February 29, 2024 • 29 mins
Get ready to celebrate in style with our latest episode of Unapologetically Blak! In Episode 6, we're diving headfirst into the vibrant and joyous world of Mardi Gras. Join Ginny, Will, and Mara as they share their experiences, reflections, and favorite moments from this iconic celebration of LGBTQIA+ pride and culture. From dazzling parades to electrifying performances, we're exploring what makes Mardi Gras so special and why it holds such significance within the Blak community. It's a lively conversation filled with laughter, love, and a whole lot of Blak pride! Don't miss out – tune in now!
Unapologetically Blak is brought to you by the BlakCast Network and is produced by Clint Curtis.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Unapologetically Black would like to acknowledge the traditional owners of
the lands where this podcast is being hurt or watched
across this great island continent now known as Australia and
across the world. We would also like to pay our
respects to elders past and present and acknowledged that this
always was and always will be Aberaginal Lands.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Welcome to Unapologetically Black with Mara and Will.
Speaker 3 (00:27):
Welcome to another episode of Unapologetically Black. I'm your host,
Ginny and I'm joined by my beautiful co hosts. Sometimes hilarious,
just kidding, always hilarious.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
Bill was trying to keep a straight face like Sara.
He was she talking about me or Maarah, I.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
Know a funny one, Well, who is the non funny one?
Speaker 1 (00:50):
I reckon, I'm not funny at all.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
I'm not even you're a little bit funny funny because
you're like proper naive in something.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
Yeah, I'm way too serious, but I thought I was
kind of you know, let my hair down.
Speaker 2 (01:04):
Today? Which way? Tell me how you let your hair down?
Come on you hair down?
Speaker 1 (01:10):
Well, just I do like to have a couple of champagnes.
That's it, on my own, on my deck and I
feel like I let my hair down.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
Wow, PG, isn't it super?
Speaker 1 (01:25):
All right?
Speaker 3 (01:25):
So we're going to get into it. It is Marti
Gras is coming up, so we thought season it is
and I've never been. Well that's a lie. I said
that before. I think I have been.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
How do you think you've been?
Speaker 1 (01:38):
It's like the you we're not going to?
Speaker 2 (01:41):
Okay?
Speaker 3 (01:41):
Is there like a leader? Is there like a bunch
of events?
Speaker 2 (01:45):
It's like a week long celebration.
Speaker 3 (01:46):
I remember going to this event. I'm pretty sure it
was during Mardi Gras and was like in a warehouse
and there was like a rave and prob and it
was like seven Deadly Sins themed and people dressed up.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
There's heaps of events, so like there's lots of creatives
which host events that are both official, MIGHTI rab parties
and non official as heaps happens?
Speaker 3 (02:08):
Okay, So I think I've been to like a party our.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
Partial parade though, No, I've never been to the You
need to come in March one year? Would you March?
Speaker 1 (02:16):
Sure?
Speaker 2 (02:17):
It's fucking life changing?
Speaker 3 (02:18):
Am I allowed to not put in the queer community
March last year?
Speaker 1 (02:23):
Were you there? Well? We had to, we had we
had an outfit given to us.
Speaker 3 (02:30):
What was the outfit?
Speaker 1 (02:31):
So I was in a float where it was a
memorial float and.
Speaker 2 (02:37):
It actually won best float of the parade. I did, yeah,
did wow? Yeah, it won the best flow.
Speaker 1 (02:42):
Well there you go. I was on the one that
won the best float.
Speaker 3 (02:45):
People's so put it on the resume.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
So we had participants.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
Literally I had two you know, half naked black men
beside me, literally both the all four of them were
in g street, that's it, and they had white, beautiful
body paint on their bodies and they were marching beside
me and all of us. You could either wear leather,
black leather, or we had these rainbow things. So it
(03:14):
was black leather and rainbow colors. So you got given
an outfit or an option of either. Or I had
a black corsette and I had black fishnet stockings, and
I got these black leather kind of synthetic vinyly boots
that I've never worn again from Windsor Smith and a
little black miniskirt, but black mini skirt, and I had
(03:38):
a nice big, you know, hair weave thing on with
glitter and I actually had the time of my life.
So yes, I want to see a picture.
Speaker 3 (03:48):
You need to show me a picture. Actually, let's post.
Speaker 1 (03:50):
It on Instagram.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
Let's post that I just posted on a link LinkedIn
post much last year because last.
Speaker 1 (03:58):
Year was it opened it well, I it wasn't.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
Just what Marti gras. It was World Pride. It's the
first time that World Prides coming to the Southern Hemisphere
and it was nothing short or phenomenal.
Speaker 1 (04:08):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
I was pretty much fucked up for a whole week
and I had that much work on I'll tell you
quick yarn. I went and seen Kelly Rowland on the
Sunday and I had a huge client on the Monday.
And sorry, client, if you're listening and you hear this,
I rock up. I got home at like four am.
I have to be at the office by eight am
(04:29):
to go out to Lapa to meet more about at Lapa.
I rock up thinking I've shouted, I've got myscar still
on my face with this client meeting race, Like, what
the fuck have you done? I'm like, I told you,
it's gave Christmas bub I'm partying for the next week
because it's World Pride. And I got through the day,
but I look like a half suck mango.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
I was miscar.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
I had much way out of like you know how
much I loved like Beyonce and seeing Kelly Roland live
at World Pride was iconic. So my big hole, thinking
I'm twenty one again goes to better at four am.
No good had to be I meaned it up. Well,
I went to every single fucking session that I had
to go other week and I committed. But it was
(05:07):
the hardest recovery I've ever had in my life.
Speaker 1 (05:09):
Well, tell us about your outfit because the hogm you're outfit.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
For last year? Yes, so it was. It was all
black and we spent like I don't know, hey, if
you know how the parade works, but you spend like
six eight twelve weeks planning pre Mardi Grass. So every
October mob will start coming together to plan what the
float looks like. And there's a theme because the first
Nations flop opens it. So where after the dikes on
(05:35):
bikes who they're like the what do you call it? Like?
The fucking hype people. They hype it all up.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
And then the dykes on bikes, I didn't even know
that that's what they were called. Well, what do you reckon?
Speaker 2 (05:46):
They're called? I didn't know on pushies or something, dikes
on bikes, that's what they callt dikes on bikes, so
that they come around, they do the rev up and
then once they go the first nation opens it. So
we knew last year because it was World Pride. It
was like three weeks worth of festival, the first time
in Southern Hemisphes. We thought, we've got to fucking go
big with this, so we built a thirty foot long
(06:07):
inflatable rainbow serpent for it. Have you not seen I'll
show you. It's huge. It was, and I'm like, I'm
being biased, but we didn't even get a recognition of
the best flow. And the float was this thirty foot
long snake that was inflatable that had lights lit up
that we were dancing next to. And then me that
(06:28):
you've just created. We created, and so we are the
fundraised and then it gets funded by Acon, so they're
like a partner in it.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
Okay, but every other float's not funded.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
Well no, some of them are like.
Speaker 1 (06:39):
American Express, Google. Yeah, there are.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
Some community floats are like they self fund themselves, like
it's a community events, but it's turned into a bit
of a which is another yarm with itself but back
to this parade that the the was so we let
it and we did the thirty foot flow and then
we had a ti one her name, I can't remember
her name now, sister girl. And then I led the
(07:04):
first Nation the Aboriginal site, and we had these big
fucking flag cape things around our waist, this big bead.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
Like it was this big but a fly, but there's
a massive span.
Speaker 2 (07:14):
It was like like a ban that was sick.
Speaker 1 (07:17):
It was a flag. I literally I was so jealous.
Speaker 2 (07:22):
I told you to come much of us, and but look,
and I thought I was.
