Queer Youth in Australia: The challenges & What They Need Most

This week, in our LGBT Australian Podcast Let's Be Perfectly Queer:

On this episode we dive into Minus18’s Queer Youth Now 2025 national survey which gives us a look at the real-life experiences of LGBTQIA+ youth in Australia, aged 13–25. From affirming friendships to alarming stats about discrimination, we discuss and unpack the data, reflect on visibility, and celebrate moments of queer joy.

Whether you're an ally, educator, queer youth yourself, or just curious this is an important episode to see just how our LGBTQ+ youth are doing in today's climate. 

In this episode, we discuss:

• What is Minus18 and why this survey matters
• Key stats from 2,700+ LGBTQIA+ young people across Australia
• Why visibility is powerful, but not always safe
• The role of teachers, schools, and support systems
• Queer joy: stories that made us feel 
• 6 things LGBTQIA+ youth say help them feel accepted
• What this means for the future of queer youth, education, and inclusion
• 
  

🎧 So grab your headphones, hit play and lets chat... and until next time, stay perfectly queer!

Archie & Katie 🌈

✨ Don’t forget to rate & review!
Every 5-star rating helps more people like you find our little podcast corner of the world.

Resources & Links:
📝 Read the full Minus18 Report: minus18.org.au/national-survey-2025
🌈 Learn more about Minus18: minus18.org.au
📸 Follow us on Instagram: @letsbeperfectlyqueerpodcast
📣 Support us on Patreon + get the Ally Zine: patreon.com/c/letsbeperfectlyqueer

Support Lines (Australia):

• QLife (LGBTQI+ support): 1800 184 527
• Lifeline is available 24/7 – 13 11 14
• Kids Helpline (ages 5–25): is available 24/7 – 1800 55 1800
• Beyondblue is available 24/7 - 1300 224 636
• Crisis Care Helpline is available 24/7 – 1800 199 008
• RUAH Community Services is available 24/7 - 13 78 24

Online:

• Head to health online chat  - headtohealth.gov.au
• RUAH Community Services - ruah.org.au or connect@ruah.org.au 

Transcript

Podcast: Let's Be Perfectly Queer Podcast

Episode Title: Queer Youth in Australia: The challenges & What They Need Most

Host(s): Archie, Katie


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Speaker A () | 00:00:05 to 00:00:14
Welcome to let's Be Perfectly Queer, a. Queer podcast creating space to talk about all things queer. My name is Archie. And I'm Katie. And we are your hosts.

Speaker B () | 00:00:14 to 00:00:28
Questions of how you identify, seeking answers to clarify whether a queen or somewhere in between. Let's be perfectly queer. And we're back. We are back. And what are we talking about today?

Speaker B () | 00:00:28 to 00:00:53
Today we were talking about minus 18's National Youth Survey. Yeah. So on this episode we're going to be talking about the different elements in the survey that -18 released recently and just discussing some of the different things that are impacting on our LGBTQIA youth from the ages of 13 to 25 across Australia. Oh, how interesting. Yeah, I think we're just going to go straight into this one, aren't we?

Speaker B () | 00:00:53 to 00:01:16
Yeah, sounds perfect. Lets get into today's episode. So on today's episode we are talking about the national survey of LGBTQIA youth voice in Australia. So this is a survey that is by -18 and they've recently released this national survey report and it's titled queer youth now 2025. Okay.

Speaker A () | 00:01:16 to 00:01:30
I think it was released on the 11th of June, because that's when the Instagram post kind of said it was released, but I couldn't see the date on the actual survey. Yeah. And yeah. So it's a survey of LGBTQIA plus youth in Australia from the ages of 13 to 25. Oh, wow.

Speaker A () | 00:01:30 to 00:02:05
The survey has been co designed between LGBTQIA youth data analysis and youth mental health professionals. This way we can get a real, honest snapshot of what life looks like for these young people across Australia. That's such a good idea because it really captures both, like, the youth perspective, the data perspective, but then the people in the middle who do understand a little bit more of the nuances of like, what data we need to capture because these the issues we need to talk about. Yeah, very interesting. Does it say how long they did the survey for, like when they actually did it?

