Today’s guest is Sally Goldner. Sally has dedicated her life to making the Australian community one of the best places to identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or intersex (LGBTIQA+). Sally has worked persistently for well over two decades to advocate for the rights and needs of LGBTIQA+ communities in Victoria and around Australia. Since co-founding Transgender Victoria in the late 1990s, Sally has successfully represented the transgender community in public forums, before the...

Today’s guest is Sam Elkin. Sam is a writer, event producer, lawyer and co-editor of Nothing to Hide: Voices of Trans and Gender Diverse Australia (Allen & Unwin, 2022). Born in England and raised on Noongar land, Sam now lives on unceded Wurundjeri land. Sam’s essays have been published in the Griffith review, Australian Book Review, Sydney review of books and Kill Your Darlings. He hosts the 3rrr radio show Queer View Mirror and is a Tilde film festival board member. Sam has won a...

Trigger warning: this episode contains discussions around sex and language that may offend, so if you have little kids around it might be best to listen with headphones on. Jordana (Jordi) Ezra is a certified Somatic Sexologist who predominately works in the LGBTIA+ community. As someone who grew up not feeling safe to be queer, Jordi has dedicated their career to learning, understanding and guiding queer bodied humans to feel safe within the intersections of their gender and sexuality so...

Today’s guest is Justine Dalla Riva. Justine grew up in leafy suburban Melbourne, one of 5 children born to Catholic parents – an Italian immigrant father and an Australian mother. After initially wanted to be a nun, an obstetrician or a Brownlow medalist when she grew up, Justine eventually became the inaugural CEO of the Victorian Pride Centre – a position she still holds. Justine is married to wife Evaline, and together they raise 2 teenagers. Word for Word is hosted by Lisa Daniel on...

Today’s guest is Art Simone. Art is one of Australia’s most popular drag performers, having featured in RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under, Highway to Heel, as well as appearing in some of Australia’s most recognisable advertising campaigns. Art has been named Drag Performer of the Year and earned the title Queen of Australia. Art has a podcast called Concealed with Art Simone and is releasing her debut book Life Is Art in the coming weeks, which will be available exclusively via Booktopia....

This week’s guest is Evan Cooper. Evan grew up in a variety of locations due to the divorce of his parents at a young age, which resulted in a diverse blended family. Despite working in a variety of careers, Evan’s first love has always been photography. His most recent exhibition The Echoes and Whispers featured as part of Midsumma 2024. https://www.midsumma.org.au/whats-on/events/echoes-and-whispers/ Word for Word is hosted by Lisa Daniel on JOY Media, produced by Ellen Spalding and...

Today’s guest is Bryan Cranston. Bryan has spent his work life in education and currently works as a senior academic and manager at one of Australia’s leading online universities. Bryan’s life was changed forever on June 23, 2020 when his sister Karen was brutally murdered by her estranged husband. Within days Bryan had moved from his newly renovated home in Hervey Bay to Rockhampton where he now lives, as he parents his nephew and 2 young nieces. Word for Word is hosted by Lisa Daniel on...

Today’s guest is David Imber. David is a corporate public affairs professional with over 20 years experience in the public, corporate and not for profit sectors. He is passionate about social justice and has combined his professional roles with volunteering in the field and in governance across a range of LGBTIQ+ and mainstream organisations. He currently combines his busy work life with his role as Deputy Chair at the Victorian Pride Centre. Word for Word is hosted by Lisa Daniel on JOY...

Lisa Daniel’s guest on this episode of Word for Word is Kathy Mansfield. Today’s guest is Kathy Mansfield. Kathy grew up in a Christian family in suburban Melbourne, Australia in the 1940s. She married and had 4 children and lived the expected masculine life until an epiphany at the age of 62 which resulted in her transition from male to female. Despite high challenges, Kathy has maintained happy family ties as her marriage of over 50 years and has flourished as her true self. Kathy is a...

Lisa Daniel’s guest on this episode of Word for Word is Stephanie Teh. Stephanie emigrated to Australia from Singapore at the age of 5 with her family. Stephanie is the Musical Director of Melbourne Gay & Lesbian Choir which holds the mantle as the first LGBTQIA+ choir in the Southern Hemisphere. Her journey with this beloved community commenced 30 years ago when she joined as a singer. She became Assistant Musical Director in 2012, a Life Member in 2017, and was appointed Musical...

Lisa Daniel’s guest on this episode of Word for Word is Sonny Jane Wise. Sonny Jane Wise is a non-binary, multiply neurodivergent & disabled public speaker, advocate, content creator and author. Sonny was diagnosed with Autism and ADHD as a child and grew up only hearing a deficit narrative about their neurodivergence. Since then, they have gone on to build an audience of over 100,000 people online, have written The Neurodivergent Friendly Workbook of DBT Skills and the new book We’re...

Lisa Daniel’s guest on this episode of Word for Word is Anthony Severino. Anthony grew up in a conservative catholic family in Sydney and was diagnoses with Tourette Syndrome at the age of 11. Anthony found his tribe and his safe space in the theatre and musical theatre and is well known around Sydney via his drag persona, Peach Fuzz. Anthony works as a somatic sex coach helping people find and enjoy their true sexual selves. Word for Word is hosted by Lisa Daniel on JOY Media, produced...

