30 Under 30 - 2022 — Out For Australia

2022 Awards Event

Host

Keynote

Anton Enus

Mon Shafter

Entertainer

Liam Gale

Boy and Bucket

Hosted in BCG’s Sydney Office (Warrane, on Gadigal Country).
In the weeks after the awards night, we hosted state parties in ACT, QLD, SA, VIC, and WA.

Entertainer

Rosie Piper

2022 Category Winners

Community Advocate

Alex John Kelly

Alex is a Queer Gender-Diverse sex worker. Their efforts focus on sexual health education, decriminalisation of sex work, and advocacy. In their words, “my personal experience as a Queer sex worker who navigates the line of professional and personal, sexuality and gender has resulted in creating a support network of Queer people, Austistic people and sex workers who have given me the courage to be who am.”

Inclusion & Belonging Champion

Emily Unity

Regional Legend

Dwayne Sibraa

Dwayne Sibraa / Rose Quartz was titled Best and Fairest in Party Passport’s Miss First Nations 2019 pageant and taking part in the pre-show entertainment for the AFL Long walk In Melbourne. She created a safe space for new Drag kings and queens by hosting Wagga’s first drag pageant earlier this year.

Rising Star

T Guthrie

T founded WhyHive in 2018. In 2022, WhyHive pivoted to a startup model with the goal of democratising data analytics so anyone can use it. They’re a published researcher, TEDx speaker and musician. They’ve worked to advocate for gender diversity and inclusion in both tech and the music industry.

Standout Student

Alistair Moses Angelo Ott

Special thanks to these brands for donating to the Winners Gift Box!

2022 Winners

ACT

Alistair is a Wiradjuri, nonbinary, queer, brotherboy. They currently work at A Gender Agenda as the engagement coordinator, and are passionate about supporting and advocating for LGBTQIA+ communities. They volunteer their time with local youth groups, and with DEiFY, a BIPOC LGBTQIA+ collective working on Ngunnawal land. They also work as a visual artist and speaker with lived experience.

Alistair Moses Angelo Ott

Jazmeen is a queer, second-generation migrant living on Ngunnawal-Ngambri land. She has extensive experience within the community sector and has held leadership positions within youth-led organisations. She has worked alongside young LGBTQIA+ people to implement events and social media campaigns, and advocated for the LGBTQIA+ community, informed policy, planning and practice development.

Jazmeen Payne

Shashwat is a Chancellor’s Scholar and at the Australian National University. His achievements include founding sexual health non-profit, advocating for LGBTQIA+ anti-vilification legal protections, pushing for the development of LGBTQIA+ educational literacy school curriculums and mental health programs, and assisting LGBTQIA+ Afghan refugees to obtain permanent Australian visas.

Shashwat Tripathi

NSW

Rose Quartz made her way to the national stage being titled Best and Fairest in the Miss First Nations 2019 pageant. She took part in the pre-show entertainment for the AFL Long walk In Melbourne and performed in rural NSW monthly with drag high teas, trivia and murder mystery evenings. She also created a safe space for Drag kings and queens by hosting Wagga Wagga’s first drag pageant.

Dwayne Sibraa / Rose Quartz

Emily specialises in commercial litigation as a solicitor at Herbert Smith Freehills, and co-leads the firm's LGBTQIA+ network in Sydney. She is passionate about harnessing the resources of corporate Australia to give back to the LGBTQIA+ community, and contributing to the growing diversity of the legal profession.

Emily Hall

Hank produced the groundbreaking 4-part documentary podcast called First Look: How Marriage Equality is Transforming the Wedding Industry. Hank's work in creating this podcast has made a significant contribution to the LGBTQIA+ community by documenting and sharing the stories from a period in our history filled with experiences of triumph and despair.