Speaker 1 (07:25):
I thought I was in Will's flow because he's like,
you come. I'm like, yeah, I've got some'm coming. Did
you get the routine? I'm like, no, routine was learn
the routine planning.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
It's a fucking it's it's it's like a big thing.
Speaker 1 (07:38):
I turned up to the to rehearsals and honestly said
to Will, I'm here. Where are you? We was like,
we're over here because you're with the other first Nations.
I'm like, I don't know. There was two.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
I think there was a four or something.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
Yes, so you know there's a lot of people. How
many floats. I was like, literally number one hundred.
Speaker 2 (07:56):
Yeah, it was number one. I think there was like
one hundred and ninety or something, thing like they usually
cap it at some point. But that's how it goes
for fucking hour.
Speaker 3 (08:03):
How how long does it go for?
Speaker 2 (08:05):
Like four hours?
Speaker 1 (08:07):
Two kilometer walk?
Speaker 2 (08:08):
Seven kilometers?
Speaker 1 (08:09):
Seven kilometer walk in whatever. Stiletto's father was rare and.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
Stillattos rocked it.
Speaker 1 (08:13):
Oh hell, all the way down seven kilometers of road.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
But that's that's the PG part about Mardi Gras. The
rest of it's quite debaucherous.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
Oh debaucherous, that can I just say quickly though. I
was marching with these two four lads on each side
of me and the rest of the flow. But one
of the lads that I was next to, his name
is Jas from the Pilgrim mob w A mob, So
he's come all the way over here first Marti Gras,
and it's electrifying. There's like a million people lining up
(08:46):
on the sides and screaming, and you full on like
get called up in all the hype right like you're
famous and everyone wants That's how I felt. I was like,
you're waving to people, you're blowing kisses, you're dancing. Everyone's
loving you, you're loving them.
Speaker 2 (09:03):
It is the alt and.
Speaker 1 (09:06):
It's a feeling i've never felt. I loved it, even
as a non queer woman. I loved every bit of it.
But in this moment, I saw the guy next to
me jas see he must have spotted his partner, and
he goes straight over to him, and I'm like, caught
up in all this, but I caught this moment where
they both started crying in terms of tears of joy
(09:30):
they had each other gave each other because he went
back in and we kept marching, and in my I
was like, well, no one else would have seen that,
but I saw that moment, and afterwards I said, that
was so beautiful. That was at your partner's Like yeah,
because you know, this is just a big thing for me,
being a boy from the bush to come all the
way over here for this and so to me, you know,
(09:50):
it was amazing, but I couldn't imagine what it means
for actually, mob.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
That's what I love about. Its seriously the best time.
And we call it Gay Christmas because or the Gay Olympics,
one of the two, because it's like it's a marathon.
And mate, black fellows were shady as fuck without being gay.
Imagine being gay and black. Like the claws come out,
the cats comes out, and I live for all of it.
Speaker 1 (10:15):
I love like that's my man.
Speaker 2 (10:18):
Like that that is, but that's my cousin. I'm kissing
him later. That's the time. That's how it goes. No,
but it's such a good time because it's it's the
one time that every year we know that when mob
come together, it's like pure love and joy and the
shadiness comes from a place of love and kindness. It's
the best because that's how black fellows go. Like it
(10:41):
goes about black humor, you know how we go.
Speaker 3 (10:43):
On follows and geez you look real fat?
Speaker 2 (10:46):
Yeah, always a double chinne work done that tummy tug?
Speaker 1 (10:50):
What about the ball? Is there miss pearl, black pearl?
Speaker 2 (10:54):
What is that sissy ball?
Speaker 1 (10:56):
Yes, there is something.
Speaker 2 (11:00):
Yeah, this is sypo. So that's the introduction of like
the voguing and carol room scene, which is like part
of that black culture out of the US and stuff
like that. Like they've done a good job I think
over the years to try and be more inclusive. But
whilst the love MANI gras it also is really fucking
white really well. Yeah, I tried to get on the board.
Do you hear about that? No? I failed miserably.
Speaker 1 (11:21):
How come?
Speaker 2 (11:22):
Well, it's like any other board. You run, just run
to a board and stuff like that. But it's with
the gay community. It's not very inclusive.
Speaker 3 (11:27):
I don't reckon are they bluck followers on the board?
Speaker 2 (11:31):
Uh? There has been?
Speaker 3 (11:33):
Is it currently?
Speaker 2 (11:35):
I don't know why not. I will say the board
has made a very interesting decision recently by asking the
cops not to march.
Speaker 1 (11:44):
Okay, that's interesting it on TV, you know, because some
of these boards are quite conservative, so I was just
thinking whether they would be supportive of the communities.
Speaker 2 (11:58):
Require getting into the reasons to why. I think everyone
knows who listened to this and probably watch the news
and understands it. What I will say, it's probably the
right call in my view. I like, you look at
this like Plice haven't really done. From the First Nation's
float and stuff, there's been lots of yards supporting the
idea of having the police not march, and everyone's like, oh,
the police are there protect us. But the police are
fucking there to protect us regardless of whether they're marching.
(12:20):
That's their job. That's what they get paid for to
protect civilization. So I'm not worried about fucking that nonsense,
but I understand why it has been a topic of
conversation for a little while. But I think it's the
right thing they should.
Speaker 1 (12:31):
Have done back in the day. In terms of the
history of Martin. He goes, how did this all start?
Speaker 2 (12:36):
It was a movement and what I know from some
of the elders that were a part of it. Do
you know there were a lot of mob marching with
them just in solidarity. So when people say blackfellows a
kind of homophobic, can you see communitys homophobic? There's heaps
of evidence to say that fucking mob was supportive of
queer movements back in the seventies when the seventy eighties
got locked up, and there's a lot of black fellows
(12:56):
got locked up with them because I'm marching in solidarity
with them. Started it was a parade.
Speaker 1 (13:02):
In Sydney, well, always in Sydney, where else Oxford Street,
not just for listening that don't know about Marty Grass.
Speaker 2 (13:11):
Started in King's Cross. Okay, it was march because they
were discriminative and they used to target what happened.
Speaker 1 (13:17):
So it's like, it's like our protests on Jan. Twenty six,
Marty Grass started out of it's a protest, that's now
this big celebration. Yeah, similar to Jan twenty six, like
we all come together, there's a big protest and then
we go down to Survival dale Yarvin and it's a
huge celebration kind of. But I'm just saying, like, I
got you mean, was it a pro I didn't know
(13:39):
that it started from a protest movement.
Speaker 2 (13:41):
I didn't know that it was a protest because from
my understanding, there was a lot of queen mob being
targeted by police. They would go to specific hotels and
clubs and spaces where particularly men were cruising.
Speaker 1 (13:54):
Or andashing and bashing and locking them up.
Speaker 2 (13:56):
Yeah, so that was in a march, and from there's
a lot of queer women who also led that, which
is kind of a common theme across queer rights is
how women usually let it. We'll be back right after
this break.
Speaker 1 (14:17):
So that's interesting how it's a protest movement. It's like
coppers joining us on our protests on could you imagine?
Speaker 3 (14:23):
I was just thinking that that would be an interesting
because Angeline has said they can march, but just not
with uniform.
Speaker 2 (14:30):
I think that might have been which I'm sure. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (14:32):
And the same thing with you know, black follows. I'm
sure we know that there are black fellows who are.
Speaker 1 (14:38):
Proppers, but I would feel.
Speaker 3 (14:43):
Weird, Yeah if they came and marched with us in uniform.
Speaker 2 (14:47):
Look, yeah, I don't know, it's for me. You need
to take away the human centric perspective and say, look
at the institute. The institute inherently discriminates against average people
and LGBTQ people, so that as an institute in you
should not be marching. But I get if people are
in those institutes who are gay or queer, then I'm like, well,
I don't want to say no to them, because then
we're just perpetually excluding people. It's a really fucking finite line, right.
