Haines Digs Deep Into LGBTQIA+ History To Build Queerstory

Mr Gay Pride Australia finalist and queer arts practitioner Joshua Haines is on a mission of historical proportions to create a history book that focuses on the LGBTQIA+ histories of Western Australia.

Haines is a graduate of the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA), majoring in Arts and Cultural Management and briefly attended law school, where he wrote and self-published a queer mystery novella in 2018.

Under the working title of “The Legacy Project”, Joshua Haines will explore the historic growth of drag culture in Western Australia, delve into locations and buildings with queer backgrounds, interview iconic LGBTQIA+ individuals within the community, and hopes to include the voices of all community groups within Western
Australia.

“From Albany to Perth to Broome, Western Australia hosts multiple Pride Festivals and has a rich history of LGBTQIA+ people,” Haines explained.

“We are the largest and most isolated state in Australia, which means we lean into the queer histories of our eastern neighbours.”

After working with PrideWA’s Committee of Management, Haines was inspired to dig deep into Western Australia’s history in the hopes of creating a queer-ginner’s guide for emerging LGBTQIA+ youth, and the community at large.

“History isn’t always glamorous. Western Australia was one of the last Australian jurisdictions to pass laws that allowed individuals to have historical homosexual convictions expunged, but Western Australia was also one of the first jurisdictions to allow full adoption rights to LGBTQIA+ couples.

“Not only will this book explore the socio-political histories of the community, but it will also provide testimonials, and historically queer locations as
well.”

Haines said he is excited to hear the history, and stories, of Western Australian LGBTQIA+ people but more excited about what this means for the community in Western Australia.

“The Legacy Project will allow for a stronger sense of connection and bridge the gap between our city’s isolating quality with the rest of the country.”

Joshua hopes The Legacy Project creates enough of a ripple effect, that it adds to the chorus of the political discourse surrounding LGBTQIA+ literature, and the rhetoric surrounding drag story time.

Last Updated on Mar 11, 2023