Speaker A () | 00:02:05 to 00:02:34
They did have the dates, but I didn't really go into that. Okay, cool. So quick explainer, for those who don't know what -18 is, because we have listeners around the world, -18 is an Australian charity dedicated to improving the lives of LGBTQIA youth. They believe every LGBTQIA young person deserves a safe and welcoming world and they work towards that through youth programmes, education and awareness campaigns. They also provide free resource packs for schools.

Speaker A () | 00:02:34 to 00:02:59
So that's something that I was able to do when I was at my school and I was able to get free resource packs. They do A lot of things, I think -18 do a lot for education that you can bring out into places as well, which is really cool. I've always seen them at like, Pride or them sponsoring events, which is really cool. Yeah. They also do a lot of free PDs for people wanting to learn about LGBTQIA plus youth or just the community in general.

Speaker B () | 00:02:59 to 00:03:11
Yeah, yeah. It's bloody awesome. So Queer Youth now pulls together the voices of 2,724 young people from across the country. Here's a quick snapshot of who participated. So there were 61% were 12 to 18 year olds.

Speaker A () | 00:03:11 to 00:03:27
49% are currently in high school. 38%, which is a bigger number than I thought, live in regional, rural or remote locations. Oh, wow. 64% are transgender diverse or non binary, and 56% are neurodivergent. We have to do an episode of this overlapping.

Speaker A () | 00:03:27 to 00:03:32
It's on the list. It's on the list. It's just there's so much research for that. So. Yeah, it's a big, big topic.

Speaker A () | 00:03:32 to 00:03:49
It'll probably take me months to research all the stuff. Oh, totally. For context, what we're talking about is there's been, in essence, there's been research, and it's found that a lot of queer individuals have neurodivergency. And on the flip side, a lot of neurodivergence are queer. So it's just really interesting, the correlation.

Speaker B () | 00:03:50 to 00:03:55
So coming to you at some point in time in the future. Yeah, it's on a. It's a topic that I've. It's on my list. It's just there's so many.

Speaker A () | 00:03:55 to 00:04:08
It's a big one. So let's have a look at some of the key findings from the survey. So 89% of LGBTQIA young people have had experience bullying, harassment and violence in their lifetime. Were you surprised? No.

Speaker B () | 00:04:08 to 00:04:19
Yeah. I think, like, in a lifetime is a very good descriptor of that one. And 57% were just in the past year. Yeah. It's good to know the difference between the two, isn't it?

Speaker A () | 00:04:20 to 00:04:25
So, you know, 89%. Yeah. So 89% in a lifetime. Like a lifetime. Yeah, in a lifetime.

Speaker A () | 00:04:25 to 00:04:44
And then 57% in just the last year. Yeah. So 99% of LGBTQIA plus young people said that making queer friends is an important part of their lives. 86% of LGBTQIA young people said seeing someone wearing rainbow or Ally accessories made them feel safer and more like they belonged. Oh, but we all feel like that.

Speaker B () | 00:04:44 to 00:04:57
That's such a good point. Yeah. 70% said they had been negatively impacted by the news and media's portrayal of LGBTQI plus issues in the past year. Yeah. So in the last year was 70%, but overall is 92%.

Speaker B () | 00:04:57 to 00:05:02
Yeah. Yeah. That's huge. And it is huge. And I feel like that reflects how we all feel like.

Speaker B () | 00:05:02 to 00:05:23
I think it's a bit hard for anybody to feel like the news doesn't affect us in this day and age, and then specifically queer individuals. Yeah, no, it makes sense. I think that's a. If I could have guessed the number, I would have guessed the 90s, I reckon. 73% of LGBTQIA plus young people said they've felt pride and euphoria in being LGBTQIA plus just this past year.

