Sunday, 19 November 2023 - 3:00pm to 4:00pm

As Trans Awareness Week comes to an end, we prepare to observe the solemn Trans Day of Remembrance. At Queering The Air, we are committed to providing comprehensive coverage of stories and reflections pertaining to Trans Awareness Week. Our aim is to keep you informed and engaged, offering insights into the diverse experiences and challenges faced by the transgender community. Moreover, as we approach the Trans Day of Remembrance, this coverage will extend to updating you on the various events and initiatives taking place across Australia, ensuring that we honor and remember those who have lost their lives due to anti-transgender violence. Sasja hosted a discussion with Amao Leota Lu and Madison Moffat to recognise the importance of highlighting these issues and commemorating the lives of individuals who have faced discrimination and violence, as we strive to foster a more inclusive and supportive environment for the transgender community. The conversation will explore important topics surrounding gender diversity and advocacy.

Amao Leota Lu, born in 1971 in Auckland, New Zealand, emigrated to Sydney with her Samoan diaspora family in the 1980s. She later returned to Australia and embraced her gender identity as a woman and a fa'afafine in her early twenties. Using her performances, she advocates for fa'afafine identity and challenges western LGBT categorizations. Leota Lu's work explores the intersection of gender identity, Pacific culture, and activism. Notably, she curated the first queer Pacific event at Midsumma Festival in 2020 and performed at the Immigration Museum with an event titled Pacific Essence: Tales of a Migrant Plantation. She also participated in Gender Euphoria as part of Melbourne International Arts Festival in 2019. Leota Lu is vocal about the discrimination faced by gender diverse members of Pacific Islander communities and has previously worked as a community support worker.

Madison Moffat (She/Her) is a trans woman, Board Secretary for Transgender Victoria, consumer advisor to Monash Gender Clinic, co-facilitator of the TransCreative Network and Managing Editor of the zine on TGDNB culture community, ‘The Trans-creator’. Professionally, she is a risk and operational integrity professional. Having previously reviewed shows for TheatrePress, her critical attentions will soon focus on queer theatre via a new Tran-creator page on substack.

TDOR.ORG.AU