Living loud in Tassie

Everything you do feels like a flashing sign that might attract homophobic attention, and yet you also feel lost in the crowd when you don’t have a local LGBTQ+ community. It feels powerful to build up the courage and go out wearing a rainbow pin or defy gender norms while you do your shopping. It's also terrifying when you’ve seen the transphobia a local shop owner puts on Facebook. I love Tasmania with all my heart, and for a long time, my heart broke at the idea that I’d have to leave our island behind to live openly and feel like I belonged.

These things send a huge thrill to the child I was once, who never thought I could be accepted in Tasmania. They send a message that we belong here in Tasmania as much as anyone else. I also know that the challenges I face exist side by side with privilege – of being white, AngloCeltic, middle class, and university educated – and I can use that privilege to not only stand up for myself, but fight for continued change. That is why I strive to overcome my fears (no easy feat, thanks generalised anxiety disorder) and embrace living in rural Tassie while striving for each new step in a positive direction for LGBTQ+ Tasmanians.

If you’d like to find a place to start, then check the inclusive businesses list at the back of RedThread or online at SignPost.org.au and give them your patronage.