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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Pilates is the hot new thing! Literally. Hot Pilates, reformer Pilates, chair Pilates…there are dozens of versions of this practice popping up every day. But there is more to this new fitness trend than initially meets the eye. Beneath the spandex-covered surface, Pilates reinforces the regulation of women’s bodies to align with shifting beauty standards. […]
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“Butch is masculinity without men, femininity without compromise, and queerness without apology”. If you’ve been in lesbian circles lately, or especially if you’ve tried dating as a lesbian, you’ve probably heard people joke about the “masc shortage”. Well, if we’re facing a masc shortage, then we’re in the midst of an all-out Butch Crisis. But […]
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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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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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Between Two Worlds When I tell people that I moved from nuclear medicine to agriculture, their first reaction is usually confusion. “How does that even happen?”, they ask. To most, these fields seem worlds apart, one is rooted in high-tech diagnostics; the other in soil and seasons. But for me, the transition wasn’t about leaving […]
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“Pull a string and I’ll tell you that he runs because he loves me”. We are products of our society, picked and packaged to their liking, and discarded if we’re not. There have always been unspoken rules that we are expected to follow. Laugh too loud, and you’ll be judged. State your opinion, and you’ll be […]
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It’s a question I get asked all the time. Okay, that was a lie, but it has been asked once or twice. The simplified definition of anarchism is that it’s a political philosophy and movement that seeks to abolish institutions that perpetuate authority, hierarchy and/or coercion. It calls for a stateless society and targets capitalism […]
Continue Readingnot a single coherent carriage of words seems to emerge from my train of thought, and yet, here i find myself, longing to express something of substance, anything, truly, that might elevate me from the monotony of my own existence. i am engulfed by a disquieting fear, a profound dread that i may indeed be […]
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Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Fleabag has been critically acclaimed for its emotional depth, witty humour, and cultural impact. But it is the monologue made by Dame Kristin Scott Thomas during the show that has stuck out as a poignant statement on womanhood. Her speech naturally evokes the question: does my womanhood doom me to a life of […]
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