Hank Paul

Jasmine Fletcher is a non binary self employed graphic designer and community builder living in Mulubinba, Newcastle. In 2021, they founded Queer and Now a not-for-profit arts organisation that programs a range of events and initiatives. Jasmine is passionate about supporting queer arts, cultivating safer spaces and fostering social connections for sexual and gender diverse folk.

Jasmine Fletcher

Jennifer is a daughter of Cambodian refugees. She is passionate about supporting the LGBTQIA+ community in the therapeutic space. Jennifer’s master of clinical psychology research investigated how lesbian women at the intersections cope with experiences of heterosexism in an Australian context. She currently works in an academic setting.

Jennifer Puth

Joshua is extremely engaged in activism, working extensively on during Marriage Equality Campaign; speaking on national radio, television and writing opinion pieces about life growing up in a queer family. In 2018, they were recognised on the Express Advocates’ 100 Most Influential Central Coast Residents. In 2021, they joined Red Tree Theatre as Technical Manager, taking on the role of Artistic Director in early 2022.

Joshua Maxwell

Leslie is a public health researcher who uses epidemiology and qualitative methods to better understand the relationship between trauma, mental ill-health, and substance use among LGBTQIA+ young people. Leslie also advocates and lobbies for the health and rights of gender and sexuality-diverse communities through several working groups, associations, committees, and networks.

Leslie Peters

Tierney Marey’s professional work is dedicated to improving the higher education student experience, with a particular passion for supporting underrepresented cohorts. Tierney's PhD research examines the embodied experiences of equity practitioners in higher education. She uses creative, feminist, and queer methods and theories to disrupt normative approaches to knowledge creation and sharing.

Tierney Marey

Xavier James published his debut book 'Come Undone'; a raw and emotional memoir highlighting existing discrimination against LGBTQIA+ students in Australian religious schools and the lack of queer education in the curriculum. The pages openly trace sexuality uncertainty, parental divorce, mental health battles, marriage equality, religious freedom, sexual assault, and young love that was forbidden to shine in the modern context.

Xavier James

NT

Pi Lee is a professional teacher, counsellor, celebrant and performing artist based in Mparntwe (Alice Springs) in the red heart of Australia. She is a passionate advocate for intersectional social inclusion, she loves working in diverse spaces to support the voices of young people, and creating meaningful social change.

Pi Katharine Ellora Lee

QLD

Amy Sargeant is a Brisbane-based activist artist and musician. She is the National Convenor of the Queer Unionists in Tertiary Education caucus. Her artwork explores and expresses disillusionment with the dysfunctions of the political establishment in Australia, from a trans-feminine perspective.

Amy Sargeant

Grace is a proud young LGBTQIA+ woman who combines her lived experience with mental illness with her background in psychology to advocate for systematic and social change. Grace is a Youth Advocate with the Queensland Family and Child Commission (QFCC), a member of the Headspace Youth National Reference Group (hY NRG), as well as several government, university and community mental health research groups and committees.

Grace Sholl

Teresa Cochrane is a proud pansexual Dunghutti Gumbaynggirr women who is currently living and working on Bunjalung Country. She wants to incorporate First Nations science and ways of knowing in Western Science. Along with her work in environmental science and koala conservation, she is passionate about advocation for LGBTQIA+ community and ensuring spaces she is a part of are safe and an open space for personal expression.

Teresa Cochrane

SA

Alex/John is a passionate advocate for the decriminalisation of sex work in South Australia. As a Queer Gender-Diverse sex worker from Australia, their work and volunteer efforts revolve around sexual health education and advocacy.

Alex John Kelly

VIC

Catriona Nguyen-Robertson is a singing scientist. She is an immunology researcher at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity and teaches Science Communication at The University of Melbourne, where she is Secretary of the Pride in Action Network. She also presents shows at Scienceworks, and regularly engages with science mentoring and outreach programs to share science online, in pubs, and in schools across Victoria (+ beyond!).