Lisa Daniel’s guest on this episode of Word for Word is Ben Mitchell. Ben grew up on a small farm in New Zealand, but as a young kid his life was less than idyllic. Being different wasn’t welcomed by his father or step father, and school proved to be a lonely and isolating experience. Fast forward a couple of decades and Ben has overcome the challenges of his past to see only the positives life has to offer. Word for Word is hosted by Lisa Daniel on JOY Media, produced by Ellen Spalding,...

Lisa Daniel’s guest on this episode of Word for Word is Evana De Lune. Evana is a Melbourne-based performer with over 20 years of dance experience covering jazz, tap, ballet, contemporary and commercial dance styles. She fell in love with the glitz and glamour of burlesque at a young age, but it was only after visiting Maison Burlesque as an adult that she finally took her first steps towards becoming a full-time showgirl. As well as performing, Evana is a burlesque teacher and mentor,...

Lisa Daniel’s guest on this episode of Word for Word is Bert Murphy. Bert grew up in small town Victoria where he discovered movies on TV as a young kid. This began a lifelong love affair with both film and photography. After graduating from Swinburne Film and Television School, Bert worked as an editor and director on a variety of projects such as ‘Voyage of the Southern Sun’ (2017) and ‘Defiant Lives’ (2017). He has also directing and edited corporate, broadcast TV, music video, short...

Lisa Daniel hosts Word for Word and is joined by her guest Ryan Abramowitz. Ryan is a Melbourne based artist, writer and storyteller who draws inspiration from the natural world. He has worked in marketing, brand experience and communications across corporate, freelance and not-for-profit settings. He also runs a business ‘Today Tomorrow Forever’ in which he paints Jewish Wedding Certificates and artwork celebrating significant life milestones as well as a website...

Lisa Daniel is joined on Word for Word by her guest Rowland Thomson. Most of queer Melbourne would know Rowland as the long-time co-owner of legendary bookstore Hares and Hyenas that he began with his now ex-partner Crusader Hillis back in 1991 in what was then the gay mecca of Commercial Road, Prahran. The pair opened a second shop in Brunswick Street in 1995 and then moved to Smith Street, Collingwood in 1998. There was another move to Johnston Street, Fitzroy in 2006 and, now, Hares and...

Lisa Daniel is joined by her guest Dr. Yves Rees. Dr. Rees uses they/them pronouns and is a writer, historian and podcaster based in Naarm, also known as Melbourne.   Dr. Rees is a Lecturer in History at La Trobe University, co-host of Archive Fever history podcast, and author of the 2021 memoir All About Yve: Notes from a Transition. They are also co-editor of Nothing to Hide: Voices of Trans and Gender Diverse Australia and Transnationalism, Nationalism and Australian History. Their next...

Lisa Daniel hosts Word for Word on JOY 94.9 and her guest is Anastasia Le. Anastasia was born in Saigon where she suffered bullying and abuse at the hands of her family until she loved to Australia as a teenager in 2005. A lack of support from family saw her given refugee status and then a protection visa. Since coming out as trans, Anastasia has been an advocate on a mission to uplift others who have suffered due to the mere facts of their sexuality, gender, disability or financial...

Lisa Daniel hosts Word for Word on JOY 94.9 and her guest is Sean Szeps. Sean is a host of several podcasts and a writer and content creator. Sean is most well-known for his accidental advocacy, which arose from sharing his journey as a gay husband raising boy-girl twins. Originally from America, Sean moved to Australia and began hosting hugely popular parenting podcasts such Spotify’s The Dad Kit and Mamamia’s The Baby Bubble. This opened doors, allowing him to write about the queer...

Lisa Daniel is joined on Word for Word by Danielle Scrimshaw. Danielle is a writer, historian and big fan of lighthouses. Her 2019 essay ‘Be Gay, Do Crime: Or, the Ballad of Catherine and Ellen’ was shortlisted for the Deakin University Nonfiction Prize. Her thesis on queer women’s narratives in Australian history – or the lack thereof – was highly commended by the Australian Queer Archives. Last year she was a finalist for Forty South Magazine’s Van Diemen History Prize 2020-2021. Dani has...

In News, Anti-LGBT protesters stormed Georgia’s Pride parade, religious education course for Catholic college students that advocates traditional marriage is under review, 200 people gather in underground basement in Shanghai for ‘Ball’, and O’Bryant Square in Portland Oregon to be renamed Darcelle XV Plaza. In Sport, ECB support inclusion, US national team soccer superstar Rapinoe set to retire, Pride march organisers exclude Ulster Rugby over transgender player ban, and OutSports Magazine...

Lisa Daniel is joined by her guest Daniel M. Lavery. Daniel is an American author and editor. He is known for having co-founded the website The Toast, and written the books Texts from Jane Eyre, The Merry Spinster, the autobiography Something That May Shock and Discredit You, which detailed his experience of how coming to know and affirm his gender has affected the lens through which he experiences that world. He wrote Slate’s Dear Prudence advice column from 2016 to 2021. He currently...

Lisa Daniel is joined by her guest Brad Guy. Brad’s life changed in ways he could never have imagined in 2013 when a parachute malfunction sent him plummeting 15,000 feet to earth at 80kmh. Brad survived the fall, but with significant emotional and physical injuries that he lives with a decade later.   Brad is a content creator, mental health advocate and motivational speaker based in Melbourne. He is a sought-after speaker on topics including mental health awareness, life after trauma,...