Queers

At least, for now. Benjamin and Simon reflect on four years of discussion about queer politics and culture, wondering what’s changed, what we’ve learned, and whether all of this was worthwhile. Thanks everyone for listening and for your support—we’re sure we’ll be back at some point and in some form, so stay tuned.Subscribe (for free!), rate and review Queers on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.Follow Queers on Twitter at @queerspodcast, Instagram at @queerspodcast and Facebook at Queers Podcast.Queers is a Lipp Media podcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Buckle up Sodomites! Sinister Sissies is your gateway to gay true crime, homoerotic horror and all things man-on-man and macabre!Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.Sinister Sissies is a Lipp Media podcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Benjamin took the opportunity of a recent beachside holiday to do some light reading with Sarah Schulman’s book Conflict Is Not Abuse, which Simon read (and loved) a while back. This episode is a discussion of Schulman’s critical, compassionate, and ultimately reparative take on the theme of conflict, the book offering insight into themes that run throughout the discussions of the podcast.Subscribe (for free!), rate and review Queers on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.Follow Queers on Twitter at @queerspodcast, Instagram at @queerspodcast and Facebook at Queers Podcast.Queers is a Lipp Media podcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Each fortnight, hosts Lauren and Alicia delve into a ‘deviant’ woman from history, fiction, mythology and the contemporary world: those who aren’t afraid to break the rules, to subvert the system, to explore, to seek and to challenge the status quo.Deviant Women is recorded in Adelaide, Australia.Listen on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts or Spotify below.Deviant Women is a Lipp Media podcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Israel Folau sacking, campaigns to block far right activists from entering into Australia, the high court decision to uphold the sacking of the public servant Michaela Banerji. Free speech is everywhere in the news at the moment, yet despite it being central to both the politics of Benjamin and Simon we've never done an episode on it. This week we dive in head first. What even is free speech, why do we talk about it so much, and does it matter?Subscribe (for free!), rate and review Queers on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.Follow Queers on Twitter at @queerspodcast, Instagram at @queerspodcast and Facebook at Queers Podcast.Queers is a Lipp Media podcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Simon interviews writer, lecturer and consultant Jarryd Bartle across a range of topics relating to sexual and criminal deviancy, queer and otherwise. Jarryd talks about the uses and limits of the criminal justice system, whether the current focus of queer politics is a useful path to social change, and why he no longer considers himself “queer”.Follow @SinisterSissies on Twitter to listen to Jarryd’s podcast, Sinister Sissies.Subscribe (for free!), rate and review Queers on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.Follow Queers on Twitter at @queerspodcast, Instagram at @queerspodcast and Facebook at Queers Podcast.Queers is a Lipp Media podcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In the second part of our two-part discussion critiquing the role of sex in queer communities and politics, Benjamin and Simon get to the heart of the matter: is sexuality compulsory in queer movements and spaces? And if it isn’t, then what even is queerness?Subscribe (for free!), rate and review Queers on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.Follow Queers on Twitter at @queerspodcast, Instagram at @queerspodcast and Facebook at Queers Podcast.Queers is a Lipp Media podcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Benjamin interviews writer and research Jaya Keaney about her work examining concepts of race in the stories of queer families who conceive kids using reproductive technologies, digging into what it means to re-imagine the queer family in the context of race.‘Grandma, 61, gives birth to own granddaughter so her son and his husband can be dads’, by Sonja Haller.Subscribe (for free!), rate and review Queers on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.Follow Queers on Twitter at @queerspodcast, Instagram at @queerspodcast and Facebook at Queers Podcast.Queers is a Lipp Media podcast See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We talk about sex a lot on the podcast, but what about people who don’t feel so comfortable about it? In the first episode of a two-part discussion challenging the role of sex in queer communities and politics, Benjamin and Simon talk sexual anxieties, how queers might overcome them, and whether that’s something we even want.Subscribe (for free!), rate and review Queers on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.Follow Queers on Twitter at @queerspodcast, Instagram at @queerspodcast and Facebook at Queers Podcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

