SJ Norman is a writer, artist, and curator who works across performance, installation, text, sculpture, video, and sound. He has won numerous art awards, including a Sidney Myer Creative Fellowship and an Australia Council Fellowship, and was the inaugural winner of the KYD Unpublished Manuscript Award.  SJ spoke to Yves Rees about his debut book, …

We are excited to announce the next print issue of Archer Magazine – the DISABILITIES issue.

“How do you have anything in common with younger people anyway?” I vividly remember a friend asking me this question with a tone of obvious disapproval.  Instantly, I felt ashamed. At 28 years old, I could see why they questioned it. According to society, you should aim to date someone one to three years either …

  Never anything other than summer   I didn’t get into trouble much at school. In truth, I can recall only a few occasions when my actions were brought into question. Maybe there were more. Maybe they just don’t burn as hot as the time I planted my nine-year-old lips on another boy’s nine-year-old cheek. …

Archer Magazine Issue #16 will curate stories, images and art about sex, gender and identity by people with disabilities and/or chronic illnesses.

I guessed I was busted for the sex stuff, and I knew I was in very deep shit.

Joanne Leah is a German-born artist based in Brooklyn NYC. Her photographic works combine sexually charged images of colourful surrealism rife with Jungian symbology. She draws inspiration from her childhood memories and how they have affected her adulthood to depict humankind’s repetitious relationship with our bodies, and our continual want to escape. For Archer Magazine …

Content warning: This article discusses transmisogyny and eating disorders.    “If you can see it, you can be it.” It’s a beautiful phrase, expressing how strong role models can be vital for the confidence and self-esteem of people from diverse backgrounds. We all love seeing people who look like us being strong and successful in …

In early June, I was preparing myself for the rainbow marketing and pink washing that comes with the celebration of Pride Month each year.  During this month, brands and organisations often come up with new logos and various types of rainbow branding. They host talks, plan shows, and make a sudden effort to ensure conversations …

The first time I met someone – other than a relative – that I knew was also intersex, it was over twenty years ago. We met quietly at a crusty pub near Roma Street station in Brisbane. We spent the afternoon sharing our experiences; revealing to one another our chromosomal patterns, family histories and hormone replacement regimes. …

The following is an excerpt from Girl, Transcending: Becoming the woman I was born to be by AJ Clementine. When people ask how I came out to my parents, I tell them I didn’t have to. It was always known that I was a girl – it’s just that none of us knew how to put …

Sheilas documents the ultimate girl gang, exploring the culture and community within numerous all-female motorcycle clubs in Victoria, Australia. The series follows these clubs as they meet at festivals, take rides together, and gather for catchups and other general shenanigans. Taken over the course of several months, Sheilas candidly captures the reality of being a …

This article contains spoilers for The L Word Generation Q. It is recommended that you watch the show before reading. Welcome to my weekly review of Season 2 of The L Word Generation Q. Each week, I’ll go over the characters’ narrative arcs and pick out sections that suit my agenda. I’m not sorry to say that these …

It’s term four of year seven. Just a few weeks before summer holidays.  Our lunches sit in our up-turned summer hats like pretentious fruit bowls. Our uniform hems grazes our knees, as we sit with perfectly crossed legs.  My friend Victoria, who I’d known basically my whole life, slams down her tuck shop focaccia. She pauses …

This article contains spoilers for The L Word Generation Q. It is recommended that you watch the show before reading. Welcome to my weekly review of Season 2 of The L Word Generation Q. Each week, I’ll go over the characters’ narrative arcs and pick out sections that suit my agenda. I’m not sorry to say that these …

I was deep into Melbourne’s second lockdown, writing an article on COVID’s impact on queer nightlife, when my editor showed me queeringthemap. The interactive tool allows users to geographically map queer memories and landmarks, recording “the cartography of queer life”. Sifting through notes pinned against Melbourne’s most recognisable fixtures was beautiful and haunting; a showcase …

This article contains spoilers for The L Word Generation Q. It is recommended that you watch the show before reading. Welcome to my weekly review of Season 2 of The L Word Generation Q. Each week, I’ll go over the characters’ narrative arcs and pick out sections that suit my agenda. I’m not sorry to say that these …

It’s Bisexual Visibility Day! Also known as Celebrate Bisexuality Day, today is a day to celebrate and acknowledge the wonderful bisexual+ folks in our LGBTQIA+ community. Image: adrirodrigar   It’s a day where we can celebrate our bi+ pals, consider how we can smash biphobia and enthusiastically wave that (aesthetically pleasing) bisexual flag. It’s also a …

Content warning: This article discusses substance abuse   This article contains spoilers for The L Word Generation Q. It is recommended that you watch the show before reading. Welcome to my weekly review of Season 2 of The L Word Generation Q. Each week, I’ll go over the characters’ narrative arcs and pick out sections that suit my …

Content warning: This article discusses conversion practices.   What you can’t pray away   I   Sometimes I dream of someone coming up to me in the street; someone I vaguely recognise from the past. They point at me and say, “You.” In that weird way dreams have of collapsing whole timelines and unrelated ideas …

Outside my window the sky is heavy and grey, much like the collective mood in Melbourne with each lockdown update. When Tilly Lawless answers the phone, her voice is bright and clear. Her laughter drowns out the rain and I feel the Sydney sunshine pulsing through the phone. This is one her gifts: to bring …

This article contains spoilers for The L Word Generation Q. It is recommended that you watch the show before reading. Welcome to my weekly review of Season 2 of The L Word Generation Q. Each week, I’ll go over the characters’ narrative arcs and pick out sections that suit my agenda. I’m not sorry to say that these …