FUSE55 : LOVE - Lesbian Lifestyle by FUSE Magazine

MADE IN AUSTRALIA FUSEMAGAZINE.COM.AU NOV / DEC 2017

LIFE LOVE EQUALITY

There is a place for us CELEBRATING QUEERBERRA GAY AND IN A GANG

PrEPED AND READY TO GO

CANBERRA SPRINGOUT HIGHLIGHTS

SAME LOVE SAME RULES

OVER THE RAINBOW CHARITY BAKE OFF IS COMING

> WALK WITH KINDNESS IN YOUR HEART

WITH MARRIAGE COMES DIVORCE

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EDITOR Alexander Thatcher ASSOCIATE EDITORS Linda Djumlija Danny Corvini

Editor’s Rant What’s On : Movies What’s On : SpringOut highlights Round Up : News & Politics

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Christopher Powell CONTRIBUTORS Dwayne Lennox Scott Malcolm Rose Pappalardo Stuart Poole Victoria Firth-Smith Julia O’Boyle Vanessa R. Panfil PHOTOGRAPHERS Jane Duong Clem Onojeghuo CONTACT FUSE 0412 309 992 hello@fusemagazine.com.au fusemagazine.com.au PO Box 844 Belconnen ACT 2616

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FUSE FEATURES 27

The Canberra rainbow community comes in many fabulous and diverse colours. We take a sneak peak at a new photo book titled ‘QUEERBERRA’ by Victoria Firth-Smith and Jane Duong launching this SpringOut.

19 OPED : Over the Rainbow 21 OPED : PrEPed & Ready to Go! 23 Money Shot : Marriage & Divorce

14 39 40 43 44

PUBLISHER Published + designed by Lithium Innovation Pty Ltd lithium.net.au ISSN 1836-8387 All rights reserved. No part of the magazine may be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission from the publisher. The appearance, mention or likeness of any person or organisation in editorial or advertising in no way suggests sexual or political orientation. Photographs used to illustrate editorial do not depict the real lives, behaviour or sexuality of the models. Opinions expressed in the magazine are not necessarily those of the FUSE publisher, editor or staff. Any health, fitness or dietary advice contained in this magazine is for informational purposes only. Consult your physician and a fitness/health professional before changing your diet, doing any exercise program, or taking any supplements or remedies of any kind. Submissions of text, photographs or any other material will be taken as consent to publish said material.

Top Queer : MINI Countryman Couch Potato : Film & TV Community : Same Love. Same Rules! Fab Things : Stuff We Love

35 35

There are many stereotypes and assumptions about street gangs, just as there are many stereotypes and assumptions about gay men. Pretty much none of those stereotypes overlap. Vanessa R. Panfil writes about being gay and in a gang.

47 Stargazer : Your Horoscope 48 Dear Rose FUSECONTENTS

❤ WALK WITH LOVE IN YOUR HEART DO YOU BELIEVE LOVE IS A VERB? Like all people, I have many beliefs. I believe in equality for all people, I believe the way we farm animals for food is unconscionably cruel and like 65% of other Australians, I believe that religion has caused more harm than good in our world. I believe that people who are fearful can cause great harm to others and that people who act with love in their hearts can do extraordinary things.

FUSE ONLINE Check out the FUSE Magazine website and our social media sites for daily news, videos, special online features, what’s on listings, the latest community updates on our popular message board, the LGBTIQ business & community directory and more!

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Some of these things you may believe as well, some you may not. But at the end of the day, they don’t make me a better or worse person. What matters is what I do, and that’s what defines me.

SCAN ME! Read FUSE Magazine on your smartphone, tablet or computer.

For instance, if I believe in global warming but go on with my days without doing something about it, what I believe doesn’t matter. It’s been a painful and difficult year for the Australian LGBTIQ community. Like many of us before, we are persecuted by some people for simply being ourselves. Conservative Christians say they believe in love but act in completely contradictory ways, as we’ve unfortunately learnt during the same-sex marriage postal vote. It makes me wonder if these people actually know what love is. I believe that if any person truly walks with love in their heart, they can’t help but take delight in another person’s happiness and can’t help but act accordingly. Actual love is always true and constant in its purpose and can do no harm. I don’t think for a moment that every LGBTIQ person is perfect. Like all humans, we are also imperfect — but the hypocrisy of the ‘No Camp’ is staggering. They talk about the virtues of being Christian while preaching hate, handing out literature telling people homosexuality is a dangerous mental disorder and comparing samesex attraction to child abuse. Apart from being absolute lies (not very Christian), I’m astounded that these people would even contemplate throwing stones when their churches are made from glass. Even the Daily Telegraph posted an article about the ‘No Camp’ saying, “They’re lying. They’re manipulating situations. They’re relying on shocking double standards and contradictions.” And that’s from the Telegraph! It is important for all of us to walk with love in our hearts and to remember that it’s our actions more so than our words that matter. Henry Drummond famously said, “You will find as you look back upon your life that the moments when you have really lived are the moments when you have done things in a spirit of love.” You can believe in love, but true love is an action, not just words and thoughts. Alex 2

EDITOR’SRANT

2017/18 LGBTIQ BUSINESS & COMMUNITY DIRECTORY GRAB YOUR COPY TODAY! The FUSE LGBTIQ Business & Community Directory is an easy way to find businesses and organisations who choose to support our community. The directory also includes an extensive range of essential community services and LGBTIQ social and sporting groups. directory.fusemagazine.com.au

Scan this QR code to jump straight to the directory online FUSEMAGAZINE.COM.AU

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MOVIES

DID YOU KNOW? Detroit has the most abandoned buildings of any US city. There are over 70,000 abandoned buildings, 31,000 empty houses, and 90,000 vacant lots.

DETROIT OPENS 9 NOVEMBER After focusing on US involvement in the Middle East with her two previous films (The Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty), Oscar winner Kathryn Bigelow turns her attention to America’s recent past with an almost documentary recounting of the events of the 1967 riots in Detroit which saw police clashing with the African-American community. John Boyega (The Force Awakens), Anthony Mackie (The Winter Soldier) and Will Poulter (We’re The Millers) star in the drama, which is sadly all too relevant 50 years after the fact.

JUSTICE LEAGUE OPENS 16 NOVEMBER Is there such as thing as too much Wonder Woman? Never! And hopefully, the producers of Justice League have made the Amazonian front and centre in this first combined outing for the superheroes in Warner Bros’ DC Extended Universe. Fresh from kicking ass at the box office, Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman joins Batman (Ben Affleck), Aquaman (Jason Mamoa), Cyborg (Ray Fisher) and The Flash (Ezra Miller) as they take on a powerful new enemy, Steppenwolf. But what of Henry Cavill’s Superman who (Spoiler Alert!) died at the end of Batman V Superman?

FUSE MOVIE PICK OF THE MONTH!

STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI OPENS 14 DECEMBER Although completed before her death almost a year ago, the passing of Carrie Fisher will no doubt still be quite raw for most Star Wars fans, and seeing Princess Leia one last time will leave this latest entry in the space opera with a tinge of sadness. With Rian Johnson (Looper) taking over from J.J. Abrams, the story picks up where it left off: with Rey (Daisy Ridley) now under the tutelage of reclusive Jedi, Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill). John Boyega, Oscar Isaac and Adam Driver also return for Episode VIII, joined by Laura Dern and Benicio Del Toro.

CALL ME BY YOUR NAME 26 DECEMBER One of the most acclaimed films of the year, Luca Guadagnino’s adaptation (by James Ivory, no less) of the Andre Aciman novel arrives at the perfect time of year. Set in the summer of 1983 in Northern Italy, it tells of the sexual awakening of young Elio (Timothee Chalamet), who falls for an American student (Armie Hammer) who has come to study with Elio’s professor dad (Michael Stuhlbarg). The film’s critical reception has been snowballing since debuting at Sundance back in January and could very well culminate in Oscar nominations, capping what has been a great year for queer cinema.

By Dwayne Lennox

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WHAT’S ON SPRINGOUT 2017

28 OCT

LGBTIQ Business & Community Directory Head over to the FUSE LGBTIQ directory where you’ll find friendly LGBTIQ owned businesses, community groups, sporting, social and support services. directory.fusemagazine.com.au

OPENS 28 OCT

28 OCT

OPENS 28 OCT

BOYS WILL BE BOYS

28 OCTOBER TIL 11 NOVEMBER THE STREET THEATRE This is not a tale of redemption. Ferocious and outrageously funny, Melissa Bubnic’s new play uses in-your-face dialogue, detestable characters and very bad behaviour to create a thought-provoking satire with an edge.