Speaker A () | 00:05:23 to 00:05:33
So that's amazing. Oh, that's so beautiful. Yeah, so that's really good. You know, and that might be, like, once in a year, or it might be, you know, we're not sure about the specifics, but, you know, the fact that they have felt euphoria, that's. That's great.

Speaker B () | 00:05:33 to 00:05:51
That's gorgeous. 79% of LGBTQIA young people said they felt a sense of acceptance and inclusion in relation to their identity at some point in the past year. So what do you think this says about the balance between visibility and harm? Do you think there's any correlation there? What do you mean by that?

Speaker A () | 00:05:51 to 00:06:01
Visibility doesn't only mean positive visibility. Right. So we're looking at things in the news, we're looking at more visibility in media. Do you think that's a good thing? Do you think it's adding to the harm?

Speaker B () | 00:06:01 to 00:06:20
As in, like, if you're seeing it, it harms yourself? Or by being queer and out there. With more visibility, do you think there also comes more harm in general, do you think, you know, there may be more bullying, harassment? Yeah. I mean, I think no matter what, if you've got greater visibility, like, if you're out there, it's always.

Speaker B () | 00:06:21 to 00:06:38
People are always going to find something to comment on. That's just life. If you're. It's funny, it's like when you're doing a presentation, no matter what, if people are looking at you, they'll find something to critique in their brain, just the way that their brains work. Yeah.

Speaker B () | 00:06:38 to 00:07:05
But if you're specifically identifying as something, it gives them a greater opportunity to be like, oh, okay, they know a little bit more about you. And by doing that, you are being true to yourself. You're being a little bit vulnerable. Just because people can critique you and people can Be like, well, I don't like that. So I think that it depends on if you allow it to harm you or not as well, or if you're in a state to.

Speaker B () | 00:07:06 to 00:07:33
I don't mean allow it to harm you, but do you know how, like, there are certain times in life where you're impervious to people's words and you're a bit like, you know what, I don't give a fuck what you say. But there are certain times where you're like, oh, it really eats you up. I think it also depends on that element of it. Like, we're all so into, like, so complicated that your feelings about something from one day another can definitely change. So, like, sometimes I'm like, motherfuckers, no one can hurt me.

Speaker B () | 00:07:33 to 00:07:45
But, like, sometimes it can. So, yeah, I think with greater visualisation it can lead to more harm, but it all depends on how you tackle it as well. Yep. What do you reckon? I think it's both sided.

Speaker A () | 00:07:45 to 00:07:58
And it was still like, what, early 2000s, that it was still. Yeah, like 2004 is still illegal to be gay or something in Australia. Something ridiculous like that. We've got a long way to go. It's only been, what's that, like, you know, 20 years?

Speaker A () | 00:07:58 to 00:08:11
Yeah, there's still a long way to go. And I guess the other side you're saying as well, is that you've got to have the visualisation for people to be aware that this is something that's normal within humans. And it is. Yeah. So, like, you can't really shy away.

Speaker B () | 00:08:12 to 00:08:21
The more you shy away, the more you kind of prove that it's not normal. Yeah. In a way. I don't know, it's almost like there's no winning, but there's no losing, is there? No losing.

Speaker A () | 00:08:21 to 00:08:56
It just needs to become normalised. Yeah. You know, and we're still a bit away from that, you know, because I recently went on the lesbianist podcast and I did talk about this, you know, and it was something about whether representation in the classroom was harmful or helpful. And I said it's both depending on the circumstance and whether the representation is coming from someone who is a queer teacher with knowledge, or whether it is coming from a poster. And then a teacher is questioned about it and they don't know how to answer and then it stigmatises it because it makes it like, oh, we don't kind of talk about that because if they're uncomfortable, you make it uncomfortable for the students and therefore it's an uncomfortable topic to talk about.