With the announcement that Australia’s longest-running queer publication has effectively closed its doors, Benjamin and Simon reflect on the value of queer media in an age when queer news is increasingly covered by mainstream publications. The question at the heart of the issue: what do we lose when we lose community-controlled queer publications?‘Star Observer enters voluntary administration and is up for sale’Subscribe (for free!), rate and review Queers on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.Follow Queers on Twitter at @queerspodcast, Instagram at @queerspodcast and Facebook at Queers Podcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Just what the world needs—another Game of Thrones take! But after sharing their thoughts on the end of this TV juggernaut, Benjamin and Simon dig into the episode’s big question: what political responsibility does pop culture have to depict the world in particular ways?‘The Real Reason Fans Hate the Last Season of Game of Thrones’, by Zeynep TufekciSubscribe (for free!), rate and review Queers on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Google Podcasts. Follow Queers on Twitter at @queerspodcast, Instagram at @queerspodcast and Facebook at Queers Podcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Simon interviews community advocate and educator Sally Goldner, discussing Sally’s advocacy for bisexual and trans folk, diversity education inside and outside LGBTIQ communities, and why we’re all so hung up on binaries.Subscribe (for free!), rate and review Queers on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Google Podcasts. Follow Queers on Twitter at @queerspodcast, Instagram at @queerspodcast and Facebook at Queers Podcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In the jumbo-sized Anzac Day episode you didn’t know you wanted, Benjamin and Simon ask why it’s okay to commemorate war in some ways but not others, and wonder what’s really at the heart of these taboos. Plus, a bonus discussion about loneliness and isolation in queer communities for Gay Star News’ Digital Pride.‘‘Lest We Forget!’: Strip club slammed for controversial Anzac-themed ‘women in uniform’ night’, by Stephanie Bedo‘Gay men post Grindr profile pictures from Berlin Holocaust memorial’, by Michael KoziolFor more about Digital Pride, visit Gay Star News.Subscribe (for free!), rate and review Queers on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Google Podcasts. Follow Queers on Twitter at @queerspodcast, Instagram at @queerspodcast and Facebook at Queers Podcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A chat about body image and gay men quickly spins out into a discussion of queer bodies more generally, as Benjamin and Simon ask: what does it mean to look like—or fail to look like—the right kind of queer?Subscribe (for free!), rate and review Queers on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Google Podcasts. Follow Queers on Twitter at @queerspodcast, Instagram at @queerspodcast and Facebook at Queers Podcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Benjamin interviews singer-songwriter Brendan Maclean about his new album And the Boyfriends, digging into the evolution of his music, what it means for gay men to work closely with women, and the complex relationship between queer artists and queer art.And the Boyfriends is available on iTunes, Spotify and Bandcamp: https://brendanmaclean.bandcamp.com/album/and-the-boyfriends.Subscribe (for free!), rate and review Queers on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Google Podcasts. Follow Queers on Twitter at @queerspodcast and Facebook at Queers Podcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Why isn’t sex a bigger part of public discourse around queerness? Looking at a classic essay about the revolutionary potential of gay sex, Benjamin and Simon get filthy and dig into the roles sex can play, in theory and in practice, when it comes to queer politics.‘Cocksucking as an Act of Revolution’, by Charles Shively See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Benjamin and Simon have another crack at figuring out what individuals can do in the face of structural problems, and while the conversation stays on track this time they still end up in the weeds. What’s the relationship between collective action and structural change? And is community-level activism an effective alternative? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Simon interviews journalist Gay Alcorn, discussing recent articles she wrote about violence against women. In her analysis, Gay asks the question: is feminism too narrow a lens through which to examine gender-based violence? ‘It's a false comfort to say the murder and rape of women is caused by sexism’, by Gay Alcorn‘Let’s not use the murders of women to score ideological points’, by Gay Alcorn See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Benjamin and Simon sit down intending to record an episode about what individuals can do in the face of structural problems like homophobia, but an article about violence against women sparks a disagreement between the hosts over the question: to what extent can and should we examine individual participation within broad structures of oppression? It’s the most we’ve ever disagreed! ‘Men of Australia, it's time to pick your side’, by Clementine Ford See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Benjamin and Simon hit the world wide web to talk social media. It comes up a lot on the podcast, but what does social media mean for queer politics in 2019? Is it a place to find community, or is it bringing about community’s end? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On a trip to Port Moresby, Benjamin interviews an advocate with Papua New Guinea’s only queer community organisation, Kapul Champions, to discuss the political priorities for queers in the country, and the impact of LGBTIQ political discourses in Australia.For more information about Kapul Champions, visit: https://rainbowpng.wordpress.com/2016/10/23/group-kapul-champions/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Benjamin and Simon close out 2018 with a look back at its pop culture—what they liked, what they didn’t, and some of their most significant queer touchstones, from Roseanne to Queer Eye to Janelle Monáe. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Queers has made it to 50 episodes! Looking back at almost three years of podcasting, Benjamin and Simon reflect on what the show has meant to them, the combination of events and thinking that has shaped the discussions, and what it means to strive for complexity in queer debates.Subscribe to us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/queerspodcast See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