Boys Will Be Boys takes a hard look at issues of gender inequality and the subsequent power struggles that are still rife today. To succeed, what do we have to sacrifice and who truly has the control? With an all-woman cast playing male and female roles and starring acclaimed actor Pippa Grandison as the ruthless stockbroker Astrid Wentworth, Boys Will Be Boys is a merciless and unapologetic look at power. “I’m no friend to the sisterhood. I’m basically a man who sits to pee,” — Astrid Astrid is a woman in a man’s world. She’s played the game and made it to the top of the cut-throat finance industry. But at what cost? “I want this because it’s hard, because no one thinks I can do it,” — Priya When the young and ambitious Priya applies for a junior position on the trading floor, Astrid decides to play mentor. But in the self-serving world of the trade floor, every favour has a price. “My dad says, never sleep with a woman in the business,” — Harrison With continuing debate around gender equality in the workplace, Boys Will Be Boys is a production with something to say about the world we live in. Join us at the theatre during our two week season and the conversation online: #thestreetcbr #thestreetboyswillbeboys More details and tickets at: thestreet.org.au

FAIR DAY 2017

SATURDAY 28 OCTOBER GORMAN HOUSE Fair Day — celebrating the diversity of Canberra’s LGBTIQ communities — is returning to Ainslie and Gorman Arts Centre this year — bigger, brighter and better than ever! More details at: aidsaction.org.au

EXHIBITION

SATURDAY 28 OCT - 26 NOV 8.00AM - 8.OOPM EAST HOTEL, KINGSTON QUEERBERRA is a celebration of ourselves, our city, and our rainbow community. Experience the larger than life installation of photographs capturing 100 shades of Canberra pride by Jane Duong. This exhibition is open the entire SpringOUT festival. More details at: queerberra.com

28 OCT

2 NOV

FAIR DAY AFTER PARTY

SATURDAY 28 OCTOBER AINSLIE ARTS CENTRE AIDS Action Council is excited to bring back the Fair Day fundraising after party: After Dark. We continue the day’s celebrations with live entertainment and Buck Naked - one of the most sought after DJs in Sydney’s underground scene. More details at: aidsaction.org.au

OUTBIZ NETWORKING & DRINKS EVENING

THURSDAY 2 NOV 6.00PM - 9.00PM CANBERRA WINE HOUSE THE DICKSON TRADIES Join us for a special OUTBIZ SpringOUT social drinks, nibbles and networking evening at The Canberra Wine House . LGBTIQ business and public servants network is a place where you can connect and socialise. Everyone is welcome. WHAT’SON @ SPRINGOUT2017

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WHAT’S ON SPRINGOUT 2017

Celebrating pride in Canberra These are just some of the fantastic events at this year’s Canberra SpringOUT festival. Check out the full program at springout.com.au or grab the free SpringOUT 2017 season guide.

4 NOV

10 NOV THE GLITTA SUPERNOVA EXPERIENCE FRIDAY 10 NOVEMBER 9.30PM - 10.30PM SMITHS ALTERNATIVE

Psychedelic, satirical, personal and political storytelling that’s packed to the rafters with puns, punches & possibilities. BODY MAP is a deep dive across the consumer bordered planet and into our inner being, highlighting our capacity to transform despite the odds. An overview into a authentic human experience, a nudie run through a different lens. Details & Tickets : smithsalternative.com

18 NOV FRUIT TINGLES WOMEN’S DANCE

SATURDAY 4 NOVEMBER 7.00PM – MIDNIGHT Held at the Majura Community Centre in Dickson, Fruit Tingles brings women of all ages and from all walks of life together. It provides a safe space to celebrate our pride. Details: 0438 785 131

15 NOV

12 NOV BAKE OFF

SUNDAY 12 NOVEMBER MUSE @ EAST HOTEL 69 CANBERRA AVE, KINGSTON Grab those aprons and make a difference in the kitchen! With heaps of cash and prizes to be won, Canberra’s LGBTIQ CHARITY BAKE OFF is one event you won’t want to miss. If you don’t bake, don’t worry, because we also need lots of food lovers to come along and bid at the charity auction, eat the wonderful food and just be merry. More details at: fusemagazine.com.au

THE LONG TABLE WITH BENJAMIN LAW

SUNDAY 15 NOV MUSE @ EAST HOTEL Everyone’s favourite “gaysian”, author Benjamin Law returns to MUSE for an intimate long lunch. The self-confessed cheap drunk; gay, women’s and human rights crusader will be discussing everything from books, cult TV, naked art as well as his Quarterly Essay on Sexuality, Schools and the Media. More details at: musecanberra.com.au

SPRINGOUT COMMUNITY PARADE AND MORE SATURDAY 18 NOV 10.15AM FOR 11.00AM START, MEET AT THE ACT LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY, CITY The LGBTIQ community, their friends and allies are all invited to join in the SpringOUT Pride Parade commencing at the ACT Legislative Assembly and finishing in Glebe Park. This year’s parade theme is LOVE. The parade will be a fun, colourful river that winds through the city. Activities will be held at the completion of the parade in Glebe Park together with a fabulous free sausage sizzle. So bring your picnic blankets, frisbees and BYOG to celebrate the day. We encourage all participants to dress for the occasion — go completely over the top with bling, sequins, fabulous hats and bring your rainbow balloons, flags and rainbow painted faces to add to the atmosphere. Please note: This is not a political parade or an opportunity to protest, but rather a parade of celebration and diversity. Details: springout.com.au WHAT’SON @ SPRINGOUT2017

What’s happening

WITH THE COUNCIL

CBRFAIRday

2017

Join us for a fun filled day MARKETS & FOOD

ENTERTAINMENT & WORKSHOPS

RAINBOW PET PARADE

CELEBRATING THE DIVERSITY OF CANBERRA’S LGBTIQ COMMUNITIES SAT 28 OCT

11AM - 4PM

GORMAN ARTS CENTRE

Celebrate

World AIDS Day 2017

THE AIDS ACTION COUNCIL WILL BE HOSTING A COMMUNITY PICNIC CONCLUDING WITH THE LIGHTING OF THE NATIONAL CARILLION IN RED. FRIDAY 1 DEC 2017

STARTS AT 6PM

ASPEN ISLAND

For more information about our programs and services please call 02 6257 2855 or email us at contact@aidsaction.org.au 10

aidsaction.org.au

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WHAT’S ON SPRINGOUT 2017

19 NOV

26 NOV

18 NOV

QWIRE : NEVER TURNING BACK SUNDAY 26 NOVEMBER 6.30PM - 8:00PM AINSLIE ARTS CENTRE

QUESTION TIME

BIG GAY BREAKFAST

Join the ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr as we ask him a range of questions in this special LGBTIQ edition of Question Time: Is Canberra Australia’s most LGBTIQ friendly city? We’ll be putting a spotlight on the history of LGBTIQ law reform in the capital, via the five days of legal same-sex marriage in the territory in 2013, and where to next.

It’s on again, the FUSE Big Gay Champagne Breakfast. A LGBTIQ and-everyone in-between event! Eat, drink and be merry on a beautiful spring morning with all your fabulous friends. An all-weather event, you’ll find us on the undercover terrace. Complimentary champagne, buy your own breakfast.

SATURDAY 18 NOV MUSE @ EAST HOTEL

The Canberra Gay and Lesbian Qwire are ‘never turning back’. As Qwire heads towards its 25th anniversary in 2018, come along and celebrate a night of iconic and fabulous songs. More details at: canberraqwire.org.au

23 JAN

SUNDAY 19 NOVEMBER 9.00AM - 12.00PM TILLEY’S DEVINE CAFE

Tickets: $12. Details: springout.com.au

21 NOV AN EVENING WITH DAVID SEDARIS

TUESDAY 23 JANUARY 2018 @ 7.30PM CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE Best-selling author, gay man and humourist David Sedaris has announced a highly anticipated fourth sojourn to Australia. Guaranteed to be bursting with his signature acerbic wit and razor-sharp social critiques, don’t miss your chance to spend an evening with one of the world’s pre-eminent humour writers.

WRITE

TUESDAY 21 NOVEMBER 6.00PM - 9.00PM CIVIC LIBRARY

2 DEC SPRINGOUT CABARET AND AWARDS NIGHT

SATURDAY 2 DECEMBER 7.00PM TIL’ LATE MERCURE HOTEL

Sydney Morning Herald

The AIDS Action Council in collaboration with Noted Writers Festival, presents a workshop for LGBTIQ writers with multiple award-winning and acclaimed screenwriter Julie Kalceff. The workshop is free, but please reserve a spot.

On arrival you will be met by the fabulous Tinseltown Tonight TV talk show host Miss Holly Wood, whilst the celebrated Queen of Melbourne cabaret, Miss Dolly Diamond will entertain us. Dine on a sumptuous buffet with a three hour drink package. Then dance the night away until the wee small hours.

Tickets: canberratheatrecentre.com.au

Details: springout.com.au

Tickets: springout.com.au

“Sedaris’ observations about the ordinary, the random and the minutiae make for laugh-out-loud entertainment.”

WHAT’SON @ SPRINGOUT2017

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ACT Together is a consortium of: • Barnardos Australia • Australian Childhood Foundation • Oz Child • Premier Youthworks • Relationships Australia 12

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DID YOU KNOW Oscar Wilde, who was persecuted for his homosexuality, was conditionally baptised by the Catholic Church just before his death due to cerebral meningitis in 1900.

