Living and Loving in Diversity

by Maria Pallotta-Chiarolli (Editor), Roz Bellamy (Contributor)

Sad and funny, sexy and sensitive, angry and insightful: the deeply personal stories in this book reflect a rainbow of experiences and emotions, as diverse as the storytellers themselves. Join chief editor Maria Pallotta-Chiarolli and the Australian LGBTIQ Multicultural Council for a journey of discovery through queer multicultural multifaith Australia, with more than sixty voices from across the spectrum of sexualities and genders, families and relationships. Annette Xiberras, lesbian Wurundjeri Elder with a Maltese father, provides a Welcome to Book and insights into her Indigenous-migrant family. Filmmakers Tony Ayres and Franco Di Chiera share their experiences telling stories from minority cultures on Australian screens, while Benjamin Law talks queer Asian-Australian identity, and making "The Family Law" for SBS. Broadcaster Faustina Agolley talks about being "out" as a woman of colour, and Anton Enus tells us about coming out as a "coloured" gay man in South Africa. Entertainer Paul Capsis reflects on doing "Cabaret" in the age of Trump while Asiel Adan talks about non-binary gender across the US border in Mexico. Meanwhile, Christos Tsiolkas imagines Ari, the protagonist of his iconic novel "Loaded", now middle-aged, during a weekend of mass violence in distant Paris, while Patrick Abboud travels the world so he can come home. Alyena Mohummadally searches for reconciliation between her queer and Muslim identities and Tony Briffa shares a personal story of growing up with intersex variations and the rigidity of Western medicine.

Genres: Queer, Nonfiction

516 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 24, 2018

Reviews

[Sujith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an important collection of stories from LGBTIQ+ multicultural and multifaith Australians. The last time a book like this was published was in 1999 (Jackson & Sullivan's Multicultural Queer: Australian Narratives)... nearly 20 years ago.

This book was tremendously helpful in giving me an overview of the people and groups involved the Australian LGBTIQ+ scene. It's a series of short contributions from many different authors. Bear in mind that most of the contributors are based in Melbourne (with a smattering in Sydney). This may be because the AGMC (Australian LGBTIQ Multicultural Council) is based in Melbourne, and because the book received financial support from Victorian Multicultural Commission.

The reference list provides interesting resources to check out, things that I hadn't yet considered. So glad I got this book, and even more glad that I (finally!) found the AGMC!

[Timothy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A remarkable and eye opening collection of stories that explore the intersectionality of race and sexuality in Australia written by own voice authors. I learnt so much about the challenges these authors faced coming out to their friends and families, leaving communities overseas who had treated them with prejudice only to find themselves cloistered with people here in Australia who treated them with the same prejudice. There are just so many different layers to these stories, so many challenges these authors have faced that at times I found myself in tears reading them. But it's not all doom and gloom. Many stories in this collection are examples of hope and happiness, of finding ones community in which to fit in or to not fit in together.

If you enjoy biographies and haven't yet read any LGBTIQA+ Australian stories this is a great place to start.

[Steve Maxwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sad and funny, sexy and sensitive, angry and insightful: the deeply personal stories in this book reflect a rainbow of experiences and emotions, as diverse as the storytellers themselves.

An excellent read showing the diversity that is Australia.

[Aj · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's worth reading to learn a little about multicultural Australian queer people, but otherwise, nothing special. Most of the book felt very corporate and bland.

[Caddyshack Project · Rating 4 out of 5]

Caddyshack three word review:
Deep, Affirming & profound