Dr David Hardy is a storyteller from Queensland, with a love for singing and performing in Brisbane’s Lesbian and Gay Pride Choir. In 2014, he was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy in Indigenous Knowledges at Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education. His practice-led research was titled ‘Coming Out: Wagga to Warsaw to Wiradjuri – Journeys of Indigenous Identity and Queer Identity’, for which he received the Higher Degrees Award by the Northern Territory Department of Education in 2015.
Beyond exploring the diversity of expressions of his Indigenous and queer identity, David’s writing also draws on his career as a diplomat in Poland, Indonesia, The Philippines and Samoa. He is currently working on a drama for television, VC, based on the life of a young consular officer.
From the introduction to BOLD
In a Catholic school in Townsville, I whispered ABBA and other boys shouted Suzi Quatro. In 1978, in my first year at uni I discovered the gay newspaper, Campaign. The copies were well worn; proof of others like me. But I felt adrift, and there I stayed until my father’s death when I told a therapist, ‘I’m gay’. It was a bold step, crossing a line I feared. But I haven’t looked back. I’m proud to call myself gay and proud of my Aboriginal heritage. Identity grabs you like that, sometimes, with its hands on each bum cheek.
Beyond exploring the diversity of expressions of his Indigenous and queer identity, David’s writing also draws on his career as a diplomat in Poland, Indonesia, The Philippines and Samoa. He is currently working on a drama for television, VC, based on the life of a young consular officer.
From the introduction to BOLD
In a Catholic school in Townsville, I whispered ABBA and other boys shouted Suzi Quatro. In 1978, in my first year at uni I discovered the gay newspaper, Campaign. The copies were well worn; proof of others like me. But I felt adrift, and there I stayed until my father’s death when I told a therapist, ‘I’m gay’. It was a bold step, crossing a line I feared. But I haven’t looked back. I’m proud to call myself gay and proud of my Aboriginal heritage. Identity grabs you like that, sometimes, with its hands on each bum cheek.