ROUND UP

PRAISE THE WILDE A temporary secular temple has opened in the basement of a New York church devoted to the high priest of camp, Oscar Wilde. The Oscar Wilde Temple has been 20 years in the making and features an altar built around a 1.2-metre of the Irish writer while his prisoner number from Reading jail appears on the pedestal below. Some other queers honoured at the temple include Alan Turing, who is regarded as the father of theoretical computer science and artificial intelligence. The creation of artists David McDermott and Peter McGough, the pop-up temple will be open to the public five days a week and is available for same-sex weddings. It will move to London in December where Oscar Wilde was one of the most popular playwrights of the early 1890s.

SOLAR ECLIPSE: ‘SIGN OF GOD’S JUDGMENT’ Just when you thought that things couldn’t get any weirder in the United States, Donald Trump’s pastor Franklin Graham has declared that the recent solar eclipse was a “reminder of God’s pending judgment”. Pastor Graham, who preached to millions at Trump’s inauguration, has also previously said that America’s experiencing “a moral 9/11” thanks to the influence of gays and lesbians. “So many school districts now are controlled by wicked, evil people, and the gays and lesbians are at the forefront of this attack against Christianity in America,” he said. “As the moon’s shadow crosses our nation, may it be a reminder to all of us to pray — to confess our sins, to repent and ask for God’s forgiveness, and to pray that God will heal our broken land.” Quite.

UGANDA PRIDE CANCELLED Following a police raid of last year’s event, this year’s Uganda Pride has been cancelled altogether following a pointed threat by a government member. Simon Lokodo, the State Minister of Ethics & Integrity, warned of arrests and physical harm should the event go ahead, leaving organisers with little choice but to cancel for safety reasons. “He has categorically stated, time and again that gender and sexual minorities have no rights in Uganda and today had all the venues of the planned Pride events surrounded by state militia,” said a spokesperson from Pride. “He has abused our very existence by stripping us of even the very basic of our rights; he refuses to acknowledge our humanity or right of association, speech, movement as well as freedom from degrading treatment.”

‘GAY CURE’ IS AUTHORISED IN BRAZIL A Brazilian judge has overturned a 1999 ruling forbidding psychologists from offering treatments claiming to ‘cure’ gay people by allowing the so-called ‘gay conversion therapy’. Waldemar de Carvalho, a federal judge in the capital of Brasília, overruled the decision just a week after a bank cancelled an exhibition of gay art that had attracted protests from right-wing and evangelical Christian groups. “This decision is a big regression to the progressive conquests that the LBGT community had in recent decades,” openly gay politician David Miranda told The Guardian. “Like various countries in the world, Brazil is suffering a conservative wave.” Judge de Carvalho ruled in favour of Rozangela Justino, an evangelical Christian psychologist whose licence was revoked in 2016 after she offered the ‘therapy’. NEWS&POLITICS

ROUND UP

$135,000 The amount ‘Sweet Cakes’, an Oregon bakery, was oredered to pay in damages to a same-sex couple after refusing to bake their wedding cake back in 2015.

BOW DOWN BITCHES

NO PDA’S PLEASE, WE’RE GAY BRITS

With the second Canberra Drag Race currently underway and the Dragnation competition having just wrapped up, Manuka’s Polit Bar is emerging as Canberra’s new home of drag.

A study conducted by the UK’s Virgin Holidays has revealed that only 5% of LGBTIQ couples feel comfortable with public displays of affection, ranging from holding hands to applying sunscreen on a partner’s back, while they’re on holidays. The study interviewed 1000 same-sex couples as well as 1000 straight couples and the results are world’s apart.

The ACT heat of the national Dragnation competition came to a stunning climax on October 12 when River Styx beat the other five sassy-sissies who’d been competing for the coveted spot. The competition finds and promotes a local drag performer from each state and territory and catapults them to a national platform to share their love of the art with the whole country. River Styx will represent Canberra at the national finals in Hobart in February and then the national winner will embark on a tour of the participating venues around the country.

Almost 100% of LGBTIQ couples said they feared expressing their relationship in public due fear of judgement and mockery while 84% of straight couples felt completely comfortable to express it. “It is shocking that in today’s society some of us can’t even enjoy a simple holiday without fear of discrimination,” Virgin boss Richard Branson said.

RUSSIA’S FAKE LGBTIQ FACEBOOK PAGE There was a Facebook page targeting LGBTIQ people amongst the 470 fake Russian-created accounts created in the lead up to last year’s American presidential election and since shut down, reports the Washington Post. According to the newspaper, the page ‘LGBT United’ said “relatively little” about who to vote for but served “to identify voters and sort them into buckets based on the issues they responded to”. This is believed to be step one of the Russian disinformation agenda, the second step being to target those voters with ads that discourage voters from turning out altogether. The posts from the 470 fake accounts may have been shared billions of times.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC’S FIRST LGBTIQ PRIDE Parts of the Caribbean are renowned for homophobia (we’re looking at you, Jamaica and the Bahamas) but there were far more inviting scenes in the Dominican Republic when the island held its first-ever Caribbean Pride event in September. Joining other islands in the neighbourhood that have gotten with the LGBT program, including Puerto Rico, Cuba and the Antilles, the Dominican Republic’s maiden Pride event featured drag performances, DJs, a comedy night, culinary and mixology classes, wine tastings and of course plenty of sun, sea and sand. 14

NEWS&POLITICS

MORE ‘CAKE’ NEWS A complex case is underway in America’s Supreme Court that sees a Colorado baker, Jack Phillips, claiming that he shouldn’t have to make a cake for a same-sex couple because of his religious beliefs and he’s been supported by President Trump and organisations from 19 states. The case is complex because Phillips must successfully argue that making cakes is essentially an expression of oneself and that same-sex wedding cakes are somehow different to those eaten at straight weddings. Particularly, Phillips must persuade the court of his specific religious freedom to discriminate against LGBTs without also re-opening the hornet’s nest of a religious freedom to discriminate due to race, which was otherside settled in America in 1968. It’s an interesting battle at play — but really, who wants a cake from someone who hates you? FUSEMAGAZINE.COM.AU

Wake Up Wonderful

ROUND UP

65% The amount of Australians that think religion does more harm in the world than good. Only Belgium at 68% had a higher proportion than Australia, while Germany and Spain were on par with us.

GERMANY CELEBRATES MARRIAGE EQUALITY While its capital of Berlin is home to one of the world’s most electrifying gay scenes, the otherwise progressive Germany has dragged its heels for almost as long as Australia when it comes to marriage equality. However, in a case of classic German efficiency, the social reform was dealt with within a period of a week in June. Karl Kreile and Bodo Mende became Germany’s first gay couple to marry when they tied the knot at a Berlin town hall on October 2 having been together for 38 years. The new husbands celebrated with a reception and a rainbow cake before departing for a honeymoon in Vienna. “This is an emotional moment with great symbolism,” said Kreile. “The transition to the term ‘marriage’ shows that the German state recognizes us as real equals.” Germany has had civil unions since 2001 but it did not include the same legal rights as marriage.

FACEBOOK FOR QUEER PEOPLE New global LGBT+ site queeraz has begun inviting select local community members to join the site. The website was started by Australian businesswoman Ineke Hodge and comes at a time of a rapidly shrinking local media scene following the closure of Evo Media this year, which took Sydney’s SX magazine and SameSame down with it. The site features a ‘gay Facebook-style’ feed, a calendar of queer events in your Canberra, a notice board for buying and selling and directories complete with the city’s LGBT+ clubs, organisations, businesses and sporting groups. The settings for queeraz can be changed so that you can see what’s happening in Canberra, expanded to the whole of Australia or changed to a different location elsewhere in the world. Keep an eye on the FUSE website for a VIP membership giveaway soon, and queeraz will open its doors to the public shortly after.

AUSSIE CHRISTIANS DECIDED OVER MARRIAGE EQUALITY Two-thirds of Australian Anglicans and Catholics have indicated that they are in support of gay rights, arguing that religion should not come in the way of someone’s personal freedom. But the leaders of Australia’s Christian communities remain torn about marriage equality in general, expressing a variety of positions. The Catholic Church, lead by Melbourne Archbishop Denis Hart, has passionately advocated that marriage can only be between a woman and a man while Lyle Shelton from the Australian Christian Lobby continues to make slippery-slope arguments linking same-sex marriage to gender deconstruction in schools, threats to freedom of speech and child abuse. Meanwhile, the less-rigid Methodists have expressed that they are open-minded about same-sex marriage.

‘The choking hypocrisy of the ‘no’ side of the same-sex marriage debate shows they know they’re losing and will resort to any desperate, dirty tactic at their disposal.’ Shannon Molloy The Daily Telegraph

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SEXUAL HEALTH AND FAMILY PLANNING ACT

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r? e r a c r e t s o f a g in Thinking of becom Marymead is in urgent need of people who are willing to provide a safe and nurturing home for children and young people within regional areas of NSW aged zero to 18 for just one night to a lifetime and regular planned respite. We are looking for carers who are loving, supportive and are able to provide boundaries with warmth. All kinds of people make great carers - single people, couples and families, gay or straight people, employed or unemployed from a range of cultures and lifestyles. Marymead welcomes and values established families, those whose children have moved out or people without children. Great carers are stable and consistent, persevere when things get tough, are able to promote contact with the children’s birth family and want the best for the children they look after. Marymead provides carers with all the support they need including initial and ongoing training and an experienced and dedicated Foster Care Caseworker who will provide ongoing support and guidance. Potential carers will need to participate in a comprehensive assessment and undergo background checks before being approved as carers.

