I am a parent to two children. Like many parents I seek to connect my family with creative experiences that resonate with our values, cultural identities and interests. As a queer parent I have found that access to children’s programming which reflects the identity of my family, my children and that of my queer community extremely limited.
The opportunity for children to learn about and celebrate the LGBTIQ+ experience has been stifled, in part due to queer culture existing historically in the shadows and further because our past and current political leaders refuse to broaden access to information through initiatives such as the Safe Schools Curriculum.
In contrast to the real world, we can turn the TV on to RuPaul’s Drag Race and see undoubtedly that queer culture is as strong and popular as ever, and very much in demand from both queer and mainstream audiences. But where are queer spaces for families in our community?
We need safe and inclusive spaces for LGBTIQA+ children and their families where gender is not binary or imposed, different bodies are not othered, and creative self-expression is encouraged, celebrated and safe.
Fambo. Photographer: Catherine Mcelhone Source: Fambo
Last Saturday 29th of September Fambo: A Queer Festival of All Kinds of Families held its inaugural festival. Removing the gender barriers of play, Fambo invited participation in a range of creative and artistic experiences designed by some of Australia’s most exciting contemporary LGBTIQA+ artists, which can be accessed by all children and families regardless of ability, identity and gender.
With 500 people attending, the festival was a vibrant and liberating experience for audiences and artists alike, with almost all events sold out on the day. One of the day’s highlights was a voguing workshops by performance artist Bhenji Ra who, as Mother of the House of Slé, gifted participants with knowledge of the style created and perfected by trans women. She then went on to lead a dance class that encouraged unbridled self-expression and plenty of attitude, demonstrating the unstoppable joy of queer culture. For young transgender children who participated, experiences like this are momentous. For them to see themselves in artists like Bhenji, whom they so admire, and at the same time to be fully seen and accepted within the experience themselves builds confidence and sense of belonging.
Queer culture is very much worth celebrating and teaching our young people about. Not only for the important connections and validations for LGBTIQA+ children and families, but for all children and families. Having had an opportunity to more clearly understand and appreciate the complexity, diversity and creativity that exists within the queer community will allow for a more accurate understanding of it from our young people, our future citizens.
Fambo. Photographer: Catherine Mcelhone Source: Fambo
Personally, I’ve learnt so much over the past year from where I started out with this project and have come to understand and appreciate that there are many wonderful kinds of families in our community and so many exciting layers that exist within queer culture for us to explore and enjoy together.
Jenn Blake is the artistic director of FAMBO.