Speaker 1 (15:12):
That need to that they belong and this is where
they belong.
Speaker 2 (15:16):
Yeah, but look to the back to the fun of
Mardi Gras. Whilst all seriousness aside, it is a week
long of pure debauchery.
Speaker 1 (15:25):
Okay, tell us the best, tell us your best Martigra?
Was it last year because of Kelly?
Speaker 2 (15:30):
Last year was sick because it was World Pride and
we led them. We led the Harbor. We led the
march and then the next that weekend or the weekend
before I got to march over the Harbor Bridge and
open the Harbor Bridge with my kids. The seven years
old had had the cape and was marching with Tay.
Her name is that's it? Tay the Torrest Island. One
(15:50):
heard the Torreshound flag and is us leading these parade
with his other two gay boys waving the big flat
in the opening of the march over That.
Speaker 1 (15:58):
Was the opening of World Pride.
Speaker 2 (16:01):
It was unreal. It's fucking sick. So now my kids
have an experience to say that they got to do it,
which is pretty special in my view.
Speaker 3 (16:06):
I want to go next year that.
Speaker 2 (16:08):
We should march, but we should do it properly though.
So it starts off with being quite civil and it
ends up with being four am, finishes blow jobs in
alleyways and okay, and is that.
Speaker 1 (16:20):
Where we're going?
Speaker 2 (16:21):
A week and a week long, a week long of
STI checks after the sexual health clinic. Okay, so seriously,
have you.
Speaker 1 (16:29):
Not heard listen? I would like to do part of that.
Speaker 3 (16:33):
But all definitely not the blow job.
Speaker 2 (16:36):
So I had a couple of friends that they in
the lead up to it. They would then get on
prep and they would go prepare to get cultural lips,
and they call it Marti Grau lips because that'd end
up with seriously because I tell you it's it's humble,
it's like it's it's it's nice as in Marti grad.
But it is a time for queer people to just
let loose.
Speaker 1 (16:55):
Well, I thought, I let my hair out.
Speaker 3 (16:57):
You know, it's like our version of like Corey Knockout.
Speaker 2 (17:01):
But so that's what I'm saying. That's so so you know,
in a couple of episodes ago, I was talking about
kissing cousins. That's how almost kissed my cousin at Mardi Gras.
So I'm I'm a ship. Well what do you what
are you wrong that?
Speaker 3 (17:12):
I just thought, I think that's really interesting.
Speaker 1 (17:14):
Jenny's face?
Speaker 3 (17:15):
Will you kissing cousins?
Speaker 1 (17:18):
Oh, Jenny, do you want to know? You're mad?
Speaker 2 (17:21):
You want to?
Speaker 1 (17:22):
I want to kiss my cousin.
Speaker 2 (17:23):
I just think I haven't kissed my cousin, like I'm
not saying I have, but that was the time because
it's like the knockout. So when you get literally so
there's one hundred and twenty black fellows at March, right,
But there's not just there's like parties and stuff that
they go, so like there's there's not that often you get.
Speaker 1 (17:40):
Is there exclusive like invitation only parties.
Speaker 2 (17:43):
I've never been, but I.
Speaker 1 (17:44):
Think americ amex or Facebook or someone they held an
ex TikTok or a.
Speaker 2 (17:49):
TikTok, But I'm not sure that's the same exclusive. Are
you thinking about like a sex party or Oh I
don't know. I can't imagine TikTok's come get tick, come
get ticked, where you get topped.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
No, I just said that there was obviously these exclusive
invitation only parties. Yeah, that big corporate's put on with
all these influences. I did see some photos on Instagram
last year that I thought.
Speaker 3 (18:12):
Yeah, when you said exclusives, like I thought you meant
like sex parties.
Speaker 2 (18:16):
Oh, I know people who hosted sex bidies, Martygraph because
people travel all over.
Speaker 1 (18:21):
We've been to a sex buddy. Yeah, yeah, years old
and now don't do that to me.
Speaker 2 (18:30):
I'm thirty, Linda, Linda, we've had yarns about some of
your escapades over dinner. Do you want to you ain't? No, Angel, honey, Yeah, yeah,
exactly right. Mine might be a little bit more debaucherous
than yours, but nevertheless, we've all been there.
Speaker 1 (18:45):
Can I just want a mob on on Instagram live.
Speaker 2 (18:49):
Debaucherous, the baucherous It's like that never heard a debaucherous Yeah.
But all the time.
Speaker 3 (18:55):
Angeline is asked, who are the black quire mob that
you admire?
Speaker 2 (18:59):
And oh, so many people? Oh go, where do I start?
Speaker 1 (19:05):
Who do you admire?
Speaker 2 (19:07):
There's so many? That's the thing, like you, when I
do work in the man, I'm not doing it this
year because I'm working and I've last year was so epical, iconic.
I've just said, look, it's a huge my boots up
for this year.
Speaker 1 (19:18):
So you're not marching.
Speaker 2 (19:19):
No, I'm not marching.
Speaker 1 (19:20):
Oh William, Okay, you're partying though, No I'm not. Are
you not engaging in your Christmas festivities?
Speaker 2 (19:27):
Oh that's I don't think you understand. Last year off, Yeah,
but you just.
Speaker 1 (19:31):
Sat here and spoke about how amazing this moment is
and you're like, but I'm not going to do it
this year.
Speaker 2 (19:36):
I did. I celebrated, I've done it. So this year
quit everything. Now I've not quit. I've paid homage to
the people have come before me. And I'm letting the
new young ones carried because I'm a big note in country.
I'll get in them, take control and persess the best
flood ever.
Speaker 1 (19:51):
You just that turned you off.
Speaker 2 (19:53):
Now it hasn't turned me off. It just means I
had to reprioritize its work life balance. I made commitments
last year. I've got commitments this year. I prioritized last
year's over my work. Came here and see show work.
This is what you did, right, Okay? So think about
people who I admire. There's so many elders. Annie Sue Pinkham,
she's just an absolute champion. Annie Rusty, she's a trans
(20:14):
woman from Wa who's just fucking incredible. And he Counch
is also a trans woman. I hope that I don't
mind me calling him out.
Speaker 1 (20:19):
But about sister girls and brother boys or Tea Weed,
what's the tee wee mob on two wee Sister Girl?
Speaker 2 (20:25):
Yeah, to tell me Abouttina she's a Torris stray. Arnie Laura,
who was a TI woman. Unfortunately she passed her. Sister Girl,
she's got past. Unfortunately. There's so many mobs that have
done so much amazing things. I think about Lawrence and
Tim Bishop, who's done incredible things. More recently, Ginny Jane Smith,
who's my good sister, who I love, love dearly. I've
got so much time and respect for. Like, there's just
(20:45):
so many people who have created the space for us
to go on march and do the work. And it
was only in nineteen though, so two thousand and nine.
I think that mob were able to lead the parade
because of what some of the mob did to open,
like to fight for our position in it. So we're
privileged to be able to say that we do it.
So I don't take it lightly, and that's why I
pay respects and I put a big LinkedIn post LinkedIn
(21:07):
like a social influencer.
Speaker 1 (21:10):
Is there anyone in the float prepare for the float? Now?
Is there anything that you could share with us?
Speaker 2 (21:18):
It's on this Saturday, So it's on this Saturday.
Speaker 1 (21:21):
You just got to go on ABC, SBS. Who does
the live cover?
Speaker 3 (21:25):
Does the n I TV do it do something as well?
Speaker 2 (21:27):
And stuff like.
Speaker 3 (21:28):
That's a bunch of different mobs.
Speaker 1 (21:30):
Was the Realda Jacob's one of the hosts Now.