PLEASE CONTACT US TODAY! Phone 1800 427 920 or email fcinfo@marymead.org.au marymead.org.au PHONE 1800 427 920 / EMAIL enquiries@marymead.org.au NSW. GOULBURN · MORUYA · WAGGA WAGGA · YOUNG ACT. YARRALUMLA MARYMEAD IS A CATHOLIC AGENCY OF THE ARCHDIOCESE OF CANBERRA AND GOULBURN. ABN 90 677 510 841

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OVER THE RAINBOW By Julia O’Boyle

I THOUGHT I WAS DOING OK DURING THIS RIDICULOUSLY DIVISIVE DEBATE WHEREBY MY ‘FELLOW AUSTRALIANS’ ARE ASKED TO MAKE A DECISION ABOUT MY LIFE, MY RIGHTS AND THEREFORE PROVIDE AN UNWANTED OPINION ABOUT MY RELATIONSHIP AND MY FAMILY. The survey arrived the other week and I left it on the table for days. I couldn’t bring myself to complete it. It felt like I was in denial and I kept asking myself “How can this be happening?” I eventually ticked the box and posted it off. I didn’t feel the least bit celebratory, though we took the obligatory photo of our pieces of paper that asked us to validate our own relationship. Those expensive pieces of paper have also been delivered to millions of strangers so they can pass judgement on us. Anyway, I thought I was OK. I had been buoyed by polls over the last few years that told me that 75% of fellow Australians thought same-sex marriage was long overdue. I was hopeful that our elected representatives would do what they were paid to do: to lead the country, make decisions for the good of the nation, refuse to allow hatred and discrimination to inform their decisions.

Yet here we are with a non-binding, non-compulsory, astronomicallyexpensive postal survey with no integrity (think stolen surveys, undelivered mail, envelopes dumped in the rain) that’s revealed a dark and hateful side of our populace. It’s been sanctioned by a gutless government that’s refused to show leadership. A hypocritical government that refused to stand for equal rights. We’ve quickly became an Orwellian nation: all citizens are equal, except well, obviously, the gays are not as equal… and don’t get me started on those transgender ones… Every day I tell myself not to read the newsfeeds and definitely don’t scroll down and read the comments, but it’s compelling stuff. Maybe I’ve been naïve living here in the bubble that is the Republic of Canberra, surrounded by people who are loving, kind, open-hearted, progressive and fairly egalitarian. The news, the posts and the comments devastate me. I read about people being bashed, being yelled at on public transport. I hear the ‘no’ campaigners whine about being bullied (I mean, really? Really?). I read about people’s houses being vandalised, rocks thrown through windows and vile language used to describe gay people.. disgusting derogatory terms I haven’t heard for a very long time. I see how sad my friends are, how their mental health suffers and I feel how hurt we all are. Every day my heart breaks a little bit more. I love my partner. We chose to commit to each other and we’ve built a life together. We celebrate and cherish all that we have and we have family and friends who love us. Yet there is this seething underbelly in the community that hates us and loathes our very existence. A seemingly simple question has given them permission to spew their vitriol over us. What are they so afraid of? OP.ED

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PrEPed

& READY TO GO! By Danny Corvini

WITH THE HELP PrEP AND AFTER A RAPID DECLINE IN NEW INFECTIONS, NSW HEALTH SAYS IT IS ON TRACK TO VIRTUALLY ELIMINATE HIV TRANSMISSION BY 2020. The EPIC trial has now reached Canberra’s fine shores and PrEP will be available to 315 ‘high-risk’ individuals for 15 months, through the Canberra Sexual Health Centre and the Interchange General Practice. Up until now, HIV-wary Canberrans have been able to get a prescription for PrEP from their sexual health doctor but have had to import it themselves online at a considerable cost and effort.

“Boys boys all types of boys, black white Puerto Rican Chinese boys”

While PrEP does not protect you against any other STDs other than HIV, its arrival heralds a pivotal moment — especially considering the impact that HIV/AIDS has already wreaked on our community.

So rapped Missy Elliot in her 2002 single Work It and I for one say, hell yeah!!!

Set alongside the inevitability of marriage equality that’s occurring in Australia, it’s a privileged time where we’re finally able to start make informed and signficant decisions about our own sex and love lives like never before.

Until Mr Right locks me in the cellar, I see no reason not to fully explore the bounty offered in this hot little queer and mixed-race world — and I suspect a few of you adopt a similar approach to your own sex life. Of course, if we’re going to acquire a taste for the global or just the local, then it’s imperative that we also develop an equally-evolved appetite for self-protection. Because there’s no fuller stop on your impressive sex-life than acquiring an STI. In 2017, self-protection comes in many forms. There’s abstinence (you’re on your own there, kid), condoms (a time-honoured tradition) and new-kidon-the-block, PrEP. This once-a-day pill has dramatically decreased the number of new HIV diagnoses globally. In New South Wales, where PrEP has been made available for free to 3,700 people on the EPIC-NSW trial, only 101 new cases of HIV were recorded in the first half of 2017. That’s the lowest figure since HIV first swept into our lives in the 1980s!

Having imported my own PrEP for the past two years and buying it in-person from Bangkok’s Pulse Clinic whenever I’ve been there (the cheapest provider of generic PrEP that I’ve found), it’s a relief for me to join EPIC’s Canberra trial. It’s a great relief that I’ve also felt going for my tri-monthly STD tests over the past two years of ordered PrEP myself online when I experienced for the first time in my entire life a sense of calm about the impending results. Because for too many of us who came of age during the AIDS crisis, gay sex has been something to fear, something that could kill us. While advances in the treatment of HIV have been nothing short of revolutionary, the next-step is clearly making PrEP available, easily and affordably, to all HIV-negative people who want or need it. Hopefully, a positive outcome from the EPIC trials will help shape the federal government’s forthcoming decision about putting the medication on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). Because we really need it — right now. Nobody should be getting HIV in Australia anymore. PrEP now!

Find out about EPIC-NSW at: epic-nswstudy.org.au/about-epic-nsw OP.ED

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WITH MARRIAGE EQUALITY COMES DIVORCE By Scott Malcolm Director of Money Mechanics

RELATIONSHIPS CAN BE HARD AT THE BEST OF TIMES. THEY NEED WORK WHILE WE NAVIGATE EACH OTHER’S HABITS AND ATTITUDES IN LIFE AND FIND OUR COMMON GROUND. AS THEY SAY, ‘OPPOSITES ATTRACT’! IT IS OFTEN OUR DIFFERENCES WITH STUFF, INCLUDING OUR MONEY MANAGEMENT AND STYLE WHICH CAN CAUSE REAL FRICTION AND FRUSTRATION. Confident decision-making as you are going through a major life event can be difficult. When a relationship breaks down, emotions can be raw as the vision or plan for your life changes before your eyes. Often this change happens quickly and sometimes it’s without notice for one partner. 1. FOCUS ON SELF-CARE The loss of a relationship, of shared plans and the vision of a life you had known can be a big one to digest. Give yourself time to grieve before making any significant decisions about your life. Do some mindfulness practice to check in with yourself and see how you are really feeling. Seek out professional counselling to help you learn any new tools you may need. 2. KNOW YOUR NUMBER The backbone to any financial planning strategy is knowing what you need coming into your bank account each week to fund your lifestyle. This can also be a key to understanding what you need as a worst-case scenario from any asset divisions. Keep in mind that your lifestyle may also change. Be aware of the ‘needs versus wants’ in life.

4. EDUCATE YOURSELF AND ASK QUESTIONS Within a partnership, we often witness one person having greater skills in certain areas — especially the financial stuff. If you find yourself in a situation where you are dealing with things you’ve not had prior experience in, build your ‘advice team’ around you and get quality people into your corner. These people can help you to up-skill and will provide insights to assist with the decision-making. Being collaborative rather than ‘lawyering up’ to work through your asset-split will mean that more money will stay in your pockets and less goes to the lawyers. There’s some great online resources including moneysmart.gov.au 5. TRY TO STAY OPEN-HEARTED Clients who have been through divorce often want to protect themselves from the situation happening again. A ‘binding financial agreement’ from a lawyer can map out what happens to assets if your relationship does not work out. This is not a total guarantee though. Having open and honest conversations with your partner around money and what you want in life is the best way to ensure a happy and healthy financial life together. Yet sometimes people just grow in different directions. Keeping an open heart to the world and life means you and learn from the experience and build on your relationship skill set for the next one! If you need help in these areas talk to a professional. Start your journey to being free around your money and creating wealth with understanding.

