17 October 25

Ending HIV

Finding Pride in Newcastle

Moving to Newcastle

When I moved to Newcastle in 2021, I didn’t know anything about the city other than its reputation for beautiful beaches. I grew up in coastal cities, so that was enough of a selling point for me and I was pleasantly surprised at how much it actually has to offer.

At the time there weren’t any dedicated queer spaces, but the community seemed very active despite that. RSLs, bowlos and bars hosted drag and themed events and there were meetups at cafes and parks. In a way it felt better than having a dedicated gay bar, because queer events seemed to pop up everywhere and be built around community and activities like crafternoons and beach days rather than nightlife and club culture. I’m a parent too, so having spaces I could take my little one too really helped me settle in and find my people.

In 2023 Bernie’s Bar opened its doors as Newcastle’s official gay bar and it was clear how much the local community needed a place to call our own. I asked Newy Drag King Orlando Gloom about their experience as a performer in the city. They said;

“Queer events would pop up at whatever venues would take us basically and give drag events a go. There’s plenty of venues but not a lot of them will have the budget or want to give our events a chance.”

Nowadays both Bernie’s and Newcastle Pride Inc host drag and nightlife as well all ages and youth events, and my little one and I have enjoyed many of them together. There are also spaces that aren’t explicitly queer but are understood to be safe and inclusive.

My experience of Newcastle as an openly queer and trans person has been so positive for the most part. My neighbourhood is very diverse, populated by immigrants, international students, young families and older folks who’ve been there since the 60’s.

Newcastle is also home to the first openly transgender woman elected to a local government council. Plus, the City of Newcastle logo is a rainbow! When my partner first came up from Sydney to visit me, they spotted the rainbow flags outside my local library and asked, “Is that for us?”  I guess Newy is just a lil gay by default.

Working as a performer

In fact, my first gig as a drag performer in Newy was at a church! Adamstown Uniting has two spaces that host local gigs, vibrant rainbow stairs at its main entrance and a Sorry Garden; a space for expressing regret and sorrow and building new relationships with people the church has hurt in the past. That’s how I first found community. I met so many new friends in the audience after the show and people I met at that first gig have since become chosen family. In a small town you tend to see the same faces supporting events and I slowly got to know everyone and learn more about the local scene.

The connections I formed with people working in performance and entertainment have been an absolute lifeline. It can be incredibly challenging to work as a creative in a regional area, but I have had the joy of working on some incredible projects with amazing local talent. There is a thriving music and art scene and festivals like New Annual and Newcastle Fringe are growing quickly.

Queer spaces in regional areas have been hard won, and in my experience, when someone shows up with new ideas it can be met with resistance. But I believe it’s possible to honour the work that has been done while still making room for the next generation of queer community organising.

Why I love Newcastle Pride

Between the joys and struggles of regional queer life, Newcastle Pride is a highlight for me and my family every year. Both the parade and fair day are family friendly and feel important for visibility. Especially now with the population growing and diversifying. I got a ride share in full Drag and my driver told me he stopped at last year’s Fair Day and listened to the music for a bit on his break. He had never been to a LGBT+ event before and may not have been exposed to community without the fair.

Seeing queer kids and their families find support and community is so beautiful and getting to know local queer owned business is great too. It makes me feel safer going about my day to day because I can see how big the local community is.

As a Drag artist, seeing friends and familiar faces in the audience every year makes me feel like the representation I can offer is valuable and that it is absolutely worth navigating all the obstacles being an artist outside of a big city can throw at me.

So come to Newy for the beaches, for the local thrift and vintage scene, come for the food and art and come celebrate Pride with us! Support in a regional town goes a long way.

Jae Pietersen Scott is a multi-disciplinary creative with a passion for story telling and community work. They have worked with outreach and non profit organisations across Australia and Southern Africa bringing performing arts to regional and rural communities. In performance spaces they write and produce theatre works that centre BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ creatives and entertain as their Drag persona Cocking Black.