SALLY RUGG
ACTIVIST
I am an adult lesbian and I am in love
with Harry Styles, the angelic lead singer
of boy band One Direction. It's the kind
of love that doesn't require reciprocation.
It's not because he's beautiful, but he is.
It's not because he has the voice of a gruff,
rock 'n' roll angel, though he does.
I don't need him to love me personally;
the thing I adore in him is his calm,
smiling nonchalance about simultaneously
being a teen icon and openly bisexual.
Harry dances on stage with rainbow fl ags,
sings about kissing men, and fl irtatiously
challenges interviewers to consider that,
“Maybe we’re all a little bit gay?” When I
was at school, being queer was the worst
thing anyone could possibly be. My hope is
that Harry Styles is an extremely talented,
handsome, cute and funny example of how
being queer is not only a normal part of
human diversity, but something that can
also be really special.
KAIIT
MUSICIAN
Going on my fi rst tour ever has meant
I get to meet people who like my music
from all around Australia and New Zealand.
Everyone who comes to one of my shows
is literally like a reflection of me – whether
I know it’s a part of me or not,they still
are. All my fans are unique and special.
My father’s from Papua New Guinea and
I was born there. I remember these
Papua New Guinean girls came up to me
in Melbourne and told me how thankful
they were to feel represented by me.
They were so happy to have someone
who looks like them up there doing what
they love to do. I definitely show that
I’m Papua New Guinean, whether it’s
through jewellery orbilums, which are
traditional woven bags from PNG. These
people felt very empowered to be Papua
New Guinean women living in Australia
through my music. That was a very
special moment.DAVID ASTLE
CROSSWORD MAKER AND RADIO HOST
Tarwhine. Morwong. Fish names on the
placard, each name below a silhouette,
helping anglers identify what thrashes
on their hooks.Trevally.Mulloway.My
dad was an angler. Lured me into the
hobby’s charms. We stood on wharves
like this one, snagging whiting, and
getting snagged. Learning to swear
together. We waited for the next story
to strike, all weathers, the sacred
bucket.Cockney bream. Mangrove jack.
Soon came a runabout we christened
‘Chips’. We bobbed off West Head, drifted
Broken Bay, my plan to catch a trophy,
and his to slow down time. The boat was
our universe with knife and hammer
at the ready.Luderick. Hairtail.Dad
could read a tide, the lividness of clouds.
The man didn’t need a placard as the
ocean was his blood. Yes, many got away,
too many to count, but that time we
shared, we kept.Check out more love stories atLove, a new exhibition at the Immigration Museum, in
partnership with Heide Museum ofModern Art. The show explores love in all its joyous,
illogical, heart-breaking glory, and is showing in Melbourne until April 28th, 2019.IMMIGRATION MUSEUM X FRANKIE