Speaker 2 (21:33):
She was one of the I think World Pride Ambassadors,
okay ambassadors, Yeah for war pride.
Speaker 1 (21:37):
So it's an opportunity to celebrate the party. It's a
whole week long and for all of you deadly mob
that are going, please, you know, look after yourselves. Yeah,
get tested after yourselves. You know, party and you know,
just make sure that you're around the right people to
party and let you say down.
Speaker 2 (21:59):
So wait, wait back to Gina and a marsh next year.
Speaker 3 (22:02):
If I don't want to, yeah, hopefully that I was
just going to say, maybe we could all go.
Speaker 1 (22:07):
Do you need an invitation? Let's just see the moment.
You know.
Speaker 2 (22:09):
The thing is, if you want to, if you want
to march, particularly the first Nation, you gotta involved. It's
a community float, so you to go, you gotta show up.
You gotta be engaged. Like we used to go every
Saturday and plan and go into workshop. Like the float
didn't build itself, we built it. Like it's massive. So
it's a community gathering where we get twenty thirty mobs
coming in at various times. We're on a Saturday in
the lead up to build the flow and it's just
(22:31):
the best laugh and yeah and like you think I'm shady, Wait,
you get a bunch of black fellows sit in the room,
we're all gay or lesbian or queer or how they're
fucking shady and it's the best time.
Speaker 1 (22:43):
Can I act you about this? Someone said to me, Oh, yeah,
they're part of the alphabet community.
Speaker 2 (22:49):
Recent that's meena? Is there anything that it's the thing?
Speaker 1 (22:54):
Right?
Speaker 2 (22:55):
So look, I'm going to say it, and if I
offend people, then so be it. Sometimes we're a bit
sensitive in this space. We have to take it with
a grain of soul. The alphabet mafia is taking a
bit of it. Again, we're shady bitches. Don't take things
too seriously, and I think if you come from a
place of genuine curiosity and kindness, you can ask these
questions and not be offensive. I wouldn't say go around
(23:15):
to coliness the alphbet mafia. But the reality is that
it's hard. It's not as easy as to kind of
understand it, because I, as a queen man, don't even
understand the full pronouns and all the rest of it
because it's very Western. Though it's very Western to box
and put labels on stuff and try and defind it
like you think about First Nations people internationally, two spirited people.
(23:36):
Transgenderism already existed from a pre colonial context. It wasn't
until religion was introduced that we had to define it
like sister girls and brother boys Fuffayini's two spirited peoples
from North America, like it already exists. It wasn't until
the Western world come and said, oh, here's all these
fucking problems and have them more. And I'm like, bub,
you're the problem. So I don't necessarily subscribe to the
whole ideology from a Western approach, but I understand gender
(23:57):
and sexually sorry, sexually and gender diverse people, which is
how I referred to it. Gender's diverse. When you think
about a First nation's perspective, the so you know about
mimis right, the mimis they're the depiction of spirits with both.
Speaker 1 (24:10):
Stuff.
Speaker 2 (24:10):
So they existed in our culture. It's just not documented.
So it's already there, but it's very much Western kind
of us to label it. And Martie Rusty Blesser, who
I love and respect immensely, is I refer to as
Artie because she's a respected elder in my opinion. She
said she never had to justify her transit until she
came to Sydney. In her community over in Western Australia,
(24:33):
her elders and her community just accepted her based on
her spiritual gender, which is female, even though she was
born male. And she shows this story it wasn't until
she came to New South Wales that she goes, oh,
that's what I had to really identify that I had.
I was actually born a male and I was transgender.
So that speaks to like I think community and mob
that if one is spiritually a gender, there is evidence
(24:54):
to suggest that they just we just accepted it. But
that's not the case now because the Alphabet Mafia took over.
Speaker 1 (25:01):
No, okay, So that's good to know though, because here
here I am learned so much. Have you well come
learn more?
Speaker 2 (25:08):
Come March next year.
Speaker 1 (25:09):
I want to march if we can go, Hey, Ginny,
just quickly right? If you had to wear something because
there was black leather stuff and I kept thinking to myself,
I cannot have I can't wear that. I'm married, I've
got children. So would you still wear something that you
know that you're not going to feel comfortable in it
(25:32):
and you're going to do it anyways because it's the
spirit of the whole festival?
Speaker 2 (25:36):
Yes, can I say?
Speaker 3 (25:38):
They're posting first stripes and stuff like that.
Speaker 2 (25:41):
Plan There are people up there with the biggest frames
and the biggest shapes wearing the most minimalist clothing. So
I promise you could wear the most skimpiest thing and
there'll be someone less dressed than you.
Speaker 3 (25:50):
It is.
Speaker 2 (25:51):
It's the one time in the year that you will
see every frame and shape march and no one gives
an absolute fuck, because that's the spirit of what Mardigo
is with you.
Speaker 1 (26:01):
You know, my kids said that. My kids said, please
do not embarrass us. That's what they said to me
before I got on the plane to come to sid
Do not embarrass us, Mum, Like, are we going to
see you on TV? They were so I'm not joking.
They were. They were. They were horrified. They were and
they listen. They just did not know what they were
(26:24):
going to see me in that they'd never seen that
side of me, and I, honestly, Ginny, I had to
just go, you know what, this is not about me, really.
I was there as part of a as a memorial
flow and his name aarn Aaron Iran. I think his
name was not Arran, but anyway, yes, so great.
Speaker 2 (26:47):
Big, he's a big advocate. He did a lot of
work in the queer space well respected a lot of
work in HIV prevention and so.
Speaker 1 (26:53):
Forth, and that's so for me, I was like, no,
this is about paying tribute to him and many of
our mind that have gone before us and those that
are still alive today that are still supporting the whole
kind of fight celebration. So my kids said first last
words and says, don't embarrass me, mum. Then they saw
(27:13):
the float and the camera was on the other side,
so they did not get to see me, which was
you know, for me, I was like, I wanted them
to see me.
Speaker 2 (27:22):
I was so much airtime you did, I.
Speaker 1 (27:28):
Must say that I was. I felt so proud too, March.
I felt this immense sense of pride to support the
queer community, to support blackfellows, and the tribute to memorial
float was really deadly as well. But yeah, I just
want to say to people, it's an experience. It should
be on your bucket list, but you do need you know,
you can't invite yourself. You've got to try and find
(27:49):
the right people to be part of their float.
Speaker 3 (27:53):
Well, hopefully we all get to go next year. We should.
Speaker 2 (27:57):
I would love we'll do it. We've got to do
the work there be right. So I just want to
say big shout out to my queer mob this week
and the best.
Speaker 3 (28:04):
Alone, be safe, look after you on each other.
Speaker 1 (28:07):
And party for us. We'll be thinking of yours and
we'll be watching on TV tuned to stop it all right. Well,
thank you so much, Will for sharing enlightning. It was
a really good session. I feel like we're in like
an education session, but it's a podcast.
Speaker 2 (28:26):
Let's make next person. That's so fucking seriously, no.
Speaker 1 (28:29):
But it was really good and I'm pretty sure people
on our INSU Live also just learnt so much, and
our listeners. So thank you Will for just opening up
and sharing with us, because we need more people like
you that have that insight. That's your community and you're
the best person to talk on that topic.
Speaker 2 (28:46):
I love them and.
Speaker 1 (28:47):
Thank you for bringing me into this little world of yours.
See it.
Speaker 2 (28:51):
But you know what what I will say when you
start engaging with black fellows who are queer. You know
they fuck with you when they read you the fields right,
when they're nasty to here, call you all the names
under sun, it means I like you. If they're too
friendly to you, it's meant that I fucked you, Jena.
So people are mean to you when you're black and
queens they like it. I know.
Speaker 1 (29:11):
I went to the Marrity, she went to the Murray.
Every Yes I did.