Scott Malcolm has been awarded the internationally recognised Certified Financial Planner designation from the Financial Planning Association of Australia and is Director of Money Mechanics. Money Mechanics is a fee for service financial advice firm who partner with clients in Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney to achieve their life and wealth outcomes. We are authorised to provide financial advice through PATRON Financial Advice AFSL 307379. For more information email scott@money-mechanics.com.au or call 1300 772 643. The information provided in this article is of a general nature only. It has been prepared without taking into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Before acting on this information, you should consider its appropriateness having regard to your own financial goals, objectives and personal circumstances.

MONEYSHOT

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There is a place for us

Jessica Mount Painter Nature Reserve, Cook

QUEERBERRA BEGAN AT MY DINING TABLE IN THE SUMMER OF 2015. Over cheesecake, Jenni Atkinson, founder of Tranz Australia, shared her desire for a photography book capturing our vibrant Canberra LGBTIQ community. By the end of the pot of tea, photographer Jane Duong and I were in. Jenni and I had met and worked together a year earlier at the AIDS Action Council’s course for newly-out women, Stepping Out.

Words by Victoria Firth-Smith. Images by Jane Duong

Everyone that meets Jenni is inspired by her passion for people to live out their authentic lives. She pours her heart and mind into local projects and this was no exception. Together, we were keen on raising the visibility of our loving and loveable city and the people living within it. On Sundays, Jenni, Jane and I would meet up to photograph a local rainbow person in a place of their choosing. Each subject chose where, when and how to be photographed and picked their final image – it was important to us to authentically capture how each person presented to the world. The sessions became the highlight of my week. Each moment was as unique as the sitters in each work. It was sometimes intense for people not used to being in front of the camera, some others felt seen and accepted for the first time. Some shots were done quickly, and we’d chat afterwards over lunch or dinner as a group. FUSEFEATURE

Art nude

Underwater

Fetish

deyephotography.com

SOMETIMES YOU NEED TWO TOOLS TO DO A JOB PROPERLY

KNOWING YOUR STATUS HELPS YOU AND OTHERS MEN WHO HAVE SEX WITH MEN SHOULD GET TESTED EVERY THREE MONTHS

PrEP CAN PROTECT YOU AGAINST HIV, BUT ONLY CONDOMS WILL PROTECT YOU FROM SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES SUCH AS CHLAMYDIA, GENITAL HERPES, GENITAL WARTS, GONORRHOEA, HEPATITIS, SYPHILIS AND TRICHOMONIASIS. If you would like more info about PrEP, condoms or testing call 02 6257 2855 or email contact@aidsaction.org.au

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There is a place for us

Emma Home, Waramanga

In other cases, we’d have to reshoot as some people felt dysmorphic about the final image while others pulled out of the project due to recent homophobic experiences and no longer felt comfortable being in a public project. Months of work resulted in an exhibition during SpringOUT 2015 at the Front Café and Gallery in Lyneham and the ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr kindly opened the show. It was a deeply affirming experience to witness our community gasp at their beauty in the photographs. On opening night, the gallery was filled with people laughing, roaring and embracing one another.

For two weeks, the QueerACT exhibition of 30 faces became a space to share stories of the community we have found and forged together, a place to celebrate what is unique to Canberra. The Front claimed that it was one of the most well-visited shows in memory and there was a desire for more. We had intended to use the revenue from photography sales to fund a book of more portraits. However, we didn’t sell as many as we hoped, so we took a break, thinking that it was a good run. Then people started asking for the book — a lot! FUSEFEATURE

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We can also support anyone experiencing emotional distress around the debate surrounding marriage equality.

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There is a place for us

Jesse The Ian Potter Foundation Technology Learning Centre, Deakin

This year, Jane and I decided to give the people what they asked for and have made the book a reality. Sadly, Jenni had other commitments and has not been involved this year. The project has evolved over the past eight months to create QUEERBERRA, a photography book celebrating the lives of queer people in Australia’s capital. The word ‘queer’ has a mixed history dating from the early 16th century when its German meaning was ‘oblique, perverse’. It is a reclaimed term that’s used by our community for people of diverse sexualities and gender identities. Meanwhile, Canberra is so often considered strange and odd by outsiders while being deeply loved by locals. It’s also the name of a popular rainbow Facebook page.

QUEERBERRA depicts images of love and pride, of home, of the ever-changing concept of family and self. The book offers 100 portraits: it’s a kaleidoscope of allies, asexual, bisexual, cisgender, drag queens and one king, fluid, gay, gender non-conforming, intersex, lesbian, monogamous, pansexual, polyamorous, transgender, queer, questioning and rainbow people. It can be rare to find imagery representing the everyday lives of LGBTIQ people in Australia. Queer life happens beyond pride parades and this collection honours the places where we feel safe and proud to be ourselves. This project has taken us all over the territory into churches, parks, offices, backyards and bedrooms. FUSEFEATURE

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There is a place for us

Alison Phoenix Pub, Canberra City

We have included individuals local to Canberra or from beyond who now call it home. For many of us, Canberra has been a place of liberation. This city is a place where people have forged loving communities through work, study or family. Those involved in the project nominated themselves and their sacred spaces, whether it was just a place they spend a lot of time in, their homes, or the place one goes to be accepted or inspired. This project is just as much a portrait of Canberra as it is of the locals and the city has so much beauty to revel in. By happenstance, we’ve photographed an additional 70 people for the book during the same-sex marriage plebiscite. This year our community has faced vile debates about our LGBTIQA+ rights. Many participants in the project have invested a lot of time and energy promoting human rights and equality while navigating the aggressive anti-queer sentiments that are present in Australia. For us, the personal is deeply political and this project celebrates Queer Australians loudly and proudly regardless of the outcome. Our Chief Minister has been active in creating a radically-inclusive and diverse city and I thank him for his unwavering support during this time. As the national capital, queer visibility will always be manifested somewhat differently than it is in gay meccas like Sydney and Melbourne. Our Chief Minister has been active in creating a radically-inclusive and diverse city.

Queer identities and experiences are diverse and there are some aspects to this that we rarely see or share in public. Jane Duong’s images expand the notion of pride beyond festivals and marches into the intimate areas of the city we share. This project is hopefully part of a bigger conversation that will encourage more art, more stories and more lives to be shared, we’d love to tour this show and book to Canberra’s sister cities, Nara, Wellington, Beijing and Dili to invite them to do the same. For now, there is a place for us - and it’s here. The QUEERBERRA exhibition is free and open to the public 8.00am – 8.00pm daily, at the East Hotel in Kingston for the duration of SpringOUT, from 28 October to 26 November. The QUEERBERRA book is available for $50 at duongphotography.com $5 from every book sold will be donated to the AIDS Action Council.

Victoria Firth-Smith produced and edited QUEERBERRA and works at the Australian National University. Jane Duong photographed every work in QUEERBERRA and designed the book. She works at the National Portrait Gallery.

FUSEFEATURE

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gay

and in a gang

By Vanessa R. Panfil

THERE ARE MANY STEREOTYPES AND ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT STREET GANGS, JUST AS THERE ARE MANY STEREOTYPES AND ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT GAY MEN. PRETTY MUCH NONE OF THOSE STEREOTYPES OVERLAP. In movies and television, some of the most recognizable gay characters have been portrayed as effeminate or weak; they’re ‘fashionistas’ or ‘gay best friends’. Street gang members, on the other hand, are often depicted as hypermasculine, heterosexual and tough. This obvious contradiction was one of the main reasons I was drawn to the subject of gay gang members. For my new book The Gang’s All Queer, I interviewed and spent time with 48 gay or bisexual male gang members. All were between the ages of 18 and 28, the majority were men of colour and all lived in or near Columbus, Ohio, which has been referred to as a ‘Midwestern gay mecca’. The experience, which took place over the course of more than two years, allowed me to explore the tensions they felt between gang life and gay manhood. Some of the gang members were in gangs made up of primarily gay, lesbian or bisexual people. Others were the only gay man (or one of a few) in an otherwise straight gang. Then there were what I call ‘hybrid’ gangs, which featured a mix of straight, gay, lesbian and bisexual members, but with straight people still in the majority. Most of these gangs were primarily male. Because even the idea of a gay man being in a gang flies in the face of conventional thought, the gang members I spoke with had to constantly resist or subvert a range of stereotypes and expectations.

GETTING IN BY BEING OUT Male spaces can be difficult for women to enter, whether it’s boardrooms, legislative bodies or locker rooms. How could I — a white, middle-class woman with no prior gang involvement — gain access to these gangs in the first place? It helped that the initial group of men whom I spoke to knew me from years earlier, when we became friends at a drop-in center for LGBTQ youth. They vouched for me to their friends. I was openly gay — part of the “family,” as some of them put it — and because I was a student conducting research for a book, they were confident that I stood a better chance of accurately representing them than any “straight novelist” or journalists. But I also suspect that my own masculine presentation allowed them to feel more at ease;. I speak directly, have very short hair and usually leave the house in plaid, slacks and Adidas shoes. While my race and gender did make for some awkward interactions (some folks we encountered assumed I was a police officer or a business owner), with time I gained their trust, started getting introduced to more members and began to learn about how each type of gang presented its own set of challenges.

