Queer Histories Queer Futures

Location: 115 Sydney Rd, Brunswick. Description: Barricade Books was an anarchist infoshop, formerly located first on Sydney Road from 1995 to 2003, and then at Irene Warehouse, on Pitt Street until 2006.It was a space where left-wing and radical queers could meet, share information, hold events, and organise—and it stocked a range of anarchist and underground paraphernalia including badges, books, comics, CDs, pamphlets, patches, posters, stickers, t-shirts, and zines.Within the first two years the Sydney Road shop was subject to a police raid and regular attacks from neo-Nazis. It had iron sheeting over the windows for a year, with the Ⓐ symbol painted on the front, and "no gods, no masters", and then later bullet proof glass was installed.(Retrieved from archived website)Content warning: this episode mentions queerphobia and pornographic art.Theme music: All Rise by Denim Waves.

Location: Pentridge Prison, 1 Champ St, Coburg. Description: From the beginning of colonial times queer communities have been targeted, criminalised and imprisoned by the ongoing colonial state. In so-called Victoria there are countless examples of queer people and culture being criminalised, because queer culture has always been bound up with resistance. This episode situates Pentridge Prison as a site of queer trauma and resistance around which these issues can be centred.Speakers:Noel ToveyEmma RussellTex McKenzieContent warning: this episode mentions or discusses police brutality, rape, suicide, homophobia, sexism, racism, and carceral violence.Theme music: All Rise by Denim Waves. Attributions: Noel Tovey interviewed by Dean Beck on ‘Word for Word’, JoyFM, 11 Jul 2014 https://joy.org.au/ourvoice/2014/07/noel-tovey/AI voice audio content from play.ht

Description: Barry Solomon aka Barb Wire performed working-class drag in Brunswick from about 2000 to 2020 with performances at local pubs and the Sydney Rd Festival. Barb also hosted Drag Bingo at The Retreat.Locations: The Retreat, 280 Sydney Rd, Brunswick; The Cornish Arms Hotel, 163A Sydney Rd; Brunswick Green, 313 Sydney Rd; former Paris Tavern, 133 Sydney Rd, Brunswick.Content warning: mentions homophobia and violence.FacebookTheme music: All Rise by Denim Waves.

Location: Oxygen Youth Space, 8 Gaffney St, Coburg. Description: Project Officer Russ Pirie discusses queer, youth, theatre group YGLAM, including its performance in a spooky space upstairs at the old Brunswick Town Hall and its evolution at Oxygen Youth Space.  YGLAM was founded by Jemma Mead and Vicky Guglielmo at Merri Health.FacebookMerri Health | HomeTheme music: All Rise by Denim Waves.

Location: Brunswick Mechanics Institute, 270 Sydney Rd, Brunswick.   Description: Director and playwright Steven Dawson discusses the production and performances of Out Cast Theatre’s plays at the Mechanics Institute, including Love In A Cubicle and Big Dicks On Stage. Out Cast Theatre continues to stage performances in Melbourne and overseas.Australia's Longest Running LGBTIA+ Theatre Company Website | Out Cast TheatreTheme music: All Rise by Denim Waves.

Location: Fawkner Memorial Park, 1187 Sydney Rd, Hadfield. Description: Reimagining more inclusive funeral practices and deathcare by putting it back into the hands of communities and their loved ones.Content warning: this episode mentions or discusses deadnaming/misgendering.Theme music: All Rise by Denim Waves.

Locations: Victoria Hotel, 380 Victoria St, Brunswick; Edinburgh Castle Hotel, 681 Sydney Rd, Brunswick.Description: Orlando’s Sam Elkin discusses the queer indy disco at the Victoria and Edinburgh Castle hotels and its organising collective’s activism after queerphobic violence in the Victoria Street area after one of their events.Content warning: discusses queerphobia and violence.Theme music: All Rise by Denim Waves.