Speaker 2 (29:19):
I Love you, Mom, out.
Speaker 3 (29:23):
By Thanks for listening to Unapologetically Black, brought to you
by Black Cast Unite Our Voices and produced by Cliff Curtis.
Speaker 2 (29:31):
Hello, We're a fucking airplace. Over and out, Roger, Roger
Unapologetically Black would like to acknowledge the traditional owners of
the lands where this podcast is being hurt or watched
across this great island continent now known as Australia and
across the world. We would also like to pay our
respects to elders past and present and acknowledged that this
always was and always will be Aberaginal Lands.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Welcome to Unapologetically Black with Mara and Will.
Speaker 3 (00:27):
Welcome to another episode of Unapologetically Black. I'm your host,
Ginny and I'm joined by my beautiful co hosts. Sometimes hilarious,
just kidding, always hilarious.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
Bill was trying to keep a straight face like Sara.
He was she talking about me or Maarah, I.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
Know a funny one, Well, who is the non funny one?
Speaker 1 (00:50):
I reckon, I'm not funny at all.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
I'm not even you're a little bit funny funny because
you're like proper naive in something.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
Yeah, I'm way too serious, but I thought I was
kind of you know, let my hair down.
Speaker 2 (01:04):
Today? Which way? Tell me how you let your hair down?
Come on you hair down?
Speaker 1 (01:10):
Well, just I do like to have a couple of champagnes.
That's it, on my own, on my deck and I
feel like I let my hair down.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
Wow, PG, isn't it super?
Speaker 1 (01:25):
All right?
Speaker 3 (01:25):
So we're going to get into it. It is Marti
Gras is coming up, so we thought season it is
and I've never been. Well that's a lie. I said
that before. I think I have been.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
How do you think you've been?
Speaker 1 (01:38):
It's like the you we're not going to?
Speaker 2 (01:41):
Okay?
Speaker 3 (01:41):
Is there like a leader? Is there like a bunch
of events?
Speaker 2 (01:45):
It's like a week long celebration.
Speaker 3 (01:46):
I remember going to this event. I'm pretty sure it
was during Mardi Gras and was like in a warehouse
and there was like a rave and prob and it
was like seven Deadly Sins themed and people dressed up.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
There's heaps of events, so like there's lots of creatives
which host events that are both official, MIGHTI rab parties
and non official as heaps happens?
Speaker 3 (02:08):
Okay, So I think I've been to like a party our.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
Partial parade though, No, I've never been to the You
need to come in March one year? Would you March?
Speaker 1 (02:16):
Sure?
Speaker 2 (02:17):
It's fucking life changing?
Speaker 3 (02:18):
Am I allowed to not put in the queer community
March last year?
Speaker 1 (02:23):
Were you there? Well? We had to, we had we
had an outfit given to us.
Speaker 3 (02:30):
What was the outfit?
Speaker 1 (02:31):
So I was in a float where it was a
memorial float and.
Speaker 2 (02:37):
It actually won best float of the parade. I did, yeah,
did wow? Yeah, it won the best flow.
Speaker 1 (02:42):
Well there you go. I was on the one that
won the best float.
Speaker 3 (02:45):
People's so put it on the resume.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
So we had participants.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
Literally I had two you know, half naked black men
beside me, literally both the all four of them were
in g street, that's it, and they had white, beautiful
body paint on their bodies and they were marching beside
me and all of us. You could either wear leather,
black leather, or we had these rainbow things. So it
(03:14):
was black leather and rainbow colors. So you got given
an outfit or an option of either. Or I had
a black corsette and I had black fishnet stockings, and
I got these black leather kind of synthetic vinyly boots
that I've never worn again from Windsor Smith and a
little black miniskirt, but black mini skirt, and I had
(03:38):
a nice big, you know, hair weave thing on with
glitter and I actually had the time of my life.
So yes, I want to see a picture.
Speaker 3 (03:48):
You need to show me a picture. Actually, let's post.
Speaker 1 (03:50):
It on Instagram.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
Let's post that I just posted on a link LinkedIn
post much last year because last.
Speaker 1 (03:58):
Year was it opened it well, I it wasn't.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
Just what Marti gras. It was World Pride. It's the
first time that World Prides coming to the Southern Hemisphere
and it was nothing short or phenomenal.
Speaker 1 (04:08):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
I was pretty much fucked up for a whole week
and I had that much work on I'll tell you
quick yarn. I went and seen Kelly Rowland on the
Sunday and I had a huge client on the Monday.
And sorry, client, if you're listening and you hear this,
I rock up. I got home at like four am.
I have to be at the office by eight am
(04:29):
to go out to Lapa to meet more about at Lapa.
I rock up thinking I've shouted, I've got myscar still
on my face with this client meeting race, Like, what
the fuck have you done? I'm like, I told you,
it's gave Christmas bub I'm partying for the next week
because it's World Pride. And I got through the day,
but I look like a half suck mango.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
I was miscar.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
I had much way out of like you know how
much I loved like Beyonce and seeing Kelly Roland live
at World Pride was iconic. So my big hole, thinking
I'm twenty one again goes to better at four am.
No good had to be I meaned it up. Well,
I went to every single fucking session that I had
to go other week and I committed. But it was
(05:07):
the hardest recovery I've ever had in my life.
Speaker 1 (05:09):
Well, tell us about your outfit because the hogm you're outfit.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
For last year? Yes, so it was. It was all
black and we spent like I don't know, hey, if
you know how the parade works, but you spend like
six eight twelve weeks planning pre Mardi Grass. So every
October mob will start coming together to plan what the
float looks like. And there's a theme because the first
Nations flop opens it. So where after the dikes on
(05:35):
bikes who they're like the what do you call it? Like?
The fucking hype people. They hype it all up.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
And then the dykes on bikes, I didn't even know
that that's what they were called. Well, what do you reckon?
Speaker 2 (05:46):
They're called? I didn't know on pushies or something, dikes
on bikes, that's what they callt dikes on bikes, so
that they come around, they do the rev up and
then once they go the first nation opens it. So
we knew last year because it was World Pride. It
was like three weeks worth of festival, the first time
in Southern Hemisphes. We thought, we've got to fucking go
big with this, so we built a thirty foot long
(06:07):
inflatable rainbow serpent for it. Have you not seen I'll
show you. It's huge. It was, and I'm like, I'm
being biased, but we didn't even get a recognition of
the best flow. And the float was this thirty foot
long snake that was inflatable that had lights lit up
that we were dancing next to. And then me that
(06:28):
you've just created. We created, and so we are the
fundraised and then it gets funded by Acon, so they're
like a partner in it.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
Okay, but every other float's not funded.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
Well no, some of them are like.
Speaker 1 (06:39):
American Express, Google. Yeah, there are.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
Some community floats are like they self fund themselves, like
it's a community events, but it's turned into a bit
of a which is another yarm with itself but back
to this parade that the the was so we let
it and we did the thirty foot flow and then
we had a ti one her name, I can't remember
her name now, sister girl. And then I led the
(07:04):
first Nation the Aboriginal site, and we had these big
fucking flag cape things around our waist, this big bead.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
Like it was this big but a fly, but there's
a massive span.
Speaker 2 (07:14):
It was like like a ban that was sick.
Speaker 1 (07:17):
It was a flag. I literally I was so jealous.
Speaker 2 (07:22):
I told you to come much of us, and but look,
and I thought I was.
Speaker 1 (07:25):
I thought I was in Will's flow because he's like,
you come. I'm like, yeah, I've got some'm coming. Did
you get the routine? I'm like, no, routine was learn
the routine planning.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
It's a fucking it's it's it's like a big thing.
Speaker 1 (07:38):
I turned up to the to rehearsals and honestly said
to Will, I'm here. Where are you? We was like,
we're over here because you're with the other first Nations.
