Jack speaks with Julai Diesel ahead of the THH Vogue Night event running during Midsumma and discuss what the ballroom scene looks like in Melbourne, where it serves as a survival‑focused, queer‑affirming community built around competition, performance, and chosen family.

They speak about the House of Diesel’s origins, its partnership with Thorne Harbour Health, and the ways Australian houses stay connected to the historic U.S. scene.

Nick Henderson from the Australian Queer Archives (AQuA) also talks about the archive’s eclectic collections of traditional documents, punk gear, erotic artifacts, and even hair‑clipping albums, highlighting its role in preserving queer histories.

With the St Kilda Queer History Walking Tour just around the corner, Nick discusses some of the tour’s stops at iconic venues like the Greyhound and the Prince of Wales, illustrating how physical spaces and community memory intersect to keep queer culture alive and visible.

Get tickets for the St Kilda Queer History Walking Tour and the THH Vogue Night on the Midsumma website.

Check out our other JOY Podcasts for more on LGBTIQ+ health and wellbeing at joy.org.au/wellwellwell.

If there’s something you’d like us to explore on the show, send through ideas or questions at wellwellwell@joy.org.au

Find out more about LGBTIQ+ services and events in Victoria and South Australia at thorneharbour.org and samesh.org.au.

Wise Words returns this Midsumma to feature a line-up of some of Australia’s most prominent and talented LGBTIQ+ women (trans and non-binary inclusive) for an evening of intergenerational storytelling.

Candy Bowers will MC this year’s edition and we hear about her background in acting, production, writing, and more.

Grab tickets to Wise Words on the Midsumma website: https://www.midsumma.org.au/whats-on/events/wise-words-a-night-of-intergenerational-storytelling/

Scott Walsberger from ACON also joins us to discuss cancer screening activations at the 2026 Midsumma Carnival in Alexandra Gardens.

Check out our other JOY Podcasts for more on LGBTIQ+ health and wellbeing at joy.org.au/wellwellwell.

If there’s something you’d like us to explore on the show, send through ideas or questions at wellwellwell@joy.org.au

Find out more about LGBTIQ+ services and events in Victoria and South Australia at thorneharbour.org and samesh.org.au.

Dylan from the City of Yarra and Tex Mackenzie speak about the Yarra Queer History Walk, a guided tour that traces Melbourne’s queer‑footprints through Fitzroy, Collingwood and Abbotsford.

Jack is also joined by Rachel Cook and Chiron Hooson from Thorne Harbour to discuss the Community Periodic Surveys, our presence at Carnival, and more.

Check out our other JOY Podcasts for more on LGBTIQ+ health and wellbeing at joy.org.au/wellwellwell.

If there’s something you’d like us to explore on the show, send through ideas or questions at wellwellwell@joy.org.au

Find out more about LGBTIQ+ services and events in Victoria and South Australia at thorneharbour.org and samesh.org.au.

Jack, Jake and Thorne Harbour Health Events Coordinator Chiron Hooson walk through a whirlwind 2025.

We revisit events from Midsumma Festival, murder‑mystery parties and regional pride pop‑ups, to a record‑breaking World AIDS Day Red Ribbon Run and the revival of Northside Bazaar.

Gus from Thorne Harbour’s family violence counselling team adds a quick roundup of the work their team does, 657 client contacts, new funding streams and the award‑winning Refuge to Recovery project.

Check out our other JOY Podcasts for more on LGBTIQ+ health and wellbeing at joy.org.au/wellwellwell.

If there’s something you’d like us to explore on the show, send through ideas or questions at wellwellwell@joy.org.au

Find out more about LGBTIQ+ services and events in Victoria and South Australia at thorneharbour.org and samesh.org.au.

Molly Boorman from Thorne Harbour Health unpacks holiday wellbeing for LGBTIQ+ folk, from family driven stress to managing alcohol and other drug use.

Molly shares practical tools like self compassion, safety planning, group peer support and when to access services like Direct Line, Rainbow Door and Lifeline.

She also speaks with Jack and Jake about online intake options and the importance of creating new, affirming traditions when traditional gatherings feel unsafe.

Check out our other JOY Podcasts for more on LGBTIQ+ health and wellbeing at joy.org.au/wellwellwell.

If there’s something you’d like us to explore on the show, send through ideas or questions at wellwellwell@joy.org.au

Find out more about LGBTIQ+ services and events in Victoria and South Australia at thorneharbour.org and samesh.org.au.

Cal talks with South Australian Legislative Council Member Ian Hunter about the murder of George Duncan that ignited South Australia’s push to decriminalise male homosexuality in 1975.

Ian walks us through the behind the scenes lobbying by students, academic, law societies, and politicians that turned this historic event into legislative reform.

He also explains how early AIDS activism blended community organising with direct access to health ministers, shaping a model of cooperative response.

Ian makes a final call for younger generations to stay alert, because rights can be taken away by parliament just as easily as they were originally granted by Parliament.

Check out our other JOY Podcasts for more on LGBTIQ+ health and wellbeing at joy.org.au/wellwellwell.

If there’s something you’d like us to explore on the show, send through ideas or questions at wellwellwell@joy.org.au

Find out more about LGBTIQ+ services and events in Victoria and South Australia at thorneharbour.org and samesh.org.au.

In the final episode of our 16 Days of Activism series, we’re turning to the health and support systems themselves.

We talk about how mainstream family violence services can better support queer clients and what the sector can learn from the community led response with Gus and Vincent from Thorne Harbour Health.

Check out our other JOY Podcasts for more on LGBTIQ+ health and wellbeing at joy.org.au/wellwellwell.

If there’s something you’d like us to explore on the show, send through ideas or questions at wellwellwell@joy.org.au

Find out more about LGBTIQ+ services and events in Victoria and South Australia at thorneharbour.org and samesh.org.au.

Ending intimate partner and gender violence means supporting those who use harm to change.

In this episode we explore what that looks like in queer relationships with Gus and Vincent from Thorne Harbour Health’s family violence counselling team.

Check out our other JOY Podcasts for more on LGBTIQ+ health and wellbeing at joy.org.au/wellwellwell.

If there’s something you’d like us to explore on the show, send through ideas or questions at wellwellwell@joy.org.au

Find out more about LGBTIQ+ services and events in Victoria and South Australia at thorneharbour.org and samesh.org.au.