Speaker A () | 00:08:56 to 00:09:19
So I Think, you know, it's. It's kind of like that. Until we have the language and understanding for everyone, you know, there is going to be people who misunderstand and people who want to attack rather than learn. Do you know what's so interesting when you were talking about that, I was just thinking that it's almost like you're getting a teacher to teach about a book that they haven't written or they haven't. They haven't read themselves.

Speaker A () | 00:09:19 to 00:09:31
Yeah. And that's where misinterpretation comes into it. And then they get asked questions about it, and then they've got to make up what they think they know about it rather than just reading the book. Yeah. And that's all they need to do.

Speaker A () | 00:09:31 to 00:09:43
Read the book. Yeah. So what about when it comes to anti LGBTQIA hate? Here are the findings in the report. 55% of LGBTQIA young people said they've been excluded or discriminated against due to their identity.

Speaker A () | 00:09:44 to 00:10:19
One in two LGBTQIA young people were yelled at, insulted or verbally harassed in the past year due to anti LGBTQIA hate. 1 in 10 LGBTQIA young people experienced physical violence in the past year due to the hate. 89% of LGBTQIA young people have experienced some form of anti LGBTQIA hate in their lifetime. 70% of LGBTQIA young people said they aren't out to everyone at school, and 79% of LGBTQIA young people said they aren't out to everyone at work. Were you surprised about any of those stats?

Speaker B () | 00:10:19 to 00:10:35
They're out at school and out at work. I kind of understand it. I don't think that would change even as you get older. I still think there's always going to be a percentage of people that you might not want to tell or you just don't really need to. It doesn't have to be as, you know, when you.

Speaker B () | 00:10:35 to 00:10:42
Like when you're like, oh, yeah, that's Bob from accounts. Yeah, Bob's gay. It doesn't matter if he's gay or not. Yeah. So some people just don't know.

Speaker B () | 00:10:42 to 00:11:00
Not necessarily through omission or anything, but there's just going to be people that you just don't tell because it's not like, hi, I'm Bob, I'm gay. Like, you don't have to. But I think that it's a bit sad in some ways as well, because. They have to mask part of their identity. Yeah, I think it is as well, isn't it?

Speaker B () | 00:11:00 to 00:11:09
I don't know. Were you surprised with Any of the statistics? No, not really. Especially the, I guess the violence and the. Do you think it's gotten worse in the last couple of years?

Speaker A () | 00:11:09 to 00:11:16
Yes. Yeah. So it was getting better. I want to say maybe five years ago was getting better pre Covid. Yeah.

Speaker A () | 00:11:16 to 00:11:30
And then it's got worse after Covid. Yeah, it's. I don't know why. It's probably, you know, the same kind of people who we grew up with in schools who were quite homophobic having kids, but I. I can't really say for certain.

Speaker A () | 00:11:30 to 00:11:41
That's just me having a hypothesis of maybe why that's why it's getting worse. But, yeah, no, post Covid, the LGBTQIA plus hate got a lot worse. Yeah. Sad, isn't it? Yeah.

Speaker A () | 00:11:41 to 00:11:57
Some additional findings. On average, LGBTQIA + young people first question or realise their identity at the age of 12. Oh, yeah. Not surprised. 70% of LGBTQIA young people said visible displays of support make them feel more accepted at school.

Speaker B () | 00:11:57 to 00:12:18
Yeah. 71% of LGBTQIA young people had attended an LGBTQIA student group when one was available at their school. 92% of young people wish the people in their life had more knowledge about their identity to help them feel accepted. Yeah. LGBTQIA young people were most likely to turn to their friends for support.

Speaker A () | 00:12:18 to 00:12:32
So that was 88% of them were the most likely to turn to their friends over things like online communities, influencers, family, etc. What I thought was really sad was school staff was only 18% and was in the bottom three. Wow. Yeah. I'm not surprised.

Speaker B () | 00:12:32 to 00:12:41
I wouldn't. I wouldn't have in high school. And, you know, and this is what we spoke about in a previous episode, you're only as inclusive as your least inclusive employee. Yeah. And kids know.

