Pride Culture Club
Pride Culture Club is a space for LGBTQIA+ staff, students, and allies to share our passion for queer culture. We meet every two months to exchange recommendations, hear short presentations from members and invited guests, and attend cultural events in Sydney. We aim to showcase works of art, film, music, and literature which depict and explore the diverse experiences of LGBTQIA+ people, as well as works by queer creators.
A joint initiative of the Pride Network and the Library’s LGBTQIA+ Ally Group, Pride Culture Club is free to join, and participation is open to all staff and students across the University. Join our mailing list to receive updates or express interest in presenting at upcoming events.
Please note that all items on this list are derived from the recommendations of our members. The University of Sydney Library can only provide access to resources held in our collections.
Alexandra Angus (a student at the Sydney College of the Arts) shone a spotlight on three LGBTQIA+ artists whose stories and creative practices have inspired her: Jes Fan, Félix González-Torres, and Frida Kahlo. Inspired by Shelby Criswell's graphic novel Queer As All Get Out, she also presented an original illustration for each artist.
- Queer As All Get Out (2021) by Shelby Criswell
- Two Nudes in a Forest (1939) by Frida Kahlo
- Viva la Vida, Watermelons (1954) by Frida Kahlo
- Untitled (Portrait of Ross in L.A.) (1991) by Félix González-Torres
- Untitled (Perfect Lovers) (1991) by Félix González-Torres
- Milk of Dreams (2022) by Jes Fan
- Palimpsest (2023) by Jess Fan
- To Freely Flourish 綻放 (2024) written and directed by Victor Wu
In July 2024, Pride Culture Club burst onto the stage at the Conservatorium of Music for a queer musical extravaganza featuring live performances by staff and students from across the University of Sydney.
- Caitlin Erbacher works in the Library and moonlights as a folk musician. She performed a combination of original compositions and covers by her favourite sapphic singer-songwriters, including boygenius and Anaïs Mitchell.
- Daniela Araya is a singer-songwriter from Chile and a student at the Conservatorium of Music. She shared several original acoustic songs exploring her identity as a lesbian and her experiences as a part of the LGBTQIA+ community.
- Bohan Zhu is a postgraduate commerce student and an artist from China. He creates indie and electronic music inspired by the rhythms and sensory details of queer erotic experience.
- Aleks Matic is a singer-songwriter and music producer who makes EDM pop songs that are both personal and reflective of the world around him, specifically his experiences growing up as a queer person in the suburbs of Sydney.
- Gays Against Instruments are an a cappella collective born out of BarberSoc, who made their debut at a concert for Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras 2024. In their first Pride Culture Club appearance, they performed a variety of modern songs arranged by their members, with a focus on LGBTQ+ themes and artists, as well as original compositions written by members of the group.
Spanning four distinct sites, Qtopia Sydney is the largest centre for queer history and culture anywhere in the world. Following its much-anticipated opening in February 2024, Qtopia launched a series of exhibitions guided by five major themes: HIV/AIDS, human rights, sexuality and identity, media representation, and First Nations stories.
In May 2024, Pride Culture Club members were treated to a private tour of Qtopia’s inaugural exhibition program conducted by Curatorial Director George Savoulis and visual artist and curator Jeremy Smith.
To celebrate Lesbian Day of Visibility, in April 2024, Pride Culture Club took the form of a sapphic poetry salon.
Lily Stokes (Project Coordinator, Domestic Recruitment and Access, Sydney Future Students) opened the evening with a reading of Sappho's Fragment 31, sometimes known as the Ode to Anactoria.
- Fragment 31: Ode to Anactoria (c. 7th/6th century BCE) by Sappho
Alexandra Pinkham (PhD candidate, Classics and Ancient History) delivered a presentation on "lesbian poetry's OG" Sappho, including a close analysis of Fragments 1 and 31.
- Fragments 1 and 31 (c. 7th/6th century BCE) by Sappho
Fiona Lawrence (Research Administration Officer, Sydney School of Public Health) gave a touching reading of a poem that they read at their wedding to spouse Liz Kenna.
- Finally, Love Poem (2014) by Alix Olson
- I Had Been Hungry, All the Years (1891) by Emily Dickinson
- Come Slowly, Eden! (1890) by Emily Dickinson
- Wild Nights – Wild Nights! (1891) by Emily Dickinson
Sally Chik (Manager, Academic Services, Library) shared an original poem exploring her coming out journey.
