QUEER YOUTH HISTORIES

A panel conversation about growing up LGBTIQA+ over time

The past fifty years has seen profound changes in the everyday lives of many LGBTIQA+ young people. The 1970s saw growing activist struggles for LGBTIQA+ youth rights, and today there is more recognition, rights and representation of LGBTIQA+ young people than ever before. But what do we know about these different historical experiences of people growing up LGBTIQA+? What was life like for LGBTIQA+ young people before the decriminalisation of homosexuality, the availability of gender affirming healthcare or the legalisation of gay marriage? How did LGBTIQA+ young people meet each other in the past, without social media, smart phones, or the internet? What experiences are common across the generations, and what’s different? 

You are invited to come along to Queer Youth Histories – a panel conversation about growing up LGBTIQA+ over time – to learn about some people’s diverse experiences, and to reflect on what is gained by learning about these histories, and what is lost when these histories are suppressed or neglected.

Join us to celebrate the publication of the new book which draws together accounts of growing up queer from people born in the 1970s and 1990s, Queer Generations: LGBTQ Growing Up, Belonging and Sexual Citizenship (Marshall et al., Bloomsbury, 2025).  The book will be launched by Joe Ball, the Victorian Commissioner for LGBTIQA+ Communities. 

This event will also be an opportunity to learn more about our current research project exploring what LGBTIQA+ young people think about LGBTIQA+ history today, and how young people (aged 16-25) can get involved in LGBTIQA+ Youth History workshops as part of this research at the Australian Queer Archives (queeryouthhistories.com). Joining the Commissioner will be a panel of queer social, historical and cultural researchers, including Daniel Marshall and Tinonee Pym (Adelaide University), Timothy Jones (La Trobe University), Mary Lou Rasmussen and Alistair Ott (Australian National University). 

 Come along for a lively Q&A about how growing up LGBTIQA+ has changed (and not) over time, and what changes still need to happen!