, including the Boycott, Sanctions and Divestment movement.Links to mentioned things in interview:Dean Spade's Pinkwashing Exposed: Seattle Fights Back!WHERE ARE WE HEADING? Q and A for the Racialised & Criminalised: Video 1, Video 2.May 1st solidarity demoNakba, protest, May 19  

Iris is joined in the studio by Emma Russell and Miranda Gibson to talk police and prison abolition. Emma has written extensively on criticisms of the police in criminology. Miranda is a part of the LGBTIQ+ prisoner support newsletter, Inside Out. They both are part of the Abolitionist and Transformative Justice Centre (ATJC).Here's some links to things mentioned in the podcast. You can find more information and a petition to change the Penpal ban in Victoria here. You can support CJ Palmer here. You can find out about about Sisters Inside's Imagining Abolition conference here. You can find Flat Out here.

Our special guest: Marisa Wikramanayake is a published author, a freelance journalist, a reputed editor and also a committee member of MEAA. We talk about queerness in Colombo (Sri Lanka), the idea of "coming out", writing, Sri Lanka's publishing industry, fan fiction in the Internet's early days, freelancing and the label "Writer". 

Tiara focuses on creative arts, media, technology, games and community culture. She explores ideas around community, identity, liminality, belonging and social justice. She has been involved in a large range of organisations and causes in the US, Australia and Malaysia. Do not ask her the question: "Where are you from?" as any possible response is "deeply insufficient". She is currently based in Melbourne but open to possibilities from any corner of the globe. Tiara's Website: http://creatrixtiara.com/#creatrixtiaracomFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/cxtiara/Twitter: https://twitter.com/creatrixtiaraTumblr: https://notyourexrotic.tumblr.com/ Events:Noble Savage Book Club https://www.facebook.com/events/926138334221123/Day of Action - Don't frack Aboriginal Land Rights! Melbourne https://www.facebook.com/events/169918303580315/ Stolenwealth Games: http://www.3cr.org.au/news/stolenwealth-games-project-fundraising-merchandise 

We reflect on tack-ons to Acknowledgements of Countries, criticism of mainstream feminism for International Women's Day and changes to Visas for migrants. We then review two films for the Melbourne Queer Film Festival which is on the 15th to 26th of March: Signature Move and Saturday Church.You can find more information on submissions for the trans and gender diverse Myriad Collective's next art and performance showcase 'Transpire'  here.

Iris speaks and reads some excerpts from Trap Door, a book that explores the problems of trans visibility in a time of heightened anti-trans violence and marginalisation, especially to poor / and trans women of colour. They talk about problems with the cop, Liberal and corporate friendly pride march of the Midsumma festival. They also read from Sherronda J. Brown's 'Romance is Not Universal, Nor is it Necessary', in relation to Valentine's day (also the day Captain Cook was killed). She reads a call out for people to protest the Stolenwealth Games. She plays audio from the Queer Provocations conference in 2016 in relation to the constraints on non-normative queer experimentation in a moment of of increased housing costs and austerity. She also plays audio of Juliana Huxtable interviews with Still Nomads in 2017.

We hear from the protest defending the Ascot Vale public housing estate, chat to Racerage (Mini) "an emerging politi-cute queer post-internet rapper based on Wurundjeri country," #AbolishAustraliaDay and a little more.You can find more info supporting future action at Public Housing Defence NetworkShare around the Invasion day rally!

We talk about milo yiannopoulos and the protest against him in Flemington, thoughts on the marriage bill passing, Rihanna's comment on trans women, highlights from previous shows earlier in the year, and upcoming events. 

Emily Castle is a writer whose work has been published in New Matilda, un magazine and Philament Journal. Emily first studied Sculpture and Spatial Practice at the Victorian College of the Arts and later Australian Indigenous Studies at the University of Melbourne. She is a member of Undercurrent Community Education Project, where she facilitates workshops around challenging and preventing gendered violence, and is currently a volunteer with the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Service (NATSILS). Emily has previously undertaken internships in policy development at SNAICC - National Voice for Our Children and at the Aboriginal Legal Service in Redfern, as well as volunteering at the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre and the Youth Referral and Independent Person Program. She also collaboratively runs open feminist collective brainlina. brainlina.comHoney – Kehlani from the 2017 Single HoneySOS – Kelela from 2017 album Take Me ApartFantasy feat Dugong Jr – Miss Blanks from 2017 EP Diary of a

This show features recordings of Lauren Caulfield, Kirra Voller and Anthony Kelly at the Undercurrent Frameworks for Accountability Panel. Undercurrent focuses on education regarding healthy relationships, and transformative justice. You can find and support Undercurrent at www.undercurrentvic.com."Lauren CaulfieldLauren is a community organiser whose work focuses on interpersonal and state-based gender violence and community-based responses to violence. She has worked in the area of gendered and intimate partner violence in both community and agency settings for about 15 years, in community accountability responses and violence prevention, refuge and crisis support work and advocacy, and later in training and research. Her research centres on community-based interventions to violence, intersections between interpersonal and state-sanctioned violence (including the violence of the prison industrial complex) and the nexus of racialised and gendered violence. Lauren worked (with a collective of g