Speaker A () | 00:12:41 to 00:12:45
So. Yeah. That fact that. Yeah, it was in the bottom three. I'm not surprised.

Speaker A () | 00:12:45 to 00:12:59
Yeah. But I think the majority of private schools still based about some form of religion. Just because, like, that's. You've got Methodist, Presbyterian, you've got all. The other ones, but there's a lot more public schools that outweigh the private schools these days.

Speaker B () | 00:12:59 to 00:13:09
Yeah. Thank goodness. Yeah. And I still, I mean, can only speak to what my experience was, and it was very much negative towards anybody who was queer. Yeah, same.

Speaker B () | 00:13:09 to 00:13:32
I can't imagine I would outwardly have hidden my identity from my teachers just for first of all, like, my own safety, so I didn't get told off or detention. Also, they didn't have negative perceptions over me and therefore my grades would have been down. Yeah. Like it affects everything. You got to be smart about it sometimes.

Speaker B () | 00:13:32 to 00:14:13
Well, when I was younger, and it was just really fucking sad five years ago. Well, whenever, you know, before COVID it was getting better, you know, and there was improvements and there was less bullying than there has been the post Covid times, which is sad. And. But it also shows that Department of Education is still too scared to make a difference, you know, and hopefully what's happening with the WA reform that's going to give $1 million to LGBTQ reforms here in WA. I think the other reason why people turn to their queers is that they turn to their queers, they turn to their queers, they turn to their peers, is that it doesn't mean that it's such a big thing.

Speaker B () | 00:14:13 to 00:14:32
You know, sometimes you go to people or, like, when you were younger, you would go to adults, and they'd be like, oh, my God, yeah. And you're like, fuck off. Can you just make a big deal out of it? And you don't need that a lot of the time, like, that's making things bigger than they are, because it actually isn't. I think, like, the whole conversation about who you're.

Speaker B () | 00:14:32 to 00:14:46
You love and who you identify as is not a really big conversation for anybody else apart from yourself. The fact that people make it a big conversation is actually really frustrating. Yeah. Because then people are like, oh, I can comment on it. And it's like, you can't.

Speaker B () | 00:14:46 to 00:15:03
It's not about you. There were some other statistics I was going to say, but I've forgotten what it was. Oh, the lanyards thing. I love that. When we were at IKEA recently, there was this lovely older lady who was wearing one of the queer lanyards, the flag that includes the trans.

Speaker B () | 00:15:04 to 00:15:17
Like, the trans arrow. And I was like, do you know what? I would never have guessed that from them, because they were aged, I would imagine, 60s. And I was like, you know what? Me knowing that you support the queer community makes me feel good.

Speaker B () | 00:15:17 to 00:15:26
There's something in here, in my heart. I'm pointing to my heart. Not that anyone knows, because nobody's in the room with us. That just, like. It just makes me feel better about it.

Speaker B () | 00:15:26 to 00:15:35
It just makes me feel seen without having to be seen. Yeah. And it was so beautiful. Like, at work, my lanyard's got, like, queer flags. It's got queer stuff on it.

Speaker B () | 00:15:35 to 00:16:00
It's actually, like, got an aboriginal design on it, which I absolutely love, but I think it's so important. And whenever I see, especially people who are higher up in our hospital Hierarchy who are wearing queer, like, lanyards or even badges. It just makes me feel really happy that I'm like, yes, this is a queer friendly space. This is a friendly space for everybody, which is unbiased, which is what healthcare should be. It just.

Speaker B () | 00:16:01 to 00:16:04
It's beautiful. Yeah. Warms my little queer heart. And. Yeah.

Speaker A () | 00:16:04 to 00:16:17
And then because I've been doing a relief at a few different schools and stuff, and when I walk in and I see one of the front office people or someone in admin wearing a lanyard, that's a massive difference. Because you barely see that. Yeah. Especially in high schools. I don't know what it is.