While traveling in the United Kingdom Simon interviewed the PhD student Annie Kelly. Annie is studying at the University of East Anglia, researching the online anti-feminist groups Return of Kings, A Voice for Men and the Reddit forum Kotaku in Action. Simon and Annie talk about the ideologies and ideas of these groups, their differences and similarities with each other, and the connections between anti-feminist groups and the broader far right. They also discuss Annie’s article in the New York times on ‘tradwives’, a community of women in the United States who advocate for a return to traditional gender roles.The Housewives of White Supremacy (New York Times Article): https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/01/opinion/sunday/tradwives-women-alt-right.html The Alt-Right: Reactionary Rehabilitation for White Maculinity (Soundings article): https://www.eurozine.com/the-alt-right-reactionary-rehabilitation-for-white-masculinity/ A GamerGate explainer: http://www.abc.net.au/technology/articles/2014/10/28/4116140.htm See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Diving back into the thorny issue of consent, Benjamin and Simon turn this time to the concept of ‘enthusiastic consent’, and wonder whether it really is an effective framework for addressing a problem as widespread—and as complex—as sexual assault.‘Tea Consent’, by Blue Seat StudiosInterview with Tanya Serisier, by Living the Dream Podcast See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Benjamin and Simon finally get around to watching Hannah Gadsby’s Nanette, and it sparks a discussion about the role of stories in queer activism. Can we really change the world just by telling our individual stories? Or do we need to connect to something bigger in order to effect change?The Queerstories speaker we mentioned was from author and academic Sara Knox, who hasn’t been featured on the podcast, but you can find out more about her academic work here.The academic working on storytelling and domestic workers in the United States is Sujatha Fernandes, whose work you can see on her website.The academic work on crowdfunding for medical expenses is done by Matthew Wade. You can find out more about his work here.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Benjamin interviews disability and LGBTIQ activist Jax Jacki Brown about the intersections between queer and disability activism. Their discussion touches on the limits of discourse in both spaces, what it means to actively queer bodies, and how sex can become a site for practising liberation. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A politics that says we should respect and celebrate difference is all well and good, but what does that mean for belonging? Benjamin and Simon discuss the importance of finding a place to belong, and wonder whether our need for belonging is at odds with a politics of liberation. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

What starts out as an in-depth look at the explosive reunion episode of Ru Paul’s Drag Race Season 10 leads Benjamin and Simon into a discussion of respectability politics and civility politics in queer communities and beyond, and what it means for queers to support each other when things get tough.‘The Vixen Speaks on Season 10 Reunion and How RuPaul and ‘Drag Race’ Fail Black Queens’, by Mathew Rodriguez  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Simon sits down with comedian Jordan Raskopoulos about coming out as trans in a very public way, what it means to be a comedian who cares about being funny at the same time as she cares about queer communities, and being encouraged to embrace her body through roller derby.Jordan's website: https://www.jordanrasko.com/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A question about the relative privilege of gay men within queer communities turns into a debate about the value of analysing privilege through an identity-based lens at all. Benjamin and Simon grapple with the question: does assigning privilege to certain groups of people help us overcome oppression, or simply drive us apart? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