Frankie reads poems by Aisyah Shah Idil: The Naming, Allison Gallagher: Parenthetical Bodies and Emily Crocker: Girls and Buoyant which are new chapbooks published through Sydney-run independent literary organisation Subbed In. Subbed In, based in Sydney, is an independent literary organisation which aims to provide support for new and underrepresented voices as well as help emerging writers to achieve publication or performance.  Lucille Bogan, “B.D. Woman Blues”, recorded in 1935.Janis Ian, "At Seventeen", 1975 album Between the Lines. Akihiro Miwa, "Song of the Black Lizard", written for the 1968 Fantasy/Thriller Black Lizard directed by Kinji Fukasaku.June Millington, "Right Time", 1981 album Heartsong.Arthur Russell, "Me For Real", 1994 album Another Thought.June Millington, "All That You Need",1983 album Running. Tracy Chapman, "Crossroads",1989 album of Crossroads.Kelela, "Take Me Apart", 2017 album Take Me Apart.

We hear from Bea, a member of Undercurrent. We have a wide ranging discussion about intimate violence which occurs in 1/3 of relationships in LGBTIQ+ communities: from 'love is love', the monster myth, beyond the necessity of consent, violence against women, to systems of oppression and prison abolition.*There is a mention of Reina Gosset on tbe extraction of black trans poor disabled life underpinning the creation of David France's 'fi'lm', The Life and Death of Marsha P Johnson.Events mentioned:Bahdoesa Tote TakeoverCocoa Butter ClubTwo steps on the water with boats launch

Dawn is a queer trans woman of Thai background, an illustration student and occasional poet. In her creative works and in studies she has been drawn to grapple with various feminisms, oppressions and identities salient to herself and her loved ones - among them transmisogyny, queerphobia, and racism. She dreams of building a career around creative and performance art outreach, education, therapy, and protest around the social justice issues closest to her. Dawn has been on the show before when Thanh Hằng was a host, and whose poetry (as Xen Nha) really helped Dawn find her own voice.We had a track from Yelris, who performed at TRANSTRVAGANZA organised by Myriad Collective last weekend. Yelris is a Queer Person of Colour - they are a genderfluid Electronic musician who performs instrumental and spoken word over music to explore their gender and cultural identity. Yelris is a child of asylum seekers stemming back from the Vietnam War, identifying as diasporic cantonese chinese. Hold the line is a song about res

We hear from Claire from PO PO MO CO (post post modern comedy), a 'debauched queer comedy troupe' about their show in Fringe. We then hear from Zakaria about TRANSTRAVAGANZA, involving 5 talented trans and gender diverse artists. We then hear Mary Tomsic, who co-wrote an article entitled 'Marriage Stinks' in Overland, discussing the need to be critical while supporting the 'yes campaign' for same gender marriage. There's also a shout out to the event Strength in Visions at Fringe. 

Iris talks to Mama Alto about her upcoming performance, Exquisite, at the National Theatre, plus a few of her Fringe projects, Church, and Transcendent. The campaign for Justice for Elijah is foregrounded #JusticeforElijah. See details of where you can't donate here.Iris interviews Simona Castricum on ageism and exclusion in the queer community, and a discussion about trans women in sport.

Iris is joined in the studio by Zen who talks about the new Buffalo Gals club night, a QTIPOC run  femme and gnc-focused hip hop, old school rnb & trap! every thursday @ Hugs&Kisses.Iris then talks to Shane from Housing for the Aged Action Group who talks about the importance of understanding age and ageism in relation to queerness, class and more.Iris then reads from an action in the US, where the POC and Black led #NoJusticeNoPride group shut down WashingtonDC's Pride parade because its ties to corporate sponsors, police, racism and oppressive structures.

Iris interviews Chi Tran, a writer and artist, currently based in Narrm Melbourne. They produced a poetry / prosody work, entitled 'I occupy space, which is to say, i am always grieving'. You can find their publication at the Incedium Radical Library. We touch on what their work means to them, writing influences, and more. Also mentioned:https://www.facebook.com/alteritycollective/ 

We broadcast a conversation with Robbie Ahmed, author of "How I learned to Handle Boundaries and Found Self-Worth as a Queer South Asian Torn Between Cultures" on Gaylaxy Magazine.A brief intro: "Robbie Ahmed is a South Asian transman working as the Men's Sexual Health Coordinator at Alliance for South Asian AIDS Prevention (ASAAP) where he runs support programs for queer South Asian men. He uses his experience growing up in Russia, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, and Toronto to help queer South Asians reconcile their queerness and cultural identity." (http://www.gaylaxymag.com/author/rahmed/)Our conversation touches on a few topics including themes of the West's universality recreating marginalisation & invisibility and living & being a queer person in South Asian cultures and places with contexts.We also read an excerpt from an article written by the Black trans woman artist Star Ah Mer Ah Su, who recently visited the occupied lands of Australia from the US. Article:https://i-d.vice.com/en_us/article/prescription