I'm like, I don't know. There was two.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
I think there was a four or something.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
Yes, so you know there's a lot of people. How
many floats. I was like, literally number one hundred.
Speaker 2 (07:56):
Yeah, it was number one. I think there was like
one hundred and ninety or something, thing like they usually
cap it at some point. But that's how it goes
for fucking hour.
Speaker 3 (08:03):
How how long does it go for?
Speaker 2 (08:05):
Like four hours?
Speaker 1 (08:07):
Two kilometer walk?
Speaker 2 (08:08):
Seven kilometers?
Speaker 1 (08:09):
Seven kilometer walk in whatever. Stiletto's father was rare and.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
Stillattos rocked it.
Speaker 1 (08:13):
Oh hell, all the way down seven kilometers of road.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
But that's that's the PG part about Mardi Gras. The
rest of it's quite debaucherous.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
Oh debaucherous, that can I just say quickly though. I
was marching with these two four lads on each side
of me and the rest of the flow. But one
of the lads that I was next to, his name
is Jas from the Pilgrim mob w A mob, So
he's come all the way over here first Marti Gras,
and it's electrifying. There's like a million people lining up
(08:46):
on the sides and screaming, and you full on like
get called up in all the hype right like you're
famous and everyone wants That's how I felt. I was like,
you're waving to people, you're blowing kisses, you're dancing. Everyone's
loving you, you're loving them.
Speaker 2 (09:03):
It is the alt and.
Speaker 1 (09:06):
It's a feeling i've never felt. I loved it, even
as a non queer woman. I loved every bit of it.
But in this moment, I saw the guy next to
me jas see he must have spotted his partner, and
he goes straight over to him, and I'm like, caught
up in all this, but I caught this moment where
they both started crying in terms of tears of joy
(09:30):
they had each other gave each other because he went
back in and we kept marching, and in my I
was like, well, no one else would have seen that,
but I saw that moment, and afterwards I said, that
was so beautiful. That was at your partner's Like yeah,
because you know, this is just a big thing for me,
being a boy from the bush to come all the
way over here for this and so to me, you know,
(09:50):
it was amazing, but I couldn't imagine what it means
for actually, mob.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
That's what I love about. Its seriously the best time.
And we call it Gay Christmas because or the Gay Olympics,
one of the two, because it's like it's a marathon.
And mate, black fellows were shady as fuck without being gay.
Imagine being gay and black. Like the claws come out,
the cats comes out, and I live for all of it.
Speaker 1 (10:15):
I love like that's my man.
Speaker 2 (10:18):
Like that that is, but that's my cousin. I'm kissing
him later. That's the time. That's how it goes. No,
but it's such a good time because it's it's the
one time that every year we know that when mob
come together, it's like pure love and joy and the
shadiness comes from a place of love and kindness. It's
the best because that's how black fellows go. Like it
(10:41):
goes about black humor, you know how we go.
Speaker 3 (10:43):
On follows and geez you look real fat?
Speaker 2 (10:46):
Yeah, always a double chinne work done that tummy tug?
Speaker 1 (10:50):
What about the ball? Is there miss pearl, black pearl?
Speaker 2 (10:54):
What is that sissy ball?
Speaker 1 (10:56):
Yes, there is something.
Speaker 2 (11:00):
Yeah, this is sypo. So that's the introduction of like
the voguing and carol room scene, which is like part
of that black culture out of the US and stuff
like that. Like they've done a good job I think
over the years to try and be more inclusive. But
whilst the love MANI gras it also is really fucking
white really well. Yeah, I tried to get on the board.
Do you hear about that? No? I failed miserably.
Speaker 1 (11:21):
How come?
Speaker 2 (11:22):
Well, it's like any other board. You run, just run
to a board and stuff like that. But it's with
the gay community. It's not very inclusive.
Speaker 3 (11:27):
I don't reckon are they bluck followers on the board?
Speaker 2 (11:31):
Uh? There has been?
Speaker 3 (11:33):
Is it currently?
Speaker 2 (11:35):
I don't know why not. I will say the board
has made a very interesting decision recently by asking the
cops not to march.
Speaker 1 (11:44):
Okay, that's interesting it on TV, you know, because some
of these boards are quite conservative, so I was just
thinking whether they would be supportive of the communities.
Speaker 2 (11:58):
Require getting into the reasons to why. I think everyone
knows who listened to this and probably watch the news
and understands it. What I will say, it's probably the
right call in my view. I like, you look at
this like Plice haven't really done. From the First Nation's
float and stuff, there's been lots of yards supporting the
idea of having the police not march, and everyone's like, oh,
the police are there protect us. But the police are
fucking there to protect us regardless of whether they're marching.
(12:20):
That's their job. That's what they get paid for to
protect civilization. So I'm not worried about fucking that nonsense,
but I understand why it has been a topic of
conversation for a little while. But I think it's the
right thing they should.
Speaker 1 (12:31):
Have done back in the day. In terms of the
history of Martin. He goes, how did this all start?
Speaker 2 (12:36):
It was a movement and what I know from some
of the elders that were a part of it. Do
you know there were a lot of mob marching with
them just in solidarity. So when people say blackfellows a
kind of homophobic, can you see communitys homophobic? There's heaps
of evidence to say that fucking mob was supportive of
queer movements back in the seventies when the seventy eighties
got locked up, and there's a lot of black fellows
(12:56):
got locked up with them because I'm marching in solidarity
with them. Started it was a parade.
Speaker 1 (13:02):
In Sydney, well, always in Sydney, where else Oxford Street,
not just for listening that don't know about Marty Grass.
Speaker 2 (13:11):
Started in King's Cross. Okay, it was march because they
were discriminative and they used to target what happened.
Speaker 1 (13:17):
So it's like, it's like our protests on Jan. Twenty six,
Marty Grass started out of it's a protest, that's now
this big celebration. Yeah, similar to Jan twenty six, like
we all come together, there's a big protest and then
we go down to Survival dale Yarvin and it's a
huge celebration kind of. But I'm just saying, like, I
got you mean, was it a pro I didn't know
(13:39):
that it started from a protest movement.
Speaker 2 (13:41):
I didn't know that it was a protest because from
my understanding, there was a lot of queen mob being
targeted by police. They would go to specific hotels and
clubs and spaces where particularly men were cruising.
Speaker 1 (13:54):
Or andashing and bashing and locking them up.
Speaker 2 (13:56):
Yeah, so that was in a march, and from there's
a lot of queer women who also led that, which
is kind of a common theme across queer rights is
how women usually let it. We'll be back right after
this break.
Speaker 1 (14:17):
So that's interesting how it's a protest movement. It's like
coppers joining us on our protests on could you imagine?
Speaker 3 (14:23):
I was just thinking that that would be an interesting
because Angeline has said they can march, but just not
with uniform.
Speaker 2 (14:30):
I think that might have been which I'm sure. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (14:32):
And the same thing with you know, black follows. I'm
sure we know that there are black fellows who are.
Speaker 1 (14:38):
Proppers, but I would feel.
Speaker 3 (14:43):
Weird, Yeah if they came and marched with us in uniform.
Speaker 2 (14:47):
Look, yeah, I don't know, it's for me. You need
to take away the human centric perspective and say, look
at the institute. The institute inherently discriminates against average people
and LGBTQ people, so that as an institute in you
should not be marching. But I get if people are
in those institutes who are gay or queer, then I'm like, well,
I don't want to say no to them, because then
we're just perpetually excluding people. It's a really fucking finite line, right.
Speaker 1 (15:12):
That need to that they belong and this is where
they belong.
Speaker 2 (15:16):
Yeah, but look to the back to the fun of
Mardi Gras. Whilst all seriousness aside, it is a week
long of pure debauchery.
