During the 2017 Same-Sex Plebiscite, Western Sydney electorates – namely, Fowler and Parramatta – had one of the highest “no” votes. In addition, Western Sydney is home to one of the most culturally diverse communities in the country. As such, YCollab identified that there is a clear need to create Queer Safe Spaces in Western Sydney for LGBTQIA+ young people to meet and socialise.
We ran focus groups in or around July 2022 with more than 40+ LGBTQIA+ young people with the aim of co-creating this community-led safe space.
We challenge the myth that Queer joy and community can only be experienced in white LGBTQIA+ spaces in the Inner-West and Oxford St. We want to bring it back to Western Sydney and celebrate the rich diversity and intersectionality of our thriving Queer community.
We are resilient, beautiful, perfectly, and naturally, flawed and we deserve to be curious and true to who we are in any space.