Speaker A () | 00:16:17 to 00:16:24
Yeah, you barely see that. So when I see that, I'm like, good on you. You're talking about, like, a queer lanyard, not just a lanyard, right? Yeah. Because you're talking about.

Speaker A () | 00:16:24 to 00:16:32
You know what I mean? You're like, what? Just a lanyard. Less than 50% of students said there was an LGBTQIA plus student group at their school. Yeah.

Speaker A () | 00:16:32 to 00:16:41
But what was interesting here is. So that was from the under 18. So, like, our kind of current people who were in school. Sure. For those who are over 18, that was even less.

Speaker A () | 00:16:41 to 00:16:46
So that was 29%. I'm not surprised in that time. So there is an improvement, which is good. Yeah. I'm not surprised.

Speaker B () | 00:16:46 to 00:16:54
Are you surprised with that? No. When you first started teaching, was there any queer groups or anything? Right. Not when I first started.

Speaker A () | 00:16:54 to 00:17:03
Not that I was aware of. Barely. Yeah. Yeah. One in four LGBTQIA plus young people said they have no safe adults or teachers at school that they can talk to about their identity.

Speaker A () | 00:17:04 to 00:17:33
And only 6% of LGBTQIA young people felt the government does a good job of understanding and listening to people like them. I was gonna say something really horrible. I was gonna be like, well, the government doesn't really listen to anybody, but our government is a lot better because we're Australian, I think. It's hard to feel heard when you aren't represented and you have people who you can't. You don't see yourselves with, you can't rapport with.

Speaker B () | 00:17:33 to 00:17:45
You can't figure out. Because there are a lot of government officials who do represent queer rights. Yes. There is a lot of. I was going to say there's a lot of people, individuals.

Speaker B () | 00:17:46 to 00:17:59
There's a lot of different politicians. Thank you. I was like, people up there doing those things. My brain fog's going great today. There's a lot of politicians that do actually have fundamentals in understanding what the queer community needs.

Speaker B () | 00:18:00 to 00:18:29
There's A lot of people in the Greens Party who do. There are some in Labour. It's one of those things that people do, but it doesn't tend to be on the front of their agenda, because the front of their agenda is very much like the major things that the country needs to do, which is like health, education, finance, trade, all that kind of stuff. Whereas the humanities and the cultural come under a different portfolio. That is more what do we do?

Speaker B () | 00:18:29 to 00:18:38
Rather than. It's the things that are done in the backbone that doesn't tend to come forward. But even with, like. So we're in wa. Yeah.

Speaker A () | 00:18:38 to 00:18:47
Everybody always thinks we're over in Sydney for some reason. Yeah. But we are in wa. If you're doing an interview with us, guys, we're in Perth wa, not Perth, Scotland. We're not in Sydney, we're in wa.

Speaker A () | 00:18:47 to 00:18:52
Yeah. We are far away from anybody else. We are. Our time zone is very similar to Japan. Yes.

Speaker B () | 00:18:52 to 00:19:07
If you're ever wondering. Yeah. Anyway, in Australia with Anthony Albanese, he has had such a large visualisation within the queer community. Like he was in Pride. There's a lot of money that's gone into queer groups.

Speaker B () | 00:19:07 to 00:19:32
I think there was like, 2.1 million towards the queer community, or queer, like, I'm not sure. We're talking about it in a couple of episodes past, I can't remember. But anyway, they're trying to actually inject some money into the queer community, into queer foundations to support our queer community. So it's like there are people out there who do it. It's just that what our wants and needs are might be different to what the government can provide.

Speaker A () | 00:19:32 to 00:19:47
Yeah. Understanding that our budget is very low. Understanding, like, the whole country, slash, the whole world is in an economic crisis and there are only certain things that you can do. Understanding with what's also happening around the world. So it's hard.