Speaker 1 (15:25):
Okay, tell us the best, tell us your best Martigra?
Was it last year because of Kelly?
Speaker 2 (15:30):
Last year was sick because it was World Pride and
we led them. We led the Harbor. We led the
march and then the next that weekend or the weekend
before I got to march over the Harbor Bridge and
open the Harbor Bridge with my kids. The seven years
old had had the cape and was marching with Tay.
Her name is that's it? Tay the Torrest Island. One
(15:50):
heard the Torreshound flag and is us leading these parade
with his other two gay boys waving the big flat
in the opening of the march over That.
Speaker 1 (15:58):
Was the opening of World Pride.
Speaker 2 (16:01):
It was unreal. It's fucking sick. So now my kids
have an experience to say that they got to do it,
which is pretty special in my view.
Speaker 3 (16:06):
I want to go next year that.
Speaker 2 (16:08):
We should march, but we should do it properly though.
So it starts off with being quite civil and it
ends up with being four am, finishes blow jobs in
alleyways and okay, and is that.
Speaker 1 (16:20):
Where we're going?
Speaker 2 (16:21):
A week and a week long, a week long of
STI checks after the sexual health clinic. Okay, so seriously,
have you.
Speaker 1 (16:29):
Not heard listen? I would like to do part of that.
Speaker 3 (16:33):
But all definitely not the blow job.
Speaker 2 (16:36):
So I had a couple of friends that they in
the lead up to it. They would then get on
prep and they would go prepare to get cultural lips,
and they call it Marti Grau lips because that'd end
up with seriously because I tell you it's it's humble,
it's like it's it's it's nice as in Marti grad.
But it is a time for queer people to just
let loose.
Speaker 1 (16:55):
Well, I thought, I let my hair out.
Speaker 3 (16:57):
You know, it's like our version of like Corey Knockout.
Speaker 2 (17:01):
But so that's what I'm saying. That's so so you know,
in a couple of episodes ago, I was talking about
kissing cousins. That's how almost kissed my cousin at Mardi Gras.
So I'm I'm a ship. Well what do you what
are you wrong that?
Speaker 3 (17:12):
I just thought, I think that's really interesting.
Speaker 1 (17:14):
Jenny's face?
Speaker 3 (17:15):
Will you kissing cousins?
Speaker 1 (17:18):
Oh, Jenny, do you want to know? You're mad?
Speaker 2 (17:21):
You want to?
Speaker 1 (17:22):
I want to kiss my cousin.
Speaker 2 (17:23):
I just think I haven't kissed my cousin, like I'm
not saying I have, but that was the time because
it's like the knockout. So when you get literally so
there's one hundred and twenty black fellows at March, right,
But there's not just there's like parties and stuff that
they go, so like there's there's not that often you get.
Speaker 1 (17:40):
Is there exclusive like invitation only parties.
Speaker 2 (17:43):
I've never been, but I.
Speaker 1 (17:44):
Think americ amex or Facebook or someone they held an
ex TikTok or a.
Speaker 2 (17:49):
TikTok, But I'm not sure that's the same exclusive. Are
you thinking about like a sex party or Oh I
don't know. I can't imagine TikTok's come get tick, come
get ticked, where you get topped.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
No, I just said that there was obviously these exclusive
invitation only parties. Yeah, that big corporate's put on with
all these influences. I did see some photos on Instagram
last year that I thought.
Speaker 3 (18:12):
Yeah, when you said exclusives, like I thought you meant
like sex parties.
Speaker 2 (18:16):
Oh, I know people who hosted sex bidies, Martygraph because
people travel all over.
Speaker 1 (18:21):
We've been to a sex buddy. Yeah, yeah, years old
and now don't do that to me.
Speaker 2 (18:30):
I'm thirty, Linda, Linda, we've had yarns about some of
your escapades over dinner. Do you want to you ain't? No, Angel, honey, Yeah, yeah,
exactly right. Mine might be a little bit more debaucherous
than yours, but nevertheless, we've all been there.
Speaker 1 (18:45):
Can I just want a mob on on Instagram live.
Speaker 2 (18:49):
Debaucherous, the baucherous It's like that never heard a debaucherous Yeah.
But all the time.
Speaker 3 (18:55):
Angeline is asked, who are the black quire mob that
you admire?
Speaker 2 (18:59):
And oh, so many people? Oh go, where do I start?
Speaker 1 (19:05):
Who do you admire?
Speaker 2 (19:07):
There's so many? That's the thing, like you, when I
do work in the man, I'm not doing it this
year because I'm working and I've last year was so epical, iconic.
I've just said, look, it's a huge my boots up
for this year.
Speaker 1 (19:18):
So you're not marching.
Speaker 2 (19:19):
No, I'm not marching.
Speaker 1 (19:20):
Oh William, Okay, you're partying though, No I'm not. Are
you not engaging in your Christmas festivities?
Speaker 2 (19:27):
Oh that's I don't think you understand. Last year off, Yeah,
but you just.
Speaker 1 (19:31):
Sat here and spoke about how amazing this moment is
and you're like, but I'm not going to do it
this year.
Speaker 2 (19:36):
I did. I celebrated, I've done it. So this year
quit everything. Now I've not quit. I've paid homage to
the people have come before me. And I'm letting the
new young ones carried because I'm a big note in country.
I'll get in them, take control and persess the best
flood ever.
Speaker 1 (19:51):
You just that turned you off.
Speaker 2 (19:53):
Now it hasn't turned me off. It just means I
had to reprioritize its work life balance. I made commitments
last year. I've got commitments this year. I prioritized last
year's over my work. Came here and see show work.
This is what you did, right, Okay? So think about
people who I admire. There's so many elders. Annie Sue Pinkham,
she's just an absolute champion. Annie Rusty, she's a trans
(20:14):
woman from Wa who's just fucking incredible. And he Counch
is also a trans woman. I hope that I don't
mind me calling him out.
Speaker 1 (20:19):
But about sister girls and brother boys or Tea Weed,
what's the tee wee mob on two wee Sister Girl?
Speaker 2 (20:25):
Yeah, to tell me Abouttina she's a Torris stray. Arnie Laura,
who was a TI woman. Unfortunately she passed her. Sister Girl,
she's got past. Unfortunately. There's so many mobs that have
done so much amazing things. I think about Lawrence and
Tim Bishop, who's done incredible things. More recently, Ginny Jane Smith,
who's my good sister, who I love, love dearly. I've
got so much time and respect for. Like, there's just
(20:45):
so many people who have created the space for us
to go on march and do the work. And it
was only in nineteen though, so two thousand and nine.
I think that mob were able to lead the parade
because of what some of the mob did to open,
like to fight for our position in it. So we're
privileged to be able to say that we do it.
So I don't take it lightly, and that's why I
pay respects and I put a big LinkedIn post LinkedIn
(21:07):
like a social influencer.
Speaker 1 (21:10):
Is there anyone in the float prepare for the float? Now?
Is there anything that you could share with us?
Speaker 2 (21:18):
It's on this Saturday, So it's on this Saturday.
Speaker 1 (21:21):
You just got to go on ABC, SBS. Who does
the live cover?
Speaker 3 (21:25):
Does the n I TV do it do something as well?
Speaker 2 (21:27):
And stuff like.
Speaker 3 (21:28):
That's a bunch of different mobs.
Speaker 1 (21:30):
Was the Realda Jacob's one of the hosts Now.
Speaker 2 (21:33):
She was one of the I think World Pride Ambassadors,
okay ambassadors, Yeah for war pride.
Speaker 1 (21:37):
So it's an opportunity to celebrate the party. It's a
whole week long and for all of you deadly mob
that are going, please, you know, look after yourselves. Yeah,
get tested after yourselves. You know, party and you know,
just make sure that you're around the right people to
party and let you say down.
