Semper Floreat is the University of Queensland Union's free & independent student newspaper.
If you’re a trans masc or a gender-nonconforming person, chances are you’ve heard of or even tried packing. For those unfamiliar with the term, packing is when someone adds a prosthetic penis to their crotch to create a bulge to achieve the look and feel of having a penis (FolxHealth). Transgender men aren’t the only […]
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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 […]
Continue ReadingBetween F and M And warnings that Deviation May betray my safety in certain countries, I choose ‘other’, Unspecified, Undetermined. I *am* other. I am outside and both And nothing all at once and Fluctuating // deviating From expectations: From the ‘safe’ route. X is who I am. I am willing to forfeit my ease […]
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I sat down with Piper and Kit, two members of Magandjin People’s Pride (MPP), to talk about their involvement, how things get done, and queer advocacy and community. What is your current involvement with MPP? Piper: I’m a member, I help to organise events and rallies, and this is my third year in MPP. There […]
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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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When I think of you, I think of the poem ‘Simplify Me When I’m Dead’ by Keith Douglas, specifically the lines, “Thus when in a year collapse particular memories, you may deduce, from the long pain I bore the opinions I held, who was my foe and what I left, even my appearance but incidents […]
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Author’s note: This is a very scattered recap of the event. I originally had no intention of writing a recap when I first decided to go. However, as things began happening, I started taking some notes, but my focus was mainly on being present at the event and standing up for my community. On Sunday, […]
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A ragtag group of local trans activists and community-builders (including Magandjin People’s Pride and UQU Queer Collective) organised a march and rally on the 30th of March for Transgender Day of Visibility (31st March). This was one part of a National Day of Action for transgender resistance, with similar events held in every state and […]
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On Wednesday, 16th April 2025, it was announced that five judges from the UK Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the terms “woman”, “man”, and “sex” would refer only to biological sex assigned at birth, excluding transgender people, including those with a gender recognition certificate (GRC). What does this mean for transgender people of the United […]
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If you’ve been in online feminist circles, chances are you’ve come across the acronym “TERF”. But what exactly does it mean, and what makes you one? TERF stands for Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminist, which is often used synonymously with gender-critical feminism, as those who identify as gender-critical usually reject the label TERF. They essentially mean the […]
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