- "The Open Closet" (2019) by Sally Chik in FourW Thirty: New Writing
We were treated to a variety of impromptu readings (including original compositions) during the open mic segment of the evening.
Joanna Lamb and Ali Asghar Shah shared their experiences as co-founders and directors of EnQueer, Sydney's only writers' festival dedicated to queer voices. After a highly successful virtual debut in 2021, EnQueer has showcased over 120 queer writers at in-person festivals and events, including Sydney WorldPride in 2023.
Hugh O'Keefe shared stories from his two memoirs, Palely Loitering and Telling Tales. Hugh is a legend of the LGBTQIA+ community of 1960s-80s Sydney, during which time he juggled two careers: primary school teacher and entertainer.
He is perhaps most well known as the resident pianist at the iconic Albury Hotel's cocktail lounge. Following his Pride Culture Club appearance, Hugh generously gifted signed copies of his books to the Rare Books and Special Collections Library.
- Palely Loitering: Growing Up Gay in the 60s, 70s, 80s, and Beyond (2019) by Hugh O’Keefe
- Telling Tales: Likely and Unlikely Stories from a Lucky Life (2024) Hugh O’Keefe
Ren Kotapati (Learning and Development Consultant) spoke about androgynous and non-binary gender presentation in ancient icons and artefacts. After visiting the “Feared and Revered” exhibition at the Australian National Museum in Canberra, she was inspired to learn more about how LGBTQIA+ representation has changed over the years in historical art.
- Finnegans Woke and intro819 (2017) “Androgyny in Renaissance Art” Introduction to the Renaissance
- Ashley N. Dawson (2013) “Reversal of Gender in Ancient Egyptian Mythology: Discovering the Secrets of Androgyny” Oglethorpe Journal of Undergraduate Research 1(1) 2
- Rev. Ken Yamada (2022) “Nonbinary Buddha” Higashi Honganji USA: Jodo Shinshu Buddhism for Everyone
- Lanier Graham (2015) “Cosmic Androgyny: Sacred Works of Art” The Interfaith Observer
- Jacob Ogles (2016) “19 LGBT Hindu Gods” Advocate
- Spencer McDaniel (2020) “Transgender and Intersex People in the Ancient World” Tales of Times Forgotten: Making the Distant Past Relevant to the Present Day
- “Seven Things About Transgender People That You Didn’t Know” Human Rights Campaign
- The Read (2013) hosted by Kid Fury and Crissle
- Like a Virgin (2021) hosted by Fran Tirado and Rose Dommu
- Attitudes! (2022) hosted by Erin Gibson and Bryan Safi
- Las Culturistas (2016) hosted by Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
- We’re Having Gay Sex (2020) hosted by Ashley Gavin
- Food 4 Thot (2017) hosted by Denne Michele Norris, Joseph Osmundson, Tommy Pico, and Fran Tirado
- We Have No Shame (2019) hosted by Anderson Chang and Ashley Curry
Daniel Smith (Project Manager, Disability Inclusion Action Plan) spoke about the power of representation in storytelling, discussing some of the book titles that accompanied his coming out journey.
- Holding the Man (1995) by Timothy Conigrave
- Holding the Man (2015) directed by Neil Armfield
- Loaded (1995) by Christos Tsiolkas
- Head On (1998) directed by Ana Kokkinos
- Blue Heaven (2002) by Joe Keenan
- The Front Runner (1974) by Patricia Nell Warren
- When You Don’t See Me (2007) by Timothy James Beck
Kade Fenwick (Diversity and Inclusion Consultant) spoke about Chrissy Amphlett, the legendary frontwoman of Australian rock band Divinyls, and her impact on their own coming out journey.
- Boys in Town music video (1981) by Divinyls
- I Touch Myself Project (2014)
Dominic Hearne (Sessional Academic, School of Education and Social Work) spoke about the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus, which is often credited with launching the LGBTQIA+ choral movement.