Speaker 2 (21:59):
So wait, wait back to Gina and a marsh next year.
Speaker 3 (22:02):
If I don't want to, yeah, hopefully that I was
just going to say, maybe we could all go.
Speaker 1 (22:07):
Do you need an invitation? Let's just see the moment.
You know.
Speaker 2 (22:09):
The thing is, if you want to, if you want
to march, particularly the first Nation, you gotta involved. It's
a community float, so you to go, you gotta show up.
You gotta be engaged. Like we used to go every
Saturday and plan and go into workshop. Like the float
didn't build itself, we built it. Like it's massive. So
it's a community gathering where we get twenty thirty mobs
coming in at various times. We're on a Saturday in
the lead up to build the flow and it's just
(22:31):
the best laugh and yeah and like you think I'm shady, Wait,
you get a bunch of black fellows sit in the room,
we're all gay or lesbian or queer or how they're
fucking shady and it's the best time.
Speaker 1 (22:43):
Can I act you about this? Someone said to me, Oh, yeah,
they're part of the alphabet community.
Speaker 2 (22:49):
Recent that's meena? Is there anything that it's the thing?
Speaker 1 (22:54):
Right?
Speaker 2 (22:55):
So look, I'm going to say it, and if I
offend people, then so be it. Sometimes we're a bit
sensitive in this space. We have to take it with
a grain of soul. The alphabet mafia is taking a
bit of it. Again, we're shady bitches. Don't take things
too seriously, and I think if you come from a
place of genuine curiosity and kindness, you can ask these
questions and not be offensive. I wouldn't say go around
(23:15):
to coliness the alphbet mafia. But the reality is that
it's hard. It's not as easy as to kind of
understand it, because I, as a queen man, don't even
understand the full pronouns and all the rest of it
because it's very Western. Though it's very Western to box
and put labels on stuff and try and defind it
like you think about First Nations people internationally, two spirited people.
(23:36):
Transgenderism already existed from a pre colonial context. It wasn't
until religion was introduced that we had to define it
like sister girls and brother boys Fuffayini's two spirited peoples
from North America, like it already exists. It wasn't until
the Western world come and said, oh, here's all these
fucking problems and have them more. And I'm like, bub,
you're the problem. So I don't necessarily subscribe to the
whole ideology from a Western approach, but I understand gender
(23:57):
and sexually sorry, sexually and gender diverse people, which is
how I referred to it. Gender's diverse. When you think
about a First nation's perspective, the so you know about
mimis right, the mimis they're the depiction of spirits with both.
Speaker 1 (24:10):
Stuff.
Speaker 2 (24:10):
So they existed in our culture. It's just not documented.
So it's already there, but it's very much Western kind
of us to label it. And Martie Rusty Blesser, who
I love and respect immensely, is I refer to as
Artie because she's a respected elder in my opinion. She
said she never had to justify her transit until she
came to Sydney. In her community over in Western Australia,
(24:33):
her elders and her community just accepted her based on
her spiritual gender, which is female, even though she was
born male. And she shows this story it wasn't until
she came to New South Wales that she goes, oh,
that's what I had to really identify that I had.
I was actually born a male and I was transgender.
So that speaks to like I think community and mob
that if one is spiritually a gender, there is evidence
(24:54):
to suggest that they just we just accepted it. But
that's not the case now because the Alphabet Mafia took over.
Speaker 1 (25:01):
No, okay, So that's good to know though, because here
here I am learned so much. Have you well come
learn more?
Speaker 2 (25:08):
Come March next year.
Speaker 1 (25:09):
I want to march if we can go, Hey, Ginny,
just quickly right? If you had to wear something because
there was black leather stuff and I kept thinking to myself,
I cannot have I can't wear that. I'm married, I've
got children. So would you still wear something that you
know that you're not going to feel comfortable in it
(25:32):
and you're going to do it anyways because it's the
spirit of the whole festival?
Speaker 2 (25:36):
Yes, can I say?
Speaker 3 (25:38):
They're posting first stripes and stuff like that.
Speaker 2 (25:41):
Plan There are people up there with the biggest frames
and the biggest shapes wearing the most minimalist clothing. So
I promise you could wear the most skimpiest thing and
there'll be someone less dressed than you.
Speaker 3 (25:50):
It is.
Speaker 2 (25:51):
It's the one time in the year that you will
see every frame and shape march and no one gives
an absolute fuck, because that's the spirit of what Mardigo
is with you.
Speaker 1 (26:01):
You know, my kids said that. My kids said, please
do not embarrass us. That's what they said to me
before I got on the plane to come to sid
Do not embarrass us, Mum, Like, are we going to
see you on TV? They were so I'm not joking.
They were. They were. They were horrified. They were and
they listen. They just did not know what they were
(26:24):
going to see me in that they'd never seen that
side of me, and I, honestly, Ginny, I had to
just go, you know what, this is not about me, really.
I was there as part of a as a memorial
flow and his name aarn Aaron Iran. I think his
name was not Arran, but anyway, yes, so great.
Speaker 2 (26:47):
Big, he's a big advocate. He did a lot of
work in the queer space well respected a lot of
work in HIV prevention and so.
Speaker 1 (26:53):
Forth, and that's so for me, I was like, no,
this is about paying tribute to him and many of
our mind that have gone before us and those that
are still alive today that are still supporting the whole
kind of fight celebration. So my kids said first last
words and says, don't embarrass me, mum. Then they saw
(27:13):
the float and the camera was on the other side,
so they did not get to see me, which was
you know, for me, I was like, I wanted them
to see me.
Speaker 2 (27:22):
I was so much airtime you did, I.
Speaker 1 (27:28):
Must say that I was. I felt so proud too, March.
I felt this immense sense of pride to support the
queer community, to support blackfellows, and the tribute to memorial
float was really deadly as well. But yeah, I just
want to say to people, it's an experience. It should
be on your bucket list, but you do need you know,
you can't invite yourself. You've got to try and find
(27:49):
the right people to be part of their float.
Speaker 3 (27:53):
Well, hopefully we all get to go next year. We should.
Speaker 2 (27:57):
I would love we'll do it. We've got to do
the work there be right. So I just want to
say big shout out to my queer mob this week
and the best.
Speaker 3 (28:04):
Alone, be safe, look after you on each other.
Speaker 1 (28:07):
And party for us. We'll be thinking of yours and
we'll be watching on TV tuned to stop it all right. Well,
thank you so much, Will for sharing enlightning. It was
a really good session. I feel like we're in like
an education session, but it's a podcast.
Speaker 2 (28:26):
Let's make next person. That's so fucking seriously, no.
Speaker 1 (28:29):
But it was really good and I'm pretty sure people
on our INSU Live also just learnt so much, and
our listeners. So thank you Will for just opening up
and sharing with us, because we need more people like
you that have that insight. That's your community and you're
the best person to talk on that topic.
Speaker 2 (28:46):
I love them and.
Speaker 1 (28:47):
Thank you for bringing me into this little world of yours.
See it.
Speaker 2 (28:51):
But you know what what I will say when you
start engaging with black fellows who are queer. You know
they fuck with you when they read you the fields right,
when they're nasty to here, call you all the names
under sun, it means I like you. If they're too
friendly to you, it's meant that I fucked you, Jena.
So people are mean to you when you're black and
queens they like it. I know.
Speaker 1 (29:11):
I went to the Marrity, she went to the Murray.
Every Yes I did.
Speaker 2 (29:19):
I Love you, Mom, out.
Speaker 3 (29:23):
By Thanks for listening to Unapologetically Black, brought to you
by Black Cast Unite Our Voices and produced by Cliff Curtis.
Speaker 2 (29:31):
Hello, We're a fucking airplace. Over and out, Roger, Roger
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