In this podcast Sara talks about politics, activism and newly completed research looking at heterosexism in tertiary student accommodation.
Summary
This summary focuses on a podcast episode titled "Sara - Butch on Butch," which was recorded on March 8, 2015, in Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand. The episode features an interview conducted by Jac Lynch with Sara Fraser, spanning a total of 28 minutes. The conversation touches upon various topics such as photography, cultural identity, politics, activism, and experiences of living in New Zealand.
The podcast begins with Sara discussing the motivation for participating in the Butch on Butch photo project. Sara highlights trust in the photographer, Jac Lynch, as the main reason for getting involved, as well as their shared understanding of butch identity. Sara then describes the stylized photo, which reflects personal significance on Celtic heritage, representing this identity through attire including a family tartan kilt and a sporran. Additionally, Sara speaks about ancestral connections, including Scottish heritage, and the trinkets worn that symbolize various aspects of identity, including gender and cultural heritage.
Sara's personal journey from the UK to New Zealand is explored, emphasizing the initial difficulties faced upon relocation and the eventual affection for New Zealand as home. Emigrating at age 17 after personal loss, Sara recounts initial resistance but then found belonging and comfort, particularly in Wellington, which is valued for its political vibrancy and inclusive community.
The interview delves into Sara's political activism, specifically the commitment to workers' rights, human rights, and combating capitalist norms. Active involvement with groups like the Queer Avengers and Wellington Gay Welfare Group highlights efforts to address issues such as transphobia and the support of the queer community in Wellington.
Sara discusses the role of butch identity in personal life and activism, explaining how it inherently intertwines with actions and political stands, but is not the primary motivator. An anecdote is shared about the 'straight' world's reactions to butch presentation, and the evolution from being bothered by misunderstandings to now challenging presumptions and stereotypes.
Furthermore, the conversation shifts to Sara's academic achievements – the completion of a Master's degree in Gender and Women’s Studies and research on heterosexism in tertiary student accommodation. Sara's findings point to an unintentional but pervasive assumption of heterosexuality in student hostels and recommends more diversity training. The interview then closes with a discussion of Sara's current role as a research assistant, with plans to research homelessness among LGBTQI+ individuals.
The dialogue between Jac and Sara delves into the broader scope of butch identity, community support within Wellington, and the ways in which the queer community can come together in times of need. They also touch on the dynamic between butch and femme identities, with personal reflections on the significance of these roles in relationships and societal critiques.
This summary is created using Generative AI. Although it is based on the recording's transcription, it may contain errors or omissions. Click here to learn more about how this summary was created.
Voices
Tags
1980s, 2010s, accomodation, activism, advice, anger, aotearoa new zealand, arts, auckland, bathrooms, butch, butch on butch (exhibition/series), capitalism, celtic, clothing, community, diversity, family, feminism, femme, funding, gender identity, gender studies, helpline, heterosexism, homelessness, homophobia, homophobic bullying, housing, human rights, identity, jac lynch, labels, labrys, language, london, oppression, parents, peter cuthbert, photography, politics, queer, relationships, research, school's out (lower hutt), school's out (wellington), scotland, social, social housing, sporran, study, support, tauranga, the queer avengers (wellington), trans-pacific partnership agreement (tppa), transcript online, transphobia, united kingdom, university, university of otago wellington school of medicine, wellington, wellington gay welfare group, women's studies, worker's rights
Tags (computer generated)
acceptance, access, australia, binary, birthday, books, bullying, capital, carving, change, charity, collective, collective action, coming up, connections, culture, diversity training, emergency housing, employment, examination, face, friends, fun, fundraising, gender, government, hamilton, health, heritage, heterosexual, hug, job, legacy, lesbian, lgbt, library, love, magazines, motorbike, narrative, otago, other, people, plan, rally, safety, scene, school, space, spaces, spectrum, straight, struggle, stuff, time, tough, training, trans, trust, understanding, unemployment, volunteer, wine, women, work, writing, youth