In the second part of our two-part discussion critiquing the role of sex in queer communities and politics, Benjamin and Simon get to the heart of the matter: is sexuality compulsory in queer movements and spaces? And if it isn’t, then what even is queerness?

Benjamin interviews writer and research Jaya Keaney about her work examining concepts of race in the stories of queer families who conceive kids using reproductive technologies, digging into what it means to re-imagine the queer family in the context of race.

We talk about sex a lot on the podcast, but what about people who don’t feel so comfortable about it? In the first episode of a two-part discussion challenging the role of sex in queer communities and politics, Benjamin and Simon talk sexual anxieties, how queers might overcome them, and whether that’s something we even want.

With the announcement that Australia’s longest-running queer publication has effectively closed its doors, Benjamin and Simon reflect on the value of queer media in an age when queer news is increasingly covered by mainstream publications. The question at the heart of the issue: what do we lose when we lose community-controlled queer publications?

Just what the world needs—another Game of Thrones take! But after sharing their thoughts on the end of this TV juggernaut, Benjamin and Simon dig into the episode’s big question: what political responsibility does pop culture have to depict the world in particular ways?

Simon interviews community advocate and educator Sally Goldner, discussing Sally’s advocacy for bisexual and trans folk, diversity education inside and outside LGBTIQ communities, and why we’re all so hung up on binaries.

In the jumbo-sized Anzac Day episode you didn’t know you wanted, Benjamin and Simon ask why it’s okay to commemorate war in some ways but not others, and wonder what’s really at the heart of these taboos. Plus, a bonus discussion about loneliness and isolation in queer communities for Gay Star News’ Digital Pride.

A chat about body image and gay men quickly spins out into a discussion of queer bodies more generally, as Benjamin and Simon ask: what does it mean to look like—or fail to look like—the right kind of queer?

Benjamin interviews singer-songwriter Brendan Maclean about his new album And the Boyfriends, digging into the evolution of his music, what it means for gay men to work closely with women, and the complex relationship between queer artists and queer art.

Why isn’t sex a bigger part of public discourse around queerness? Looking at a classic essay about the revolutionary potential of gay sex, Benjamin and Simon get filthy and dig into the roles sex can play, in theory and in practice, when it comes to queer politics.

‘Cocksucking as an Act of Revolution’, by Charles Shively

Benjamin and Simon have another crack at figuring out what individuals can do in the face of structural problems, and while the conversation stays on track this time they still end up in the weeds. What’s the relationship between collective action and structural change? And is community-level activism an effective alternative?

Simon interviews journalist Gay Alcorn, discussing recent articles she wrote about violence against women. In her analysis, Gay asks the question: is feminism too narrow a lens through which to examine gender-based violence?

Benjamin and Simon sit down intending to record an episode about what individuals can do in the face of structural problems like homophobia, but an article about violence against women sparks a disagreement between the hosts over the question: to what extent can and should we examine individual participation within broad structures of oppression? It’s the most we’ve ever disagreed!

‘Men of Australia, it's time to pick your side’, by Clementine Ford

Benjamin and Simon hit the world wide web to talk social media. It comes up a lot on the podcast, but what does social media mean for queer politics in 2019? Is it a place to find community, or is it bringing about community’s end?

On a trip to Port Moresby, Benjamin interviews an advocate with Papua New Guinea’s only queer community organisation, Kapul Champions, to discuss the political priorities for queers in the country, and the impact of LGBTIQ political discourses in Australia.

For more information about Kapul Champions, visit: https://rainbowpng.wordpress.com/2016/10/23/group-kapul-champions/

Benjamin and Simon close out 2018 with a look back at its pop culture—what they liked, what they didn’t, and some of their most significant queer touchstones, from Roseanne to Queer Eye to Janelle Monáe.

While traveling in the United Kingdom Simon interviewed the PhD student Annie Kelly. Annie is studying at the University of East Anglia, researching the online anti-feminist groups Return of Kings, A Voice for Men and the Reddit forum Kotaku in Action.

Simon and Annie talk about the ideologies and ideas of these groups, their differences and similarities with each other, and the connections between anti-feminist groups and the broader far right. They also discuss Annie’s article in the New York times on ‘tradwives’, a community of women in the United States who advocate for a return to traditional gender roles.

Diving back into the thorny issue of consent, Benjamin and Simon turn this time to the concept of ‘enthusiastic consent’, and wonder whether it really is an effective framework for addressing a problem as widespread—and as complex—as sexual assault.

Benjamin and Simon finally get around to watching Hannah Gadsby’s Nanette, and it sparks a discussion about the role of stories in queer activism. Can we really change the world just by telling our individual stories? Or do we need to connect to something bigger in order to effect change?