- Creep live performance (2019) by San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus
- Can You Feel the Love Tonight live performance (2015) by San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus
- Silent Night live performance (2012) by San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus
- San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus: The First 44 Years! (2022) by San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus
- Russell E. Hilliard (2008) "A Social and Historical Perspective of the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus" Journal of Homosexuality 54(4) 345–361
- Kevin C. Schattenkirk (2021) "Telling LGBTQ+ Stories through Choral Music: A Case Study of the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus" Canadian Journal for Traditional Music 48, 60–XXIII
- Schitt’s Creek (2015) created by Dan and Eugene Levy
- Heartstopper (2022) created by Alice Oseman
- Nicole Foss (2022) "Exploring Queer Refuge in Poetry, Literature, and Pop Culture" University of Wyoming ProQuest Dissertations Publishing
- Lucas Hilderbrand (2015) "Queer Cinema, Queer Writing, Queer Criticism" in The Cambridge Companion to American Gay and Lesbian Literature.
- Katharine Schaab (2020) "Upending the Status Quo: Power-Sharing and Community Building in Schitt’s Creek" Critical Studies in Television 15(2) 148–161
- Michael Segalov (2022) “‘Young, gay people being out and happy? It’s revolutionary!’ Meet the Heartstopper generation; From footballer Jake Daniels coming out to trans actor Yasmin Finney being cast in Doctor Who, it feels like there has been a turning point in Generation Z’s queer experience. But how much have things really changed?" The Guardian
Chris Pepin-Neff (Senior Lecturer, Discipline of Government and International Relations) spoke about their podcast Shark Bites and Gay Rights, which delves into the role of emotion in public policymaking.
- Shark Bites and Gay Rights (2023) hosted by Chris Pepin-Neff
Sasha Bailey (PhD candidate and Research Assistant, Matilda Centre) took us on a tour of the glamour and drama of the television series Pose, which centres on the ballroom scene that emerged among the black and Latino LGBTQIA+ communities of New York City in the 1980s and 90s.
- Pose (2018) created by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Steven Canals
Acclaimed photographer William Yang presented a selection of his body of work chronicling the LGBTQIA+ subculture of Sydney in the 1970s and 1980s. Following his Pride Culture Club appearance, Yang generously gifted signed copies of his books to the Rare Books and Special Collections Library.
- Sydney Diary: 1974-1984 (1984) by William Yang
- Starting Again: A Time in the Life of William Yang (1989) by William Yang
- Sadness (1996) by William Yang
- Sadness: A Monologue (1999) by William Yang and Tony Ayres
- Friends of Dorothy (1997) by William Yang
- Visualising AIDS: Images in Art and Design (2000) by William Yang, Raymond Donovan, Leong K. Chan, Jeri Drucker, Ivan Dougherty Gallery, South-East Asian Socio-Graphic AIDS Project, and Australian Socio-Graphic AIDS Project
At the inaugural Pride Culture Club event, Julie Sommerfeldt (Manager, Rare Books and Special Collections) presented a selection of queer treasures from the Library.
- Bibliography of Homosexuality: A Research Guide to the University of Sydney Library (1998) by Gary Simes. Browse the full Simes collection.
- It Was a Riot: Sydney’s First Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras (1998) by Gary Simes
- Homosexuality: Myths and Realities (1982) by Gary Simes and Craig Johnston
- A Scarlet Pansy (1952) by Robert Scully
- The Voyage Out (1915) by Virginia Woolf. This was Virginia Woolf's personal copy of her first novel The Voyage Out, and includes handwritten and typed edits for her US publisher and US audience.
- Honi Soit print and digital archives (1929-present) by University of Sydney Students’ Representative Council
- Day of International Gay Solidarity poster (1978) by Gay Solidarity Group
- Lesbians on the Loose (1990-2019)
- A portfolio of Aubrey Beardsley’s drawings illustrating “Salome” by Oscar Wilde (1894) by Aubrey Beardsley
- Haire Collection
- Heymanson Collection
- Deane Erotica Collection
- Uni Sex: A Study of Sexual Attitudes and Behaviour at Australian Universities (1972) by Wendy Bacon
Jeremy Smith talked us through his artwork Queer Sydney: A History, which was commissioned by the University of Sydney Library in 2022 and now hangs proudly in the main stairwell of Fisher Library.
- Queer Sydney: A History (2022) by Jeremy W. Smith
Professor Lee Wallace (Director, Sydney Social Sciences and Humanities Advanced Research Centre) spoke about lesbian visibility and the Wachowskis' 1996 neo-noir crime thriller Bound.
- Bound (1996) directed by Lilly and Lana Wachowski
- Lee Wallace (2000) "Continuous Sex: The Editing of Homosexuality in Bound and Rope" Screen 41(4) 369-387