Call Me By My Name Project | A Trans Oral History Podcast

In this interview, Ryan & I are incredibly honored to travel to Carlton to interview Brenda Appleton. In 2015, Brenda was appointed as co-chair of the Victorian Government’s LGBTI Taskforce. In 2016 she was appointed to the Victorian Mental Health Expert Taskforce. In 2017 Brenda was inducted into the Victorian Honour Roll of Women. In 2018, Brenda received a Victoria Senior of the Year Award. In 2019 Brenda was awarded an Order of Australia Medal. Today Brenda talks incredibly openly with us about her love of art, theatre, bridge, sustainable living, and co-housing. She also shares her gender journey over the last 20 years with us. She speaks of giving family time to catch up to gender affirmation, how community services can better meet the needs of trans and gender diverse youth, the importance of end of life planning for transgender people, and providing hope for those that are coming behind. For further supports please check out our website at callmebymynameproject.com

In this episode, Lee and Ryan spend time with Amao, a proud Fa'afafine who uses the pronouns she/her/diva. Amao talks about the importance of cultural identity, her advocacy work, self-acceptance, love, shifts in language, and laying the foundations for future generations of trans and gender diverse folk. She generously shares her experiences and insights with us, and does so with both humor and grace. Just a note on audio: this conversation was recorded in a cafe, so there is a bit of background noise. We've done our best to minimize it, but you might need to turn the volume up for this episode!

In this episode, Lee & Ryan meet Frank at the Northcote Library on a Sunny Melbourne day. Frank speaks of their life long passion for drawing, comics, and zines, and shares the meaning of their Frankenstein tattoo and it’s relationship to Frank’s very own journey. We discuss their involvement with 3CR’s Queering the Air radio show where they interview artists with a focus on queerness, disability, and marginalization. And much much more on Frank’s episode today of Call Me By My Name.Please rate and review on iTunes. For additional supports check out callmebymynameproject.com

Lee and Ryan head to Swinburne University's queer room to meet Jodie, who is 20 years old and uses she/her pronouns. Jodie shares her experiences growing up in Coffs Harbour, and later Wangaratta, before moving to Melbourne by herself to attend university in 2017. We talk about what it's like visiting Wangaratta since transitioning, gender euphoria, young adult fantasy literature, finding and building community, and coming out in the workplace.

In this episode, Lee and Ryan head to Northcote to meet Tara, who uses she/her pronouns. Among other things, Tara speaks to us about moving to Australia from a small town near Copenhagen, stencil art and rock-climbing, restrictive gender norms and undermining them, pronouns and visibility, how things have shifted since she came out 14 years ago, class, chosen family, and the importance of sharing job-seeking skills and knowledge, and improving access to employment for trans people.

In today’s episode Lee & Ryan travel to Zakaria and Caroline’s beautiful home in Footscray that they share with their two cats. Zakaria and Caroline generously share their story of their love and relationship with us, which is often comedic but always tender. They speak about growing up in big families, the importance of carving out time to do nice things together, like traveling, watching Netflix, going on drives together, and listening to podcasts and harry potter books. Zakaria discusses the seemingly sudden decision to begin HRT and the ways in which the people around him have loved and supported him to experiment with his identity. Both, Caroline and Zakaria discuss the the importance of nurturing the relationships you have with the important people around you. For additional support please check out our website at callmebymynameproject.com

In this episode, Lee and I chat with Sage (they/them) at their lovely plant-filled house in Ascot Vale, and get to meet their super sweet dalmation. Sage speaks to us about growing up in Lebanon, going to an all-girls Catholic private school in Melbourne, the pressures to conform to strict gender norms, and working for Australia's largest youth-driven LGBTIQA+ organization (minus 18). They also talk about experiencing being trans as a gift, undergoing second puberty at the age of 27, their love of camping and being outdoors, and their connection to place.

Welcome to Season #2 of the Call Me By My Name Project | A Trans Oral History Project, hosted by Ryan (They/Them) & Lee (They/Them).

