Not Safe For Queers
Ethan Hughes
Qtopia Sydney, Australia’s home of queer history and culture, is setting off for a roadtrip around regional New South Wales to educate the state’s youth about the importance of prioritising kindness, inclusion, and acceptance above all—and it kicks off this April.
To better understand the mission behind Qtopia’s Regional Education Program, Not Safe For Queers speaks to the organisation’s education & programs director, Carly Fisher.
“These programs are all about creating the next generation of advocates and activists, and encouraging young people to understand that their passion now is something that they can make into positive change,” Fisher tells Not Safe For Queers.
“It’s centralised on the idea of critical leaders. And we hope that if we continue to roll out and promote these programs of kindness, inclusion, and acceptance, we’re creating a much, much better next generation—and that’s all we can hope for.”
The idea for a roving, regional education program first came about in discussions with the state’s Department of Education, and principals far and wide.
“One of my primary tasks over the last year and a half has been developing a really dtrong and wonderful relationship with the Department of Education. And we are very grateful for their support and for all of their guidance so far,” Fisher begins.
“But through many meetings, like with the principal of Trundle Central School (John Southern), I asked how important it is that we do this quickly, and [John] said, with no hesitation, ‘I have lost 11 students to suicide in my career. I cannot lose another because of their inability to cope with their identity. You need to come, and you need to come now.’”
She continues, “having that conversation, we determined that this was absolutely a top priority. It was something that we wanted to do, but then you have a conversation like that, and you go, okay forget ‘want’, this is a need. We need to do this, and we need to do it quickly.”
The result is a robust two-hour program conducted by Qtopia facilitators dedicated to providing young adults with the historical context of advocacy (via interviews with 78ers), as well as the tools they may need to make the changes that they want to see in the world.
Starting in Sydney, the team will travel through Dubbo, Wilcannia, Orange, Trundle and Broken Hill before returning to the state’s capital via Ivanhoe and Yass.
“Our goal is to—as quickly as possible—be statewide with these programs. And so in picking an initial route, we had to start somewhere, you know? And what better road to start on than the old Priscilla road?” Fisher explains. “And we’ve been overwhelmed by the incredibly positive response that we’ve had in these towns.”
“But for full transparency, not every school has said yes to taking a meeting. And that’s okay, because not every school is going to be ready for this. And what that might mean is that we might end up coming all the way to Broken Hill and seeing one school. We don’t know yet,” she continues.
“But we will do that, because that one school wants to be the changemaker for their community; they want to show that they’re progressive. And we’re inspired by that, so we will make it happen for them.”
To learn more about Qtopia Sydney’s regional education program, head to their website.
