Mon Schafter

Dec 2, 2024 | abc.net.au | Mon Schafter

*Content warning: this story discusses experiences of LGBTQ sexual harassment and discriminationWhen *Chloe first moved to Australia six years ago, she was excited about starting a new life. The 25-year-old marketer had kept her sexuality mostly private, but was feeling great about starting a new job in a new country away from the expectations of family. "I can be out, I can be my authentic self," she says.

Nov 6, 2024 | abc.net.au | Mon Schafter

In the late 1980s, Australia's first sex-positive lesbian zine was born. Wicked Women ran from 1988 to 1996, capturing the sexual expression of a diverse community not represented in mainstream media. Now, groundbreaking photos from Wicked Women will be recreated for next year's Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras to bring queer history to life.

Jul 3, 2024 | abc.net.au | Mon Schafter

Marlo W didn't know what a transgender or gender diverse person was until he went to uni. "I had a couple of gay friends in high school, but I just didn't even know what trans was. I was completely oblivious to it," says the Naarm-based photographer. "Being at uni, I met other trans people."That lack of visible role models meant it took some time for Marlo to explore his own trans identity.

Mar 30, 2024 | abc.net.au | Mon Schafter |Peter Gunders |Danielle O'Neal

Dom Tulleken was in a health crisis when he decided to start his now flourishing business.  "I ended up getting paralysed from having three mini strokes in one day, which left me paralysed from the shoulders down and unable to talk," he says. "They really didn't think that I would end up ever being able to walk again or talk again." Dom has been a lifelong dancer, so once he'd regained movement of his hands through physical therapies, he taught himself to dance in a wheelchair.

Mar 28, 2024 | abc.net.au | Mon Schafter |Peter Gunders |Jacob Round

Mon Schafter, ABC ReporterImagine being in your 20s and running a successful dance school, when all of a sudden you get really sick and end up paralysed with no idea what the future holds. And what if that future turns out to be bigger and brighter than anything you'd ever dreamed of? That's what happened to Dom Tullican from Toowoomba in southern Queensland, who you're about to meet in this epic story about embracing change. I'm Mon Shafter and you're listening to the Make Me Feel Good podcast.