Some gay gang members are open about their sexuality, but others remain in the closet, fearing they could endanger themselves or the status of their gang.

FUSEFEATURE

PRESSURE TO ACT THE PART

They were still in a gang. This meant they needed to clash with rival gay crews, so they valued toughness and fighting prowess. Men in gay gangs especially expressed genuine and heartfelt connections to their fellow gang members. They didn’t just think of them as associates. These were their friends, their chosen families – their pillars of emotional support.

The gay men in straight gangs I spoke with knew precisely what was expected of them: being willing to fight with rival gangs, demonstrate toughness, date or have sex with women and be financially independent. Being effeminate was a nonstarter; they were all careful to present a uniformly masculine persona, lest they lose status and respect. Likewise, coming out was a huge risk. Being openly gay could threaten their status as well as their safety. Only a handful of them came out to their traditional gangs, and this sometimes resulted in serious consequences, such as being ‘bled out’ of the gang (forced out through a fight). Despite the dangers, some wanted to come out. But a number of fears held them back. Would their fellow gang members start to distrust them? What if the other members got preoccupied about being sexually approached? Would the status of the gang be compromised, with other gangs seeing them as ‘soft’ for having openly gay guys in it? So most stayed in the closet, continuing to project heterosexuality while discreetly meeting other gay men in underground gay scenes or over the internet. As one man told me, he was glad cellphones had been invented because he could keep his private sexual life with men just that: private. One particularly striking story came from a member of a straight gang who made a date for sex over the internet, only to discover that it was two fellow gang members who had arranged the date with him. He hadn’t known the others were gay, and they didn’t know about him, either.

BECOMING ‘KNOWN’ In ‘hybrid’ gangs (those with a sizable minority of gay, lesbian or bisexual people) or all-gay gangs, the men I interviewed were held to many of the same standards. But they had more flexibility. In the hybrid gangs, members felt far more comfortable coming out than those in purely straight gangs. In their words, they were able to be “the real me”. Men in gay gangs were expected to be able to build a public reputation as a gay man — what they called becoming ‘known’. Being known means you’re able to achieve many masculine ideals — making money, being taken seriously, gaining status, looking good – but as an openly gay man. It was also more acceptable for them to project femininity, whether it was making flamboyant gestures, using effeminate mannerisms, or wearing certain styles of clothing, like skinny jeans.

FUSEFEATURE

CONFRONTING CONTRADICTIONS But sometimes these gang members would vacillate about certain expectations. They questioned if being tough or eager to fight constituted what it should mean to be a man. Although they viewed these norms with a critical eye, across the board they tended to prefer having ‘masculine’ men as sexual partners or friends. Some would also patrol each other’s masculinity, insulting other gay men who were flamboyant or feminine. Caught between not wanting themselves or others to be pressured to act masculine all the time but also not wanting to be read as visibly gay or weak (which could invite challenges), resistance to being seen as a ‘punk’ or a pushover was critical. It all seemed to come from a desire to upend damaging cultural stereotypes of gay men as weak, of black men as ‘deadbeats’ and offenders and of gang members as violent thugs. But this created its own tricky terrain. In order to not be financial deadbeats, they resorted to sometimes selling drugs or sex; in order to not be seen as weak, they sometimes fought back, perhaps getting hurt in the process. Their social worlds and definitions of acceptable identity were constantly changing and being challenged.

FIGHTING BACK One of the most compelling findings of my study was what happened when these gay gang members were derisively called ‘fag’ or ‘faggot’ by straight men in bars, on buses, in schools or on the streets. Many responded with their fists. Some fought back even if they weren’t openly gay. Sure, the slur was explicitly meant to attack their masculinity and sexuality in ways they didn’t appreciate. But it was important to them to be able to construct an identity as a man who wasn’t going to be messed with – a man who also happened to be gay. Their responses were revealing: “I will fight you like I’m straight”; “I’m gonna show you what this faggot can do.” They were also willing to defend others derided as ‘fags’ in public, even though this could signal that they were gay themselves. These comebacks challenge many of the assumptions made about gay men — that they lack nerve, that they’re unwilling to physically fight. It also communicated a belief that was clearly non-negotiable: a fundamental right to not be bothered simply for being gay. Vanessa R. Panfil is a assistant Professor of Sociology and Criminal Justice at the Old Dominion University, her book the The Gang’s All Queer is avaiable at nyupress.org FUSEMAGAZINE.COM.AU

CANBERRA MENOPAUSE CENTRE

SEXUAL HEALTH AND FAMILY PLANNING ACT

shfpact.org.au

Based at Sexual Health & Family Planning ACT the Canberra Menopause Centre is a specialist service for women seeking information, support and/or medical management of menopause symptoms. Appointments call 02 6247 3077

FUSEMAGAZINE.COM.AU

By Stuart Poole

A DAY IN THE COUNTRY(MAN)

The only thing I could fault is that the front seats lack electronic adjustment and the location of the backrest angle adjustment is a bit cryptic. For those trips to Bunnings or a road trip to the coast, the rear seats can be configured into an unusual but practical 40/20/40 split, which I really liked.

I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO SPEND A WEEKEND ALONGSIDE OTHER MINI ENTHUSIASTS AT THE WAGGA MINI MUSTER WHILE HAVING THE LATEST MINI COUNTRYMAN TO REVIEW.

Featuring an evolution of the original MINIs dashboard we all love — which now includes a touchscreen monitor — the Countryman has many convenient features that made driving easier too. My favourite was the adaptive cruise control. You just set it to the speed limit, and the MINI does all the footwork for you, braking when it catches up to a slower car and accelerating when you put on your blinker to overtake — pretty cool stuff. Cabin controls were intuitive and I was able to use all of the features like the sat-nav system and entertainment system without resorting to the book. The Countryman also features a sweet heads up display so you can keep your eyes on the road.

WHAT A WEEKEND THAT WAS! Unmistakably MINI both inside and out, the new Countryman is not as mini as the name would suggest. In fact, with space to rival any compact SUV, it’s suitable for a large range of people and lifestyles. Straight off the batt, the first thing you notice is that its a cleverly designed and unique car. It makes the most of the traditional MINI virtues such as sharp handling and cheeky looks and its 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbopetrol motor provides a spirited performance.

I also love that you can build your own Countryman online, selecting various options like, colours, wheels, interor and engine, etc. The number of possibilities means that you can have a truly unique car that’s just for you. Although a departure from the traditional MINI, I felt the Countryman was a great addition to the MINI line-up and will surely become yet another icon. Our Countryman test drive was kindly provided by Rolfe MINI Garage, Phillip ACT.

The Countryman is also super economical to run with its frugal 6.7 litres per 100 kilometres. You can expect even better performance once it’s run in. There are three modes that the MINI can be driven in: sport, normal and green. The sports mode certainly sharpened things up but for relaxed, smooth cruising, the green mode is the way to go, in my books. There’s plenty of room for four to five adults. The cabin which was also super comfortable and loaded with all the latest safety equipment that includes reversing camera, autonomous emergency braking, forward collision warning and active cruise control systems with a semiautonomous stop-start traffic mode. FUSEMAGAZINE.COM.AU

AUNT DOROTHY’S MOTORING TIP Every vehicle should have a first aid kit and knowing how to use it is just as important. Aunt Dorothy suggests you also download the St John’s Ambulance First Aid app. It helps you to quickly understand how to use your kit in case of an emergency with step-by-step illustrated guides to treating anything from snake bites to burns. The app is available on Android and Apple. FUSEINTERVIEW TOPQUEER

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DID YOU KNOW? The first ‘Bedsheet Ghost’ appeared in 1920. Norman Rockwell drew a little girl in bedsheet alongside her faux-frightened grandpa on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post.

VICTORIA & ABDUL

A GHOST STORY

Twenty years ago, Dame Judi Dench scored her first Oscar nomination for portraying Queen Victoria in Mrs. Brown, a film where the monarch enjoyed an unorthodox friendship with a Scottish servant (Billy Connolly). Re-teaming with director Stephen Frears (Philomena), Dench reprises the role of Victoria, once again a widow after the death of Albert, and once again enjoying an unusual friendship. This time with Abdul, an Indian servant who becomes the Queen’s tutor and confidant; a relationship that predictably puts the Palace into a spin. It’s the kind of role Dench can do in her sleep, and yet nobody does it better.

In his fourth feature, writer-director David Lowery (Pete’s Dragon) tells a story of grief from the point of view of the deceased. Depending on your disposition, A Ghost Story will appear as either a silly and tedious exercise, or a profound and moving experience (and we definitely opt for the latter). Lowery’s languid though only 90-minute film is told from the perspective of the ghost (Casey Affleck; Rooney Mara plays his widow), whose experience of time, after dying in a car accident, is both fleeting and eternal. The film asks, whether like great art, does love — or grief — endure? Is that our legacy as humans?