Speaker B () | 00:19:48 to 00:20:12
I can see that people might, like young individuals might not feel seen or heard by the government, but I think, unfortunately, that. I don't imagine that is ever going to rise, that statistic or maybe a little bit. We'll see because, you know, they've obviously, they're changing the census and to have that one question. And, you know, in WA, there is that the 1 million going towards LGBTQ reform. So we'll see what happens.

Speaker A () | 00:20:12 to 00:20:34
Yeah. So here are the top six actions LGBTQIA youth said helped them feel accepted. Number one was accept us for who we are. Show us we belong by listening to us, affirming us and treating us like anyone else. Number two, learn about LGBTQIA lives understand our identities, history and experiences means we don't have to explain it.

Speaker B () | 00:20:34 to 00:20:47
Yeah, big one. That is such a big one. I constantly get that all the time, having to explain things to people. And that's half the reason we started this podcast, because it was always like, my job to educate people where it shouldn't really be my job to educate people. No.

Speaker A () | 00:20:48 to 00:21:08
3, get our names and pronouns right. This makes us feel safer and models respectful behaviour for others to follow. Four, use inclusive language. The words you use demonstrate your understanding of us and shape how safe and seen we feel. Number five, respect our privacy, don't ask inappropriate questions or share information about our identity without our permission.

Speaker A () | 00:21:09 to 00:21:22
And number six, challenge stereotypes and LGBTQIA hate. Call out assumptions and negative behaviours when you see them, even the subtle ones. Yeah. And I think the last two are the ones that teachers are doing wrong in schools. Yeah.

Speaker A () | 00:21:22 to 00:21:30
Who? You've seen it firsthand, haven't you? Oh, yeah. Those are the two that definitely teachers are doing them wrong. And would add to the fact that only 18% feel safe with school staff.

Speaker B () | 00:21:31 to 00:21:47
I think what they're saying there is really reflective of how I feel still as a queer individual. Yeah. I think they've fleshed it out really well and I think it represents the queer community pretty well from my perspective, at least from. Yeah. So I'm going to share some queer joy.

Speaker A () | 00:21:47 to 00:22:09
So after all the stats, I just wanted to share this part of the survey. So it's a part of the survey where the youth could share personal stories of joy, affirmation and hope. So, first one, I came out to my first university class and a woman from class came to talk to me because her 10 year old transgender son had never met another trans person. I was able to show a 10 year old kid that there is a future for us. Oh, that's so beautiful.

Speaker A () | 00:22:10 to 00:22:25
I am grateful for my queer barber. He understands how important haircuts are to me as a non binary person. I've been going there for two years and my reflection is finally caught up to my soul. I feel like me on the outside and inside. Oh, I love how that's going at the moment.

Speaker B () | 00:22:25 to 00:22:34
There seem to be a lot of queer barbers popping up on social media. Yeah, it's great and it's just so beautiful. And you go to a queer barber. And it's just studio misfits. Yeah.

Speaker B () | 00:22:35 to 00:22:52
So beautiful. It's lovely seeing people go in there and come out of there and feel like so chuffed with themselves. I love it when my best friend came out to me. It made me feel so proud because without each other, we wouldn't have had the courage to be ourselves. I found euphoria through my friendship with her and my own unique relationship with gender through my autism.

Speaker A () | 00:22:53 to 00:23:08
I feel things so different and it's beautiful. That's gorgeous. I saw a wonderful moment of a queer Olympian celebrating her victory with a girlfriend at the 2024 Olympics. It was really special to see a queer woman being represented to the world. As an Olympian, we can achieve anything.

Speaker B () | 00:23:08 to 00:23:23
I love queers in sport. Love it. You saw that recently one of the Matildas got married to their partner. So Ellie Carpenter got married to their partner Danielle and they both were on the same soccer team, I want to say for. Was it Netherlands, a Dutch team?

Speaker A () | 00:23:23 to 00:23:42
Something like that, yeah. I feel like they were. Do you have your own story of queer joy you'd want to share anything that's brought you queer joy in the last week or so? I think in the last month when we've been catching up with friends, we've got a friend who is specifically non binary or going down also down a. Journey of finding themselves gender identity.

