MULTIPLE groups are eyeing grants worth tens of thousands of dollars for events uniting LGBTQIA+ people in Bendigo.
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They gathered near a mural to Edward de Lacy Evans on Thursday to discuss possibilities for new Victorian government grants of up to $15,000 on offer for community events and other projects connecting and celebrating LGBTQIA+ people.
The Chancery Lane artwork is among the most visible efforts to share LGBTQIA+ stories in the city and Bendigo Queer Arts Inc's John Richards hoped the grants would bring more to the fore.
"The whole thing about being queer is that you are not born into your own culture," Bendigo Queer Arts Inc's John Richards said as he stood in front of a mural of de Lacy Evans on Thursday.
"You have to find your tribe and you don't get told your own history."
de Lacy Evans' traumatic story might appear at first to be a strange one to feature so prominently, but the local LGBTQIA+ community has been using it to show people who might be feeling isolated that others like them have always been part of Bendigo's fabric.
Before the Gold Rush-era miner was forcibly outed and turned into the victim of an international media feeding frenzy, he had forged a fulfilling life in his community.
Local LGBTQIA+ community members pushed for the mural last year to pay tribute to de Lacy Evans.
Also considering the possibilities for the new grants is Trans and Gender Diverse Bendigo and Beyond.
Its president Zara Jones thinks the new funding will open the door for more events like those regularly held in Bendigo.
"What we are finding is that people come to these events and disclose to us that this is the first time they've actually felt safe enough to come out and be open about their identities," she said.
Equality minister Harriet Shing said it was important to have a calendar of events encouraging LGBTQIA+ visibility, pride and inclusion in regional Victoria. She said it helped people be seen, "recognised, valued and, ultimately, to be respected".
For more on the grants, visit www.midsumma.org.au/regional-activation
If this story has raised issues for you, contact:
- Switchboard's Rainbow Door - 1800 729 367, text 0480 017 246, email support@rainbowdoor.org.au from 10am - 6pm.
- QLIFE - 1800 184 527, from 3pm to midnight
- Lifeline - 13 11 14
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Tom O'Callaghan
I grew up in Bendigo and I want to tell your stories.
I grew up in Bendigo and I want to tell your stories.
