Living loud in Tassie

There is a strange fragile feeling of simultaneous visibility and invisibility being LGBTQ+ in small town Tasmania.

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

Recently, Central Coast Council raised a rainbow flag over Ulverstone council chambers – in a town once declared Australia’s most homophobic. In my local “big” town, a shop has opened that proudly displays the rainbow flag and sells pronoun pins (DeadlySisu in Sorell).

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

When those little bits of change happen, it’s key to appreciate them and support them. I encourage you to visit your local LGBTQ+ friendly shop; express your support for inclusive programs; send positive feedback when local government supports LGBTQ+ people; put up your own LGBTQ+ flag in your business or home; and don’t be afraid to make your opinion known.

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