Speaker B () | 00:23:42 to 00:23:59
Yep. Yeah. And it's been really beautiful just having little queer moments with them which I really just enjoy. I love being a safe space for people who are queer and it just like, it just warms my heart when I'm like, it was gorgeous. It honestly is making me a little bit tearful right now.

Speaker A () | 00:23:59 to 00:24:09
Yeah. But it was just gorgeous. And I love being there for people in the same way as like there's nothing quite like being seen and feeling seen. Yeah, yeah. Really gorgeous.

Speaker B () | 00:24:09 to 00:24:15
What about yourself? That was probably this be the same moment. Yeah, yeah. We all had a moment. We did.

Speaker A () | 00:24:15 to 00:24:28
It was like, it was like the world stopped and it was just the three of us and it's beautiful. You know, we're out in public and everything. It's beautiful. So how the survey works. So 45 questions in total using a mix of multiple choice, scale based and open ended formats.

Speaker A () | 00:24:29 to 00:24:58
And yeah, so then the participants were young LGBTQIA plus people aged between the 13 to 25 living in Australia. Overall, only 6% of the responders were from WA. Oh, but you were saying that there was a lot of regional responders, which. I'm really surprised it'd be, I think mainly like Melbourne, like regional stuff because that's where Vic made up the largest with 39%. But I think, I think -18 is based in Melbourne and do more events there for the queer youth where they do like, you know, Ida Hobbit events and prom and that kind of stuff.

Speaker A () | 00:24:58 to 00:25:13
So obviously a lot of the. The kids and the young adults are going to know about them more because a lot of people over here don't know about -18. Yeah. I feel like they've only been around here for about five years or something. I've only heard about them when I searched for something.

Speaker A () | 00:25:13 to 00:25:32
Otherwise I didn't know because I was searching for some resources for school, and that's the only reason they came up. I never heard about them before. Yeah. And so, you know, there's a lot of kids who don't know who -18 is here over in WA, so I'm not surprised about that statistic. But, you know, it just shows that there needs to be some form of branch over here if it's so small at 6%.

Speaker B () | 00:25:32 to 00:25:41
Yeah. Because then it really doesn't cover what the youth are experiencing here in WA, particularly. They've only got 6% of the respondents being from WA. Yeah, true. And it's.

Speaker B () | 00:25:41 to 00:25:57
The themes are going to be the same throughout our queer community. So if there are queer youth across in the Eastern states who are having these kind of issues, it's better to have support everywhere if you can. Yeah. So, as we wrap up this episode, this report shows us two things. Lgbtqia.

Speaker A () | 00:25:57 to 00:26:21
Young people are full of strength, joy, and pride, but they're also facing a lot of challenges, especially in schools, online and in the media. The good news, there are small ways we can all help by listening, learning, using the right names and pronouns, showing support in lanyards, posters, pins, and just being a safe person. And if you're a queer young person listening right now, we see you, we understand. We were in your shoes. You're not alone.

Speaker A () | 00:26:21 to 00:26:32
Your identity matters. And there is a future where you get to feel safe, loved, proud of who you are. So, yeah, thanks for tuning into this episode. Thank you. I love that.

Speaker A () | 00:26:32 to 00:26:40
Thank you very much. Oh, my God. So thanks for listening to the episode. We'll pop the full report in the show notes. Well, not the full report, the link to the full report, because that's going to take up all the thing.

Speaker A () | 00:26:40 to 00:26:55
If you want to read more, don't. Forget to rate, review and subscribe. If you've enjoyed it. We would love it if you could give us five stars so we can make our way to more LGBTQ plus individuals out there and they can find us. Yeah.

Speaker B () | 00:26:55 to 00:27:02
Yeah. So thank you for getting all the way through, and we hope you enjoyed this episode. And until next time, I hope that we have been perfectly queer.

Speaker A () | 00:27:11 to 00:27:12
Let's be perfectly queer.