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A review by jadejade
Growing Up Queer in Australia by Benjamin Law
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
One thing I wondered going into this was, how diverse are the voices assembled in this compilation? After all, it claims to assemble "voices from across the spectrum of LGBTIQA+ identity." Well, based on the information in their own stories (and some very basic internet searches of some of the more well-known contributors), here's what I could work out:
Contributor queer identities
We get to hear from people who expressly identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, pansexual, trans, nonbinary, intersex and queer (noting it's possible I may have missed a voice under the Asexual umbrella when I was flipping back through the book). Some contributors have multiple identities, and some have chosen not to label themselves (whether in this book or in general). Many contributors also discuss queer and straight people who have been in their lives.
Part of Australia Contributor associates with
There was strong representation of the eastern States, with specific mentions (however brief) of Queensland (including Gold Coast and Brisbane), NSW (including Wollongong and Sydney), South Australia (including Adelaide), Victoria (including Melbourne), Perth, Tasmania, Canberra, and rural areas/small towns generally. I'd say Melbourne is overly represented in this compilation! However, a lot of contributors have moved around Australia, whether they were born here or not. Some contributors also do not indicate where in Australia they grew up.
Contributor background
Contributors have indicated that they are part of or connected to the following groups: African, Canadian, Caucasian, Chinese, Filipino, First Nations Australians, Greek, people who are HIV+, Hongkonger, Iban, Indian, Jewish, Macau, Malaysian, mixed-heritage, people with a disability, Tamil, Vietnamese. Many contributors do not indicate their specific background, and many discuss people in their lives who have a different background to theirs.
Contributor age
There are multiple decades between the youngest contributors and the oldest contributors: a couple of contributors were born in the 1940s, there was at least one contributor born in the 1990s, and there seems to be at least one contributor born in every decade in between (there may be older and younger contributors in this compilation but not every contributor shares their birth year).
There are of course many more voices and experiences out there but overall I was delighted that this compilation is able to give the reader a taste of the diversity in the queer community.
Contributor queer identities
We get to hear from people who expressly identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, pansexual, trans, nonbinary, intersex and queer (noting it's possible I may have missed a voice under the Asexual umbrella when I was flipping back through the book). Some contributors have multiple identities, and some have chosen not to label themselves (whether in this book or in general). Many contributors also discuss queer and straight people who have been in their lives.
Part of Australia Contributor associates with
There was strong representation of the eastern States, with specific mentions (however brief) of Queensland (including Gold Coast and Brisbane), NSW (including Wollongong and Sydney), South Australia (including Adelaide), Victoria (including Melbourne), Perth, Tasmania, Canberra, and rural areas/small towns generally. I'd say Melbourne is overly represented in this compilation! However, a lot of contributors have moved around Australia, whether they were born here or not. Some contributors also do not indicate where in Australia they grew up.
Contributor background
Contributors have indicated that they are part of or connected to the following groups: African, Canadian, Caucasian, Chinese, Filipino, First Nations Australians, Greek, people who are HIV+, Hongkonger, Iban, Indian, Jewish, Macau, Malaysian, mixed-heritage, people with a disability, Tamil, Vietnamese. Many contributors do not indicate their specific background, and many discuss people in their lives who have a different background to theirs.
Contributor age
There are multiple decades between the youngest contributors and the oldest contributors: a couple of contributors were born in the 1940s, there was at least one contributor born in the 1990s, and there seems to be at least one contributor born in every decade in between (there may be older and younger contributors in this compilation but not every contributor shares their birth year).
There are of course many more voices and experiences out there but overall I was delighted that this compilation is able to give the reader a taste of the diversity in the queer community.