Queerness and the Closet

Words by Helena (she/her), 20 QLD Being closeted is an almost universal queer experience. At about the age of ten, I remember thinking to myself that by the time I was older things would be better; people would be more accepting. Until I arrived at this imagined future I had conceived out of hope and…

Read More...
Online parenting groups

Online parenting groups – do they help or hinder a new parent’s journey?

Words by Samantha (she/her), 28 ACT Working in Early Childhood Education, I thought I had a solid understanding of child development and what to expect when it came to caring for young children. I felt prepared, and almost cocky, when I discovered I was pregnant with my first child in 2020. I have never been…

Read More...
Dissent to Dialogue

Dissent to dialogue – reclaiming the Voice

Words by Flynn (he/him), 19 QLD  We have a date! The referendum on a First Nations Voice to Parliament has been locked in for October 14. With that date not being far away at all, you’d think it’d be safe to assume that voters know what they’d be voting on, and why it matters. However,…

Read More...
Ditch the witch

Ditch the witch: burning sexist stereotypes of childfree women at the stake

Words by Charlee (she/her), 21 NSW Pope Francis, the oft-touted ‘progressive’ face of the Catholic Church, recently branded the decision to remain childfree as “selfish.” Which is ironic, considering that the Pope himself is child-free. The Pope’s accusation of selfishness reveals a glaring double standard: why are men rarely subjected to the same criticism as…

Read More...
Pleasure and Shame

Pleasure and Shame

Words by Helena (she/her), 20 QLD As a young girl, the shame surrounding pleasure and masturbation was palpable. Masturbation was completely relegated to the realm of the unspeakable within my all-girls high school, a phenomenon which endured until we were well into our later teen years. It wasn’t until we were about eighteen that a…

Read More...
Politically speaking I consider myself a moderate

Nothing changes if nothing changes

Words by Brodie (he/him), 16 QLD  In the context of a history of misguided mismanagement and pig ignorance on the part of Australia’s politicians towards the issues faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, the Voice provides a once in a generation chance to take a step in the right direction and sets the…

Read More...
Harmonising Voices

Harmonising Voices

Words by Louie (he/him), 16 QLD  The prospect of the Voice referendum sinking into the quagmire of partisan politics would undoubtedly be a tragic turn that every Australian should earnestly strive to prevent. The heart of the Yes argument, while not always eloquently put forth, boils down to a pivotal historic juncture – an opportunity…

Read More...
Woman and voice

Women and Voice

Words by Helena (she/her), 20 QLD   Every woman has known the torment of getting up to speak. Her heart racing, at times entirely lost for words, ground and language slipping away. That’s how daring a feat, how great a transgression it is for a woman to speak in public. As explored by writer and…

Read More...

Barbie and Misandry

Words by Helena (she/her), 20 QLD  In Barbie, storied director Greta Gerwig creates a thematically complex yet endlessly amusing cinematic critique. Each new watch reveals a host of carefully considered and well-placed insights into the human condition, nested within an aesthetic feast unlike any other. The dazzling film has seized the public sphere with both…

Read More...
Two hands clasped together - one green, one pink on a navy background.

Lesbians and the Patriarchy

Words by Helena (she/her), 20 QLD  It was about five years from when I first admitted my attraction to women, that I finally accepted I would never feel the same toward men. I’ve heard the same story time and time again. It transcends the confines of individual experience. It’s something universal, something that weaves us…

Read More...

Sign up to WhyNot

First name(Required)
I'm interested in becoming a WhyNot contributor