I’ve been working with Midsumma Festival for the past two years touring regional Victoria during the summers of 2023 and 2024 recording conversations from members of the LGBTQIA+ community throughout regional Victoria. I’m so happy to be a part of such an important and inspiring project and I'm over the moon to be sharing Season Two of Pridefinder.
The first three episodes are out, so if you haven't already, have a listen.
Mieke Louise: Episode One
Mieke Louise is a singer songwriter from Beechworth, Victoria. In this interview Mieke talks about how she made peace with her bisexuality having grown up in a religious family, and what her relationship is with Christianity since coming out. As part of this journey Mieke has let go of beliefs that have been harmful to her and hindered her understanding of herself.
Music has played a significant role in Mieke’s self love journey, learning a lot about herself and her sexuality through her song writing. She believes writing songs is a powerful therapeutic tool for self discovery for anyone. Mieke performs at pride festivals and events in north east Victoria. She spends a lot of her time recording, gigging and she sits on a number of advisory groups that allow her to represent the needs of regional queer people - she’s on the Indigo future proof action group and the HEY - healthy equal youth strategic advisory group in conjunction with youth affairs council Victoria.
I am so happy to have met Mieke, not only because she has a unique story to tell, but she made all the music for our podcast. The original jingle and underscoring music was written, composed, recorded and produced by Mieke, a queer singer/songwriter and advocate from regional Victoria.
You can find out more about Mieke's coming music releases on their instagram @miekesmusik.
Enjoy meeting Mieke.
Seth: Episode Two
On a very hot day in February 2024 I met Seth, parked in a car park in the middle of Wodonga city. We could not have had a more deep and meaningful conversation in such a stark place. Seth grew up in a very small country town north of Albury Wodonga with a population of under 1000 people.
At the age of 10 he did a very unlikely thing for a country boy, he joined the circus full-time. Travelling with the circus helped Seth find himself. Surrounded by a diverse range of people, he quickly became comfortable with his sexuality. Had he not joined the circus he believes it would have been far more difficult for him as a young gay man living in a rural country town. Travelling and performing became a natural part of Seth’s life and when he was a young adult he left his home and continued circus training in Montreal, Canada.
In our conversation Seth shares how being an inter-country adoptee from Columbia at just six months old, and being adopted by white parents has shaped his life, and how becoming a father - within a blended rainbow family - has been the best thing that’s ever happened to him.
Seth continues to perform and teach circus but these days he’s mostly a swimming coach in Albury-Wodonga and loves it.
Sandy: Episode Three
It was on a bank of Lake Wendouree in Ballarat where I met up with Sandy. Sandy shares their journey of self-discovery, beginning with revelations during the COVID-19 pandemic about their neurodivergence and queerness. Sandy reflects on how they embraced their identity through community connections, personal growth, and representation, transforming their life from dissatisfaction to one of self-love and fulfillment. They discuss the challenges of growing up in a conservative household, raising their children with acceptance and curiosity, and their passion for supporting families as a birth doula and educator.
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