The Big Bang Theory tells us that after the start of the universe, there was an amorphous cloud of atoms and particles. The catalyst for the coalescing of the gases and dust were very small differences in that early cosmic soup. If it wasn’t for these differences and mutations, the universe would never have formed. I …

“Bet she’s a lesbian.” It’s not particularly hushed, this comment made in the year 12 common  room. Yet it’s not uncommon. Growing up in country Victoria, with short hair and no particular interest in giving blowjobs to the boys I’d known since age eight, I wasn’t the height of popularity in my class. No-one questioned …

Yesterday, the Courier-Mail put the gruesome murder of Indonesian transwoman Mayang Prasetyo, killed by her partner Marcus Volker, on its front page. The article is breathtaking in its prurience and voyeurism. Even though Prasetyo was murdered and dismembered, The Courier-Mail deemed it appropriate to include a succession of photos of a seductively-posed Prasetyo in a …

LIKE THOSE IT marches for, SlutWalk is a diverse movement. You don’t have to fit any particular mould to join — not least because ‘slut’ is used against women so loosely the word has lost much of its meaning (though not all of its bite). It’s up to the individual whether they want to reclaim …

Airing on the ABC last month, Carlotta takes us on the journey of Carol Lee, an Australian icon.

OU WOULDN’T BE ALONE in feeling frustrated, isolated, devalued and depressed if you were suddenly labelled “asexual” at your next birthday. Millions of older Australians feel the same way when they’re suddenly assumed to be asexual at their 65th birthday. But research shows that older people are sexual and that sexual expression is important for …

Guest blogger Teddy Cook was invited by Archer to blog on the media’s use of language. THE TRANS* EXPERIENCE is as diverse as the population it represents. Remember this: we aren’t all ‘trapped in the wrong body’, we aren’t all desperate for diagnosis and surgery and hormones. We aren’t all connected to your ideal of …

For someone who is set apart from the majority by an obvious point of difference, the incessant questioning from the public can become exhausting. Example: I’m a woman in a relationship with a woman. I’m also gluten-intolerant. Each of these traits sets me apart from the majority and I often have to remind myself, during …

My reaction to the leadership spill this week blind-sided me. As a woman in a lesbian partnership, I should be feeling optimistic now that Kevin Rudd is back in power. After all, since his last term as PM, Kevin has come out in support of marriage equality. He’s the first PM to publicly support gay …

Yesterday, a bill before Australian parliament decreed that LGBT and intersex individuals are now covered under federal anti-discrimination laws. Australia has become the first country to include intersex people under their anti-discrimination act. This is big stuff. And essentially, it’s about recognition. There are over 30 intersex conditions currently recognised by medical practitioners. As for …

Archer Magazine is all about sexual diversity, so this is big news for us and our readers. From July 1, Australians can select Intersex, in addition to Male and Female, on all government documents and department records. While an option for gender X has been allowed on Australian passports for several years, the new guidelines …