Catriona Nguyen-Robertson

Emily Unity is a software engineer with over 14 years’ experience in the mental health sector. Emily grounds their work in their lived and living experiences of mental health, disability, LGBTQIA+, homelessness, and being a young carer from a refugee and migrant background. They were recently awarded the Mental Health Advocate of the Year, Disability Leadership Award and Protecting Children Award.

Emily Unity

Kale Ryan works in Space Planning, Marketing & Content creation with a passion for Artistic Swimming. They strive to improve diversity & inclusion for others within all aspects of their life.

Kale Ryan

mac (he/him) is a disabled, queer and trans student based on Bunurong/Boon Wurrung country. Outside of school he immerses himself in various youth organisations including YDAS, MYAN, Minus-18, Orygen and with his own lived experience advocates towards a more inclusive and accessible society in which disabled, queer, trans and gender diverse young people are able to be unapologetic selves.

Mac Zamani

Matt is a passionate PhD student investigating the genetic causes of brain malformations and epilepsy. Matt is a founding member of QueersInScience and he is committed to improving education, visibility, and access for LGBTQIA+ people in STEMM in Australia. Most importantly, Matt tries to be the person he wishes he’d known when he was 14.

Matthew Coleman

Melis Layik is a Turkish writer, creative and activist, passionate about women’s rights, queer identity and mental health advocacy. In pursuit of these passions, Melis has worked with the Centre for Multicultural Youth, Youth Affairs Council Victoria, International Women's Development Agency, Springvale Community Legal Centre, Butterfly Foundation and Queerspace.

Melis Layik

Michael is a Peer Mentoring Officer at RMIT University and also a graduating Early Childhood student at Victorian University. He has been advocating for international LGBTQIA+ students in various NGO and government events through stage performance, and was recognized as the finalist Victorian LGBTIQ Person of The Year in 2021.

Michael Tian

T founded WhyHive as a data science social enterprise in 2018. WhyHive pivoted in 2022 with the goal of democratising data analytics. T won the B&T Leading Tech Award in the Data Science Category, and the 7NEWS Young Achiever of the Year Award for Victoria. They’re also a published researcher, TEDx speaker and musician. They’ve worked to advocate for gender diversity and inclusion in both tech as well as the music industry.

T Guthrie

Thomas (‘Tom’) is a human rights law professional, and a first-class graduate from a LLM at The University of Melbourne, an Australian admitted Solicitor, Victorian and Chinese Government scholar, holds working proficiency in Mandarin Chinese, and currently works as the LGBT Mental Health and Wellbeing Policy Analyst at Thorne Harbour Health.

Thomas James Stanley Jessup

WA

Alex Kelly is a 25-year-old young professional based in Perth. Alex left school when he was 15 to pursue a full-time career, he is now the National Retail Communications Specialist for Ampol Australia. He is currently on two LGBTQIA+ committees inside and outside of his organisation. Alex's vision is to continue to promote and educate others on LGBTQIA+ inclusivity in the workplace.

Alex Kelly

Bart Dekker (He/Him) is an out and proud gay Electrical Engineer at Woodside Energy and is the Club Captain for the Perth Rams Touch Rugby club. Bart is committed to providing a safe and inclusive environment for LGBTQIA+ people to be their authentic selves in the resources industry and on the sports field.

Bart Dekker

Charlotte is a co founder of the youth pride network (ypn) and a passionate advocate for LGBTQIA+ young people. Her work with ypn grew the organisation and gave young people a seat at the table in discussions about LGBTQIA+ wellbeing. She has highlighted discrimination in youth homelessness services, helped shape WA’s new discrimination laws and have supported formalising representation of conversion practice survivors.

Charlotte Glance

Chloe Tala Rattray is a queer academic and inclusion & diversity specialist. She leads Amber, the global disability access and inclusion network at BHP. Chloe is passionate about representation, and recently achieved First Class Honours in her research on the representation of gender, disability, and intersectionality in Australian television media.

Chloe Tala Rattray