VALERIAN & THE CITY OF A THOUSAND PLANETS

THAT’S NOT ME

In the 20th anniversary year of his sci-fi cult favourite The Fifth Element, director Luc Besson returns to the future and outer space with Valerian; a space opera of sorts, based on a 1960s French comic book and set in the 28th century, following a pair of special operatives, Major Valerian (Dane DeHaaan) and Sergeant Laureline (Cara Delivigne), who find themselves tasked with solving a dark mystery at the heart of the eponymous city. It goes without saying that Besson’s film pops visually, populated with all manner of aliens and far-out production design, but its biggest visual effect might just be Rihanna.

Who hasn’t been in the shadow of a sibling at one point or another? It’s doubly hard for aspiring actress Polly (Alice Foulcher) because her twin sister also happens to be a recognisable celebrity who she’s constantly being mistaken for. Bummer. That is until Polly starts seising upon the opportunities presented by mistaken identity to score free booze and clothes and bed a hottie or two. Of course, nothing is for free, celebrity or not, and in writer-director Gregory Erdstein’s debut feature, things come back to, comically, bite Polly, and her sister, on the butt.

USPHE

EONE ENTERTAINMENT

By Dwayne Lennox

FILM&TV

MADMAN ENTERTAINMENT

You’ll find all these titles at JB HiFi, online or at all good DVD outlets. Check out fusemagazine.com.au for DVD giveaway details. Reviewed for FUSE by Dwayne Lennox — thelennoxfiles.blogspot.com.au FUSEMAGAZINE.COM.AU

Canberra Sexual Health Centre TEST FOR CONFIDENCE Free, friendly, non-judgemental and confidential specialist sexual health care for STI and HIV Knowing your status for STI, hepatitis and HIV allows you to reduce risk to your partners, get treatment early and stay well

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e entr lth C a e H xual W! ra Se O r e N b IV n UK at Ca ing H O p s n p Y o o f st ipti DO ays o rescr p w P e v E i et Pr ffect ost e can g m e You up! re th oing rEP a g P e r d a an oses oms TI iagn d Cond ost S a e m o t s h n rr ths agai mon gono n 6 d o i n t c th ry 3 ilis a rote mon s eve Syph est p e k b h c t e e I ch y of ill th er ST onda re st d a i M s s s n s e om ld co usin Cond shou rst b fi n e e em n th PEP IN AN activ pm o y 0 l l 0 . a 7 EMERGENCY u x e m S .30p If you think you have PEP is available at Canberra n is 4 e m been exposed to HIV, or f c Sexual Health Centre, Canberra i n i PEP should be started M-Cl Hospital and Calvary Hospital as soon as possible, but Emergency Departments. may be taken up to 72 hours after the exposure.

We are located at Building 5, Canberra Hospital Call 6244 2184 or check our website for opening hours at health.act.gov.au/canberrasexualhealthcentre health.act.gov.au | act.gov.au Enquiries: Canberra 13ACT1 or 132281 Â© Australian Capital Territory, Canberra

T U O D L O S After 33 years the Canberra Gay and Lesbian Tennis Club is making a major change to the annual Bushdance at the Yarralumla Woolshed. A pre-purchased ticket is now essential for entry.

Tickets are limited and this will be enforced. Anyone turning up at the Woolshed without a ticket will be refused entry.

SOLD OUT

Yarralumla Woolshed, Cotter Road Saturday 25 November 2017 â&#x20AC;˘ 7:30pm â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 1:00am The use of pre-purchased tickets and enforcement of a maximum number of attendees is required to ensure compliance with the conditions of hire of the Woolshed, and with the conditions of the liquor permit. There will be a mobile ATM onsite.

Canberra Bushdance is an R18+ event so please make sure you bring photo ID. Canberra Bushdance is a community fundraiser co-ordinated by The Canberra Gay & Lesbian Tennis Club. Media supporter FUSE Magazine.

FUSEMAGAZINE.COM.AU

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE KNOWS NO COLOUR, GENDER OR SEXUALITY

SAME LOVE. SAME RULES! WE KNOW THAT WITHIN THE GENERAL COMMUNITY, DOMESTIC AND FAMILY VIOLENCE IS MOST COMMONLY PERPETRATED BY A MAN WHO IS KNOWN TO THE WOMAN OR IS A PREVIOUS PARTNER AND IS EXPERIENCED BY WOMEN AND CHILDREN IN THEIR HOME. But evidence also suggests that people within the LGBTIQ community will also experience some form of domestic or family violence over the course of their lives.

The report’s conclusion was that raising awareness that violence is an also issue within LGBTIQ relationships is the best way to achieve positive outcomes for the community and that this should be done with LGBTIQ specific resources and materials. Namely, what does domestic violence within our relationships look like and where can you get help if you need it?

Researchers have also identified that the types of abuse often mirrors violence in relationships among ‘straight’ people. These involve emotional, financial, psychological, physical, sexual abuse, social isolation and the use of power and control by one partner over another.

WCHM worked with members of the local queer community to ask what concepts would help to raise awareness in our community and the majority of us said that we want to see our relationships in a positive light, even in such a difficult and negative situations.

Yet this issue is often unrecognised or hidden. This fact was confirmed in research conducted by the Women’s Centre for Health Matters (WCHM) in 2015 when they explored the issue in detail. They identified gaps in the local knowledge and understanding of domestic and family violence and focussed on ways to raise visibility of the issue in Canberra’s LGBTIQ communities.

There was a strong preference for the images and messages to be used on a series of posters in public spaces and on Avant Cards in local cafes where they were likely to be seen, as well as the need for the campaign to link to other initiatives.

Because there has been such a widespread public focus on heterosexual couples and families, many of the local respondents were less likely to identify violence in their relationships because: • They were not aware that domestic violence was an issue in the LGBTIQ community. • They did not recognise that what was happening to them was, in fact, domestic or family violence. • Often, LGBTIQ friends and others in their social networks did not recognise the abusive relationship dynamics as intimate partner violence or family violence either.

The campaign comprises five images on posters featuring the slogan ‘Same Love. Same Rules!’ and each features different real, local and recognisable couples. The images will also be available to share online. The campaign encourages the LGBTIQ community to find out more about domestic and family violence by going to helpstopdv.org.au It’s a positive campaign that shows local loving and diverse couples in the ACT. But it acts as a reminder that domestic and family violence can happen in our relationships and if it does, there’s help available, too.

You’re invited to mobilise in support of the most significant advance against HIV since the introduction of HIV treatments nearly 20 years ago.

WE CAN END HIV BY 2020 2020 marks the end of the decade and it can also mark the end for new cases of HIV in Australia. Visit the website >

FUSECOMMUNITY

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DID YOU KNOW? Records were invented in 1877 by Thomas Alva Edison, who also invented the first record player. He called it the phonograph.

PARTY SHOES With party season about to lift off for another glorious summer, these truly fabulous LED shoes may prove to be your simplest yet most delightful pleasures. You can choose a single colour or cycle through the pre-programmed rainbow. Battery life is around 9-10 hours.

$30 @ gearbest.com

NO FUSS SKIN CARE FOR GUYS Native Man delivers ridiculously simple, natural and organic skin products with four products in only two bottles. Wash + Shave is a clear natural gel that can clean your skin as well as be used as a shaving gel and it’s specially designed for men’s skin, which is generally more oily and less absorbent. The moisturiser and aftershave mix is a perfect way to soothe your skin after shaving with its irritationsapping aftershave, striking the perfect balance. $59.80 @ nativemangrooming.com

MUSIC TO YOUR EARS Music is the stuff of life. The right song in the right place can leave an indelible mark on your soul. If you don’t already know records have made a massive comeback — but don’t think you’ll need to shirk on quality. In fact, when it comes to clarity of sound, a record or CD will beat the ass off anything you ever download. Mag Lev Audio has created the first levitating turntable, designed for people who appreciate high-quality sound and innovative design. Not that specifications really matter past the “it makes your vinyl records float while playing them” factor but the MAG-LEV Audio supports both 33.3-rpm and 45-rpm modes and uses a Pro-Ject 8.6 tonearm and Ortofon OM 5E cartridge. $1400 @ maglevaudio.com

MAKE YOUR WATER DELICIOUS

THE FUTURE IS HERE!

Fruit Flavored Cups will change drinking water forever. Your water will not only seem to taste delicious, but they will also help hydrated all day long.

OMG, surely everyone wants one of these babies. With this Coffee Table Drink Cooler, you will never have to miss a second of your favourite TV show again, when you need a bevvy from the fridge. This unique coffee table has a huge built-in drawer that will cool your drinks cool, a Bluetooth speaker that connects to your phone or tablet, beautiful underside ambient lighting plus USB ports for charging your phone as well as with power outlets for keeping your laptop’s battery full and happy. $1500 @ sobrodesign.com

COOLSTUFF

The cup tricks your brain into thinking you’re drinking something delicious and sweet when, in fact, all you have is water. It works because 80% of your taste actually depends on smell and what the cup take advantage of. Each cup emanates a specific smell, orange, apple, and more, which tricks your brain into feeling that the water tastes sweet. It really does work. $30 @ therightcup.com

FUSEMAGAZINE.COM.AU

COME AND CHECK OUT THE VERY FABULOUS

HANG UPS CHRISTMAS EMPORIUM

You’ll find thousands of old world decorations that are hand-crafted using age-old traditions and techniques. Made from mouth-blown molten glass, our ornaments are handpainted and glittered to achieve beautiful creations.

