AACTA Awards, Bad Bunny Super Bowl, Chappell Roan Laneway, Robyn Tour | Rainbow Briefing — Daily LGBTQIA+ News Podcast Australia

Hi, I’m Louise Poole, and this is the Rainbow Briefing for Tuesday the 10th of February. Your daily LGBTQIA+ news catchup. Recorded and produced on Yugambeh and Yuggera land.

In todays briefing — queer stories shine at Australia’s top screen awards, Bad Bunny turns the Super Bowl into an act of queer resistance, and Chappell Roan shuts down a shoey for something better.

It was a big night for queer storytelling at Australia’s top screen awards. The AACTA Awards were held on the Gold Coast over the weekend — and The Newsreader won Best Drama Series. The ABC series is set in a 1980s newsroom and follows a closeted reporter navigating his sexuality at a time when homosexuality was still criminalised in parts of Australia. It’s been called one of modern television’s most nuanced portrayals of queerness — not the sanitised version, but the shame, the fear, the toll of hiding who you are. The show aired its third and final season last year, and the industry sent it off with four awards — including Best Lead Actress for Anna Torv and Best Supporting Actor for Daniel Henshall. Also recognised — animated feature Lesbian Space Princess won Best Indie Film and Best Original Song. And WA-filmed queer series Invisible Boys earned a Best Miniseries nomination.

To the biggest stage in America now. Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show on Monday Australian time was the most-watched ever — more than 135 million viewers. And it was entirely in Spanish. A first for the Super Bowl. But here’s why it matters for our community. Bad Bunny — who received a GLAAD Vanguard Award in 2023 for his LGBTQIA+ advocacy — filled that stage with queer icons. Ricky Martin — openly gay — joined him on stage. Lady Gaga — who is bisexual — performed a salsa version of Die With a Smile. And before the game, lesbian singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile sang America the Beautiful. He performed Yo Perreo Sola — the track he released with a drag music video paying tribute to murdered trans woman Alexa Negrón Luciano. Conservatives had already dubbed it the “Woke Bowl.” Bad Bunny responded with art. He closed by naming every country in Latin America. The message on screen: “The only thing more powerful than hate is love.” This happened while LGBTQIA+ protections are being actively stripped in the United States. On the biggest platform in America — queer icons, front and centre. That’s resistance.

From resistance to pure joy. Chappell Roan kicked off her first Australian shows in three years at Laneway Festival on the Gold Coast last Friday. The crowd started chanting for a shoey — that great Australian tradition of drinking beer from a shoe. Roan wasn’t having it. She told the crowd — no, no, no, no. I want to talk about being gay. The response was even louder than the shoey chant. Roan — who is a lesbian — won Best New Artist at last year’s Grammys. Her track Good Luck, Babe! topped triple j’s Hottest 100 with the most votes ever cast. Hundreds of fans turned up dressed in her signature style — bright colours, bold makeup. It was basically an unofficial dress code. She’s got Melbourne, Adelaide, and Perth dates still to come this week.

Staying with music — and some exciting news for fans of Swedish pop icon Robyn. She’s announced her first Australian shows in 14 years. The Sexistential Tour hits Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena on November 21st and Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena on November 24th. They’re her biggest ever Australian headline shows, supporting her ninth studio album — also called Sexistential — out next month. Robyn says the album came from a realisation. In her words — the purpose of her life is to stay horny. She’s widely loved by LGBTQIA+ audiences — her track Dancing On My Own is a queer community anthem. And the international tour supports include openly queer artists Romy, Peaches, and Lykke Li. Robyn has also committed to donating a portion of every ticket sold to organisations working in LGBTQIA+ rights. Tickets go on sale tomorrow.

And finally — if you’re an LGBTQIA+ parent, carer, or guardian, don’t miss this. Rainbow Families Australia and Queensland University of Technology are running the first national survey of LGBTQIA+ families in the country — and it’s open now. The 2021 Census recorded more than 78,000 same-sex couples, with around 17 percent raising children. But single parents, blended families, and multigenerational rainbow families were largely invisible in those numbers. This survey asks about health needs, children’s experiences in education, and family wellbeing. Any family structure is welcome. Results will be used to push for better policy, stronger services, and proper recognition. Jump onto rainbowfamilies.com.au and make sure you’re counted.

That’s the Rainbow Briefing for Tuesday the 10th of February. I’m Louise Poole and this is independent queer community media. Your support is crucial to its success. Share the bulletin, tell your community, leave us a review, and find us on socials. And if you’ve got community news to share, submit a story at rainbowbriefing.com.au.