An article about the idea of “full equality” for LGBTIQ people gets Simon and Benjamin wondering what the idea even means, particularly once most of our civil and legal rights have been taken care of. If we can’t see a sexual revolution coming any time soon, where does the idea of equality stop making sense, even on its own terms?‘‘Full equality’: how Netherlands is pointing the way for Australia on LGBT rights’, by Paul Karp‘Canberra business cleared of discrimination for firing no voter’, by Jesse JonesFacebook comment, by Andrew Robert See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

After a debate in the media over the ethics of gay parenting, Benjamin interviews gay dad and rainbow families advocate Scott Williams about the politics of queer families, assumptions made about adoption and surrogacy, and the possibilities of family units that don’t fit nuclear norms.More information about Rainbow Families NSW can be found on their website.‘Julie Bindel: Gay men who use surrogacy: “Narcissistic, rich, racist, entitled pricks”’, by Jake Hook. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Earlier this year, Benjamin was asked to present a lecture on ‘The Future of Sex and Sexuality’ as part of Rising Minds, a lecture series that hosts speakers from London, New York, Toronto and Sydney to examine topics in technology, business and culture.This episode is from the Rising Minds podcast feed, which they have generously allowed us to share here. You can find more of their lectures on their website, www.risi.ng, or subscribe to Rising Minds on iTunes. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The queer acronym (LGBTIQA+, etc.) seems to be getting longer with each passing year, but who gets to be a part of it? Benjamin and Simon start out wondering whether it’s useful to dissect which letters are in and which are out, leading to a surprising discussion about the limits of abstract debate when it comes to effecting political change in the real world. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The #MeToo movement against sexual assault has dominated global headlines over the past six months, but what does it mean for queer communities? Looking specifically at gay male spaces, Simon and Benjamin consider some complex and difficult questions about the nature of consent.'How gay men normalize sexual assault', by Phillip Henry See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

At the Better Together conference in Melbourne in January, Simon interviewed Senator Janet Rice, the Australian Greens' LGBTIQ spokesperson, about the overlaps between environmentalism and queer politics, the legacy of the marriage equality postal survey, and the future of LGBTIQ politics in Australia inside and outside of parliament. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

As Australian politics is embroiled in a good old-fashioned sex scandal, Benjamin and Simon dig through the muck to ask: why do we care so much about people having sex anyway? Can queers be the vanguards of a society where sex is no longer the logical endpoint of human intimacy? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We usually think of stereotypes as wholly negative things, but when it comes to queers, what are the consequences of rejecting them? Simon and Benjamin take a long, hard look at stereotypes, asking where they come from, how they limit our experience, and whether it’s possible to move past stereotypes without throwing some queers under the bus.‘The most ethical way to allow gay men to donate blood is to end HIV’, by Nic Holas‘PrEP revolution: Shame, class and bareback sex’, by Shafik Zahyr See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It's the first ever Queers live episode! Recorded at the Better Together 2018 conference in Melbourne, Simon and Benjamin were joined by researcher Hannah McCann and advocate Morgan Carpenter to take on a big question: are queers better together?For more information about Hannah McCann: binarythis.comFor more information about Morgan Carpenter: morgancarpenter.com See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

2017 is almost at an end, which means it's about a year since we did out last 'Queer in Review' episode! At the end of a year dominated by—what else—marriage, Benjamin and Simon wonder what a post-postal survey Australia looks like for queer politics, and poke our heads up out of Australia to look at how queers have been doing worldwide. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Ahead of World AIDS Day on 1 December, Benjamin interviews writer, producer and HIV activist Nic Holas about his work advocating for people living with HIV, about the impact of a big few years in HIV treatment and prevention in Australia, and about how the legacy of HIV and AIDS shapes our queer present. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.