XMAS SHOP • PICTURE FRAMING • ART & MATERIALS • HANGING SYSTEMS Cnr Gladstone & Kembla St, Fyshwick • 02 6280 0312 • info@hangups.com.au • hangups.com.au

SAME RULES

Domestic violence can happen to us. If it happens to you or someone you know, there are services that can help. www.helpstopdv.org.au

GET TESTED FREE

No time to get an STI check? Now it’s easier

FREE AFTER HOURS HIV/STI CHECKS FOR MEN WHO HAVE SEX WITH MEN 4.30PM - 7.00PM AT CANBERRA SEXUAL HEALTH CENTRE

M CLINIC IS THE FIRST BUSINESS MONDAY OF EVERY MONTH MONDAY 6 NOVEMBER 2017 • MONDAY 4TH DECEMBER 2018 MONDAY 8 JANUARY 2018 • MONDAY 5 FEBUARY 2018

A Little Laser

Cosmetic Laser Clinic Jennifer Dromgold is the owner of a boutique laser clinic A Little Laser in Manuka. She provides safe, fast, high end medical grade treatments at affordable prices. Hair removal and skin rejuvenation treatments for people of all skin types. Jennifer’s experience spans over 10 years. Jennifer has clients ranging from gay boys and girls who want to be ultra smooth to people in the trans community who need a professional clinic that understands their needs. “As somebody that supports and understands the needs of GLBTI people I’m very keen to offer my services and help individuals look and feel better. I am excited and proud to be able to offer my clients individual treatment plans and give them the time they deserve in a boutique style clinic. I enjoy building an honest relationship with my clients and love having the opportunity to help people achieve results with their individual concerns.”

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FUSEMAGAZINE.COM.AU

YOUR HOROSCOPE NOVEMBER & DECEMBER 2017 Domestic matters will take a front seat over the next two months and it will be important to create a sense of harmony with your family. Sadly for some people, this is just not going to be possible. If that’s you, be sure to build stronger bonds with friends, lovers and those that love you as you are. Be authentic, be honest and most of all let yourself be loved by those that really matter.

Aquarius

January 21 – February 18 Your social life will be busy for the rest of the year giving you plenty of opportunities to let your hair down and to relax. Tip: You have the power to overcome difficult challenges and to change situations for the better by listening deeply to others without judgment.

Taurus

April 21 – May 21 As strange as it may sound, love will be found in intellectual and influential circles for Taurean singles. Couples will enjoy a happy and harmonious few months. Tip: Taurus’ health may be fragile during November. Resting, relaxation and mindful eating are required.

Leo

July 23 – August 23 Change is in the air. Strong actions and personal will may give way to consensus. Stick to your guns and always be yourself, Leo, it’s what you’re good at and why people love you. Tip: Cooperation with others will be important over the next few months.

Scorpio

October 24 – November 22 Scorpio’s sexuality and passion will be at its peak during November. You may find yourself over-indulging. That’s perfectly OK, just remember not to sell yourself short. Being able to balance your sensual desires will be important. Tip: Be careful not to over-commit.

Pisces

February 19 – March 20 There may be a tension between your personal life and your work life during November. It will be important that you are fully aware of what is most important to you and why. Tip: Having a true sense of self will bring remarkable changes in love and relationships.

Gemini

May 22 – June 21 There will be more passion over the next few months than you might expect if you just open your heart and allow others to see your true authentic self. Tip: The easiest path will be to allow things to happen naturally and just enjoy the ride.

Virgo

August 24 – September 23 You will make exceptional progress in all aspects of your life over the next few months depending on the effort you apply. Ask yourself, ‘How much do I want this?’ and act accordingly. Tip: Work on your emotional health by being more open with your feelings.

Sagittarius

November 23 – December 22 Your confidence level will be high and you may find yourself presented with many social opportunities. Luckily for you, your personal allure will also be through the roof. Enjoy. Tip: Try to establish peace within your family as the end of the year approaches.

Aries

March 21 – April 20 Career or educational achievements will become important towards the end of the year and you may find yourself dependent on others to accomplish important goals. Tip: Think twice before taking up any projects in November that centre around communication.

Cancer

June 22 – July 22 You might find yourself in an awkward situation with a family member or friend. It will be important to trust your intuition and understand that the truth will always be your best option. Tip: ‘Collaborations’ should be your personal goal for the rest of 2017.

Libra

September 24 – October 23 Creativity and knowing what you really want out of life will help you to become happier and more prosperous in the future. Tip: It will be important to establish harmony with family and lovers to improve your emotional strength over the next few months.

Capricorn

December 23 – January 20 You will have many opportunities to form new romantic alliances or make your current relationship stronger. Effort will be the only test here, so stay focused. Tip: Now is an excellent time to detox, as you’ve got a busy few months coming up.

STARGAZER

EMAIL DEAR ROSE WITH YOUR PROBLEM

By Rose Pappalardo

Dear Rose, I’m a heterosexual Christian lady and a FUSE reader. Although our church supports same-sex marriage, a few of my friends have unfriended me on FB and gotten a bit nasty, saying that I’m a bad Christian etc. I never quite know what know what to say back to these people who I thought were friends. Mary-Anne

Dear Rose, Will I ever find a GF? All this debate about same-sex marriage and I’ve not had a serious relationship in over ten years. ‘Friends’ say that I’m just too stubborn and set in my ways and I’m not sure that I can change that. What should a lonely woman do? V

Dear Mary-Anne, This difficult debate has brought out the worst in some people. Sadly, unwanted fear and steadfast ideology has caused disharmony throughout our communities and families. Some views have been surprising shocking. The only thing that comforts me during this time is the idea that LOVE wins over hate and fear every time. Through history, the fight for equality has always looked the same. Some people fear change even when it’s for the betterment of our world. Sadly, these people were never really friends. My advice is to keep leading with your heart. Words are not necessary when you lead by example and with love.

Dear V, It is super hard when you’re an older woman looking for a relationship. The advantage that you have is you’re older and far wiser about choices.

Dear Rose, My BF is moving across the country for work. I can’t follow. Do you think a long-distance relationship can work? Sam

Dear Sam, It’s a tough gig having a long-distance relationship, some work but most don’t. For your relationship to successfully continue, you will need to put an enormous effort and love to ensure that the relationship grows and thrives.

I think your friends are over-simplifying the issue by saying you’re single because you’re ‘stubborn’ or ‘set in your ways’. Don’t get me wrong, it is harder and requires much more effort when you are older, but it’s not impossible. I think that there are many women in your exact situation. You have an opportunity to do something about it. Perhaps creating a social setting for like-minded people is a good way to facilitate new friendships and relationships. It could be social pool nights, card nights, bushwalking groups, the possibilities are endless. My point is that you need to put yourself out there and seek others who are in the same space. But you will never know until you take a chance and put the effort in. Who knows, you just may find that special person who understands you and loves you exactly as you are.

If you decide you want to have a shot at this, you need to agree on a time for how long you will be separated and whether you follow him or he returns to you. Be clear on this so you both can focus on an end-date. Having solid ground rules and keeping close will be super important. Use Skype and Facetime to stay connected. Don’t let days pass without being in contact and trips back and forth will be essential to keep that flame burning. If your heart is just not up for that, then you may need to let things go. Deciding this may soften the ground for changes that maybe need to happen. If you both truly love each other, the truth is nothing will stop you both wanting to be together always.

“My brother is gay, and my parents don’t care, as long as he marries a doctor.” Comedian, Elayne Boosler

Need help or someone to talk to? Support is available for anyone in distress by phoning (24 Hours) QLife 1800 184 527, Lifeline on 13 11 14 or AAC counselling services on 02 6257 2855. If you require relationship support or services call Relationships Australia on 1300 364 277

ASK DEAR ROSE 48

DEARROSE

If you need help or have a question email : dearrose@fusemagazine.com.au

FUSEMAGAZINE.COM.AU

DON’T TURN YOUR BACK ON YOUR SEXUAL HEALTH

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LESBIAN BISEXUAL TRANS QUEER STRAIGHT OR EVEN SOMEWHERE IN BETWEEN?

SEXUAL HEALTH AND FAMILY PLANNING ACT

Visit our website at shfpact.org.au where you’ll find heaps of information — or make an appointment at the SHFPACT clinic by calling 02 6247 3077. • • • • • •

Cervical Screening and HPV Vaccine STI and HIV screening, checks and advice Reproductive and sexual health services Sexual difficulties and contraception services Canberra Menopause Centre Services for people with disabilities

FEMALE DOCTORS AND NURSES ARE AVAILABLE

The SHFPACT clinic is located at Level 1, 28 University Ave, Canberra City. We offer a holistic, confidential and respectful service. Call 02 6247 3077 or email shfpact@shfpact.org.au to make an appointment. More at shfpact.org.au

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