Tasmania’s LGBTQIA+ game changers for Pride Week: Hannah Gadsby, Rodney Croome, Martine Delaney
From comedians and advocates to councillors, club owners and beyond, here are Tasmania’s most prominent LGBTQIA+ game changers as World Pride celebrations continue >>
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FROM comedians and advocates to councillors, club owners and beyond, Tassie is shining bright with LGBTQIA+ game changers.
Our trailblazers on the list have created an inclusive community that has painted Tasmania with rainbow flags.
Some have been revolutionary in decriminalising and reforming gay, lesbian and transgender rights in the state while others have shared stories of experiencing homophobia on the international stage.
As many gather to celebrate the Mardi Gras parade in Sydney at WorldPride celebrations, we’ve compiled a list of some of Tasmania’s LGBTQIA+ game changers in no particular order.
Hannah Gadsby
World-class comedian and Tasmanian Hannah Gadsby has continuously challenged the rules of comedy.
After growing up in the states North West, Gadsby shot to international fame and won multiple awards for their comedy show Nanette including an Emmy.
Gadsby used the comedy show to recount a time in their life when they faced homophobia, sexism and misogyny which resulted in physical and emotional trauma.
Gadsby has since performed another comedy spectacle named after their dog Douglas, and has big plans to release a new comedy routine this year.
But before global fame, the Tasmanian performed their first ever professional comedy gig back in their home state, at the 2005 Hobart Comedy festival.
While Gadsby has struck comedy gold throughout their career, they were also awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Literature honoris causa from the University of Tasmania in 2021.
Gary Quilliam and Thomas Williams
After founding the only LGBTQIA+ venue in Hobart, Thomas Williams and Gary Quilliam created the inclusive bar Flamingos.
The pair had originally met at Flamingos Dance Bar 20-years ago which had provided the queer community a safe place to connect.
Since then, the popular venue closed last year after the building the bar was in, sold.
While the bar searches for a new premise, Hobart is the only Australian capital without a dedicated LGBTQIA+ bar.
Mr Williams sadly passed away at the end of last year. Many people within the community grieved his sudden death.
“His vision was to create a safe space for the rainbow community of Hobart and Tasmania that wasn’t considered ‘underground’,” Mr Quilliam said.
Jade Darko
Jade Darko made history when she was the first transgender woman to secure a seat on a Tasmanian council last year.
Ms Darko received widespread support from the community when she was confirmed as a councillor at Clarence Council.
Since her election, the proud Tasmanian has said that she hopes it will inspire more gender diverse candidates and that Tasmania will continue to be an inclusive and trans supportive place.
Before winning a council seat, Ms Darko ran for the Greens in the federal election seat of Franklin.
Rodney Croome
From being arrested for standing up for gay rights over 30 years ago, to successfully fronting a campaign that decriminalised homosexuality in Tasmania, Rodney Croome is one of the states most prominent gay rights activists.
Mr Croome was one of the first advocates to raise the issue of same-sex marriage in Australia.
In 1988, he was arrested along with more than 100 other gay right activists for challenging a ban on a Salamanca Market stall which was petitioning the decriminalisation of LGBTQIA+ rights.
In 2017, landmark legislation passed in upper house which completely erased criminal records for gay and transgender Tasmanian’s who had a historical homosexual or cross-dressing offence.
Mr Croome was named Tasmanian Australian of the Year in 2015 and received an honorary from the University of Tasmania for his continuous enactment of social change in 2019.
Jax Fox
Jax Fox has been advocating for LGBTQIA+ rights and was elected on the Hobart City Council from 2018 before losing their seat in 2022.
Fox, who is non binary, urged the state government to do more on youth homelessness and shared their experience couch surfing and living in tents.
While being in council, Fox advocated for the ban on conversion therapy and has continued to support polices that promote health, safety and community inclusion.
Fox gave a voice to the community who felt like they couldn't speak up.
Martine Delaney
She is known as Tasmania’s transgender rights advocate having campaigned for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights for years.
Born male, Martine Delaney knew in her teens that she was supposed to be a girl. But it wasn't until her early 40s that she found the courage to act on those lifelong feelings and transitioned to being a female.
In 2015, after 15 years of campaigning for changes to legislation, Ms Delaney was the first transgender woman to sign documents that changed her gender on her birth certificate when the law came into effect.
Ms Delaney has also been a voice for many within the community, fighting back against homophobic behaviour in the state.
She has worked in child protection, youth justice and Aboriginal affairs. She has helped develop LGBT inclusive polices across education and health sectors.
Ms Delaney was the first Tasmanian transgender woman to be recognised on the Honour Roll of Women in 2021.
Roen Meijers
It was a historic day for many like Roen Meijers who celebrated the changes to laws governing gender alongside with transgender women Martine Delaney and Francene Jacques in 2019.
Meijers, who identifies as non-binary and queer, was the third person who was able to alter their gender or remove it on their birth certificate.
They said up until that moment, they had struggled everyday proving their identity.
“I’ve had to fight to be recognised as who I am and some of the time that just hasn’t been possible because I haven’t been able to prove that that’s who I am,” Meijers previously told The Mercury.
Transitioning socially led to immediate and obvious improvements to Meijers mental health.
Meijers is neurodivergent and has been a disability advocate for years. They work as a disability and mental health advocacy program manager.
Julian Punch
Former Catholic priest Julian Punch continuously fought for social justice and gay rights.
Mr Punch launched his book, Gay with God: The life and times of a turbulent priest in 2017 which details his experience working as a gay priest and receiving training in the same seminary as Cardinal George Pell.
Mr Punch has advocated for Catholic Church to remove a statue of a convicted sex offender Monsignor Phillip Green.
He and long-term partner Brian Doran won an Anti-Discrimination Tribunal case when their neighbour had made a tirade of homophobic abuse against them.
Chloe Black
Tasmanian comedian Chloe Black has been doing stand-up comedy for over 20 years.
The transgender woman who came out in 2016, has been giving insights to audiences about what it’s like living as both genders.
Black felt drawn to wearing women’s clothing her whole life and found outlets for those feelings. It soon became central to who Black was as a person.
She finds a good sense of humour is essential in daily life, when encountering people who either don't know what to say, or those who are outright rude.
Black gives a unique and hilarious perspective on dating, coming out and being your authentic self.
She started her career in the Rhino Room in Adelaide and has since performed in venues across the world including the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Adelaide Fringe, and Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
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