Location: Tyson Street shops. 30 – 56 Tyson Street, Fawkner. Description: Melbourne 1990s saw a neo-Nazi infestation in the inner north, with an increase in racism and homophobic violence. The left retaliated promptly across the inner north with counter actions including rallies and protests.In 1994 when fascists rallied against immigration at Brunswick Town Hall, the left responded with a counter demonstration of over 1000 people, including local residents & BAN (Brunswick Against Nazis) councillors & lesbian action groups, driving them out of Brunswick.In 1997 the Campaign Against the Nazis (CAN)—a grassroots coalition of left groups and local community members—organised a series of protests outside a Nazi “bookstore”/recruitment  centre attempting to gain a foothold on Tyson Street, in the heart of multicultural Fawkner. There were monthly rallies throughout 1997, and different groups took charge of different rallies, with the final and most successful rally organized by a coalition of queer anti-fascist groups including the Jewish Lesbian Group of Victoria,  Gays and Lesbians Against Racism and Queer Action, alongside local community members.In April 1998, this staunch grassroots coalition of anti-fascists celebrated the closure of the Nazi bookstore on Tyson Street thanks to their tenacious efforts. Good night white pride!Speakers:Hinde Ena BurstinAngela BaileyRichard Watts Content warning: this episode mentions or discusses fascism, racism, ableism, antisemitism and the Holocaust, queerphobia, violence, and police brutality.Theme music: All Rise by Denim Waves.

Location: Clifton Park, 427 Victoria St, Brunswick. Description: Richard Watts discusses the local activism of Queer Nation after the murder of a gay man at the Clifton Park beat in Brunswick in 1991.Content warning: discusses homophobia and violence.Theme music: All Rise by Denim Waves.

Location: Brunswick Library, Cnr Dawson St and Sydney Rd, Brunswick.   Description: Many of the guests featured in our series share their thoughts about what a queer utopia and the queer future might look like.We hear from Hinde Ena Burstin, Angela Bailey, Annette Xiberras, Sam Elkin, Leigh Millward, Alison Thorne, Nastassia Jones, Alex Antunes, Steven Dawson, Mark Pendelton, Barry Solomon and Richard Watts.Theme music: All Rise by Denim Waves.

Location: 11 Hope St, Brunswick. Description: In the mid 2000s, the share-houses, squats, studio warehouses and strip clubs of Brunswick were home to a flourishing of radical queer activism emerging out of the student left and so-called anti-globalisation movements, the 2000 Melbourne S11 protests, anti-war and Woomera/Baxter protests. Notable events included:“State of Emergency” convergence May 21-24, 2004Bite magazine 2005 - 2006Bite warehouse fundraiser parties 2005 - 2006Camp Betty Festival June 7-11, 2007Theme music: All Rise by Denim Waves.

Location: 580 Sydney Rd, Brunswick. Description: Alison Thorne from Radical Women and the Freedom Socialist Party discusses activism based at their queer, socialist, feminist shopfront Solidarity Salon during its many years in Merri-bek. Includes anecdotes about organising against the Far-Right.FacebookFacebookTheme music: All Rise by Denim Waves.

Description: Wurundjeri Elder Annette Xiberras reflects on coming out as a gay Aboriginal woman in the 1960s and 70s, and in conversation with her daughter Julia Adams-Xiberras about their experiences as a rainbow family.Annette Xiberras is an Elder on the Wurundjeri Council, and she holds several other key positions with integral Aboriginal advisory committees and boards. Annette is also an archaeologist operating her own cultural heritage consultancy business.Julia Adams-Xiberras is currently an undergraduate at La Trobe University studying Languages and Linguistics.Location: Michelle Guglielmo Park. 260 Sydney Rd, Brunswick.Content warning: this episode mentions or discusses sexual assault, violence, racism.Theme music: All Rise by Denim Waves.

Location: 807 Sydney Rd, Brunswick. Description: Tram conductor, driver and ticket inspector Stratos Filis discusses the community, friendships and activism at the Brunswick Tram Depot, including during and after the battle against the Kennett Government’s privatisation of Melbourne’s trams.Content warning: mentions violence.Theme music: All Rise by Denim Waves.