Semper Floreat is the University of Queensland Union's free & independent student newspaper.
Growing up, Slowed Down As rain falls, a seed digs its roots. But what happens if it never sprouts? GDP rises, living standards have improved, yet why isn’t the nation growing? Growth should equal progress, right? Have a closer look at reality: Young Australians are taking longer to enter full time employment, to try alcohol, […]
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Anxious. Nauseous. Terrified. Do I cancel? Nice pants and a button up. Big black combat boots. My nice underwear; the ones with dinosaurs on them, neon red and black; make my arse look phenomenal. Most realistic packer. Strap-on in the backpack. Just in case. Black eyeliner. A gold chain? No chain. A ring. Or two. […]
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I The body I call home isn’t mine. Nor was it ever, it was destined to be deemed public property And handled with such disregard for its being Measured solely by its desirability details And the displeasing flaws that draw the eye The strangers eye is one of assessment With it only to judge your […]
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You hide you sins in long sentences, and yet you beg me not explode. If you do not hide your lies, you may turn your back – I will, I promise thee, not explode. Tensions bleed through air and suffocate the innocent, Words not understood nor said by those who will suffer them, they plea – not […]
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A long feast of leaves and crawling in the garden. Hands big and curious scoop me up, Into a jar smudged with dirt. I hear fantasies of colourful wings and sunshine. Months of this, I’m so hungry for change. I don’t care if it will hurt. I wrap myself in silk. Dissolving, Reforming, Clawing my […]
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Shot off into space, the message coasts on rays emitted from the sun, radiating out deep into the cosmos. Ones and zeros, carefully contained in individual photons, rising and falling in the waves of black. The message dances through space, ducking and diving and swirling around. Jumping from place to place, shifting from wave to […]
Continue ReadingWritten by Cass Hayward Views: 3
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Early this April, when British alternative band Pulp released their first album single in 24 years, fans were relatively united in their enjoyment of the track. But controversy swiftly developed among certain sets of Instagram commenters upon the rather shocking discovery that the accompanying music video, “directed” by frontman Jarvis Cocker, was his attempt to […]
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My heart races, thumping a staccato rhythm through my chest. My palms slicken and sweat seeps through the fibres of my t-shirt. Mum and dad sit across the dining table from me. Our dirty plates sit in front of us almost cleared of the meat and three-veg that was mum’s specialty. I had barely tasted […]
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Completing a PhD is challenging under regular circumstances, but even more so when you’re a trans person hiding who you are. This was part of my motivation for coming out in the past year, a decision I had put off for years because in my home country, serious violations of LGBTQ rights are commonplace, and […]
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