Lee & Ryan introduce Season One of The Call Me By My Name Project: A Trans Oral History Music throughout by 90s Flav. To find more on 90sFlav check out the following links:

Lee and Ryan sit down with Maddie, a 28yr old trans woman who uses she/her pronouns. She talks about growing up in Adelaide, trans representation in the media, live music, visibility, reinvention and living authentically, and how crucial community is. Also included are shout-outs to Fitzroy North and Meetup.com. Lee learns not to put Ryan in charge of the technical side of recording, but they work through it and Ryan is invited back next time. Music throughout by 90s Flav. To find more on 90sFlav check out the following links:

Lee and Ryan meet Dorian, an artist and writer from Melbourne who uses he/him and they/them pronouns. Among other things, they talk about videogames, the importance of community spaces for older trans folks, barriers to accessing appropriate healthcare, the possibilities for playing with identity that Live Action Role Playing offers and carving out a queer-inclusive space in pagan and witchcraft communities. The three also reflect on shared experiences of ‘queer’ as an empowering identifier or quasi-label, and the societal pressure to be 100% certain of one’s identity. Music throughout by 90s Flav. To find more on 90sFlav check out the following links:

Ishaan, a 21-year-old trans man on exchange from Ho Chi Minh, chats with Lee and Ryan in the middle of Parkville (hence the intermittent tram noises!). He shares his experiences of living in Melbourne for the past year, talks about issues facing the trans community in Vietnam, gender-neutral bathrooms, freedom, his love of K-pop, and creative ways of resisting imposed gender roles as a young person. Music throughout by 90s Flav. To find more on 90sFlav check out the following links:

Lee and Ryan sit down with Sam, who uses they/them pronouns, at the Docklands library. Sam is the first dedicated LGBTIQ outreach lawyer in Victoria, and works out of St Kilda legal service. Sam talks about growing up in Perth, student activism at La Trobe, listening to and learning from trans and gender diverse young people, and some of the challenges involved in working in the legal system. They pitch the idea of a communal life admin day, changing lawyers’ titles to the gender-neutral ‘Advocate,’ and tell Lee and Ryan about a particularly moving theatre performance they saw in Sydney earlier this year, called Wild Bore. Music throughout by 90s Flav. To find more on 90sFlav check out the following links:

Frances, who uses she/her pronouns, invites Ryan and Lee into her house to chat about, among other things: birth charts, conspiracy theories, finding chosen family in Melbourne, and finding or hearing your own voice or truth amidst the various and often conflicting messages you’re receiving from your environment and the people around you. Frances also shares her frustration at undergoing voice therapy to recover the voice she used to have, the joy of wearing the clothes you missed out on wearing as a teenager, and how apt it is that she’s a Scorpio – the sign associated with rebirth and transformation. Music throughout by 90s Flav. To find more on 90sFlav check out the following links:

Sav, who uses they/them pronouns, talks to Lee and Ryan about their current PhD research on non-binary identities, what it’s like conducting research on something very close to them, moving to Melbourne from Perth, and concerns about using accessible bathrooms. Sav also discusses the limitations of language when it comes to articulating identities and relationships, and the importance of having the space and taking one’s time to explore one’s identity. Music throughout by 90s Flav. To find more on 90sFlav check out the following links:

Lee and Ryan meet with Emms (she/her), a trans woman who works in IT. Emms talks about her wide range of interests, working and accessing community in Singapore in the mid-2000s, the importance of quality healthcare, the Filipino trans community, and navigating being trans in the workplace. She also emphasizes the importance of affirming all trans experiences, and the necessity of listening and learning. Music throughout by 90s Flav. To find more on 90sFlav check out the following links:

Lee and Ryan meet Erin (he/him) and his gorgeous cat Tribble (not pictured – that’s Boop!) at his place in St Kilda. Erin is, among other things, writer and producer of the Love and Luck Podcast, Australia’s first LGBT audio drama podcast – which is keeping him pretty busy! He talks about growing up in Goulburn and Canberra, how he’s found home in Melbourne, his experiences of previously identifying as genderqueer, being consistently denied access to medical transition for many years, and reflects on how identity can be produced by external social pressures and constraints. Erin also talks about being polyamorous, how for him being trans, being disabled, and being fat are fundamentally intertwined, and the importance of keeping records and archives of trans experiences. Music throughout by 90s Flav. To find more on 90sFlav check out the following links:

Lee and Ryan chat with Esther, who uses he/him pronouns, at his workplace in North Melbourne. Esther shares his experiences working as a union organizer, his involvement in trans-related groups or activities like The Shed and the Gender Agenda radio show on Joy FM, and tells us about the important people in his life. Esther also chats about cats, activism, how going to the gym has been great for his general well-being, and how coming out at work has been an eye-opening experience. Music throughout by 90s Flav. To find more on 90sFlav check out the following links:

Lee and Ryan meet Jay at Oakleigh Public Library on a Monday afternoon during the school holidays. Jay is a non-binary contemporary artist who works with 3D modelling, augmented reality, and has a keen interest in AI ethics. Jay talks to us about their partner and child, the significance of the term ‘queer,’ bi and enby erasure, web comics, intersectional feminism, and the tweet bot they created to troll Donald Trump. Music throughout by 90s Flav. To find more on 90sFlav check out the following links: