As a member of Tasmania's LGBTQIA+ community, Dexter Rosengrave is no stranger to loss. They know the real impact of the 2020 closure of Flamingos nightclub in Hobart all too well.
For Mx Rosengrave, who prefers a gender-neutral pronoun, the closure of Tasmania's only permanent LGBTQIA+ venue in 2020 meant they lost a venue where they could safely engage with their community.
They said the hurt caused by the closure of Flamingos, a mainstay in Hobart's queer community for 17 years, was felt during a time when isolation was widespread.
"Queer spaces were closing their doors in the wake of COVID, some for a number of months, others more permanently. Flamingos was one of those," Mx Rosengrave said.
The event organiser, DJ, visual artist, and producer is now working with other members of Hobart's LGBTQIA+ community to create temporary safe spaces in the wake of the closure.
The co-owner of Flamingos, Gary Quilliam, said he still hoped to find a new home for the nightclub but it had been a difficult search.
"We're still getting asked every week by locals and visitors to Hobart wondering when we are going to reopen," he said.
Mr Quilliam said Flamingos was more than just a nightclub for Tasmania's LGBTQIA+ community, and for those visiting Tasmania who wanted to go somewhere safe.
"Flamingos gave the community a lot of support. I noticed more people coming out after it opened nearly 20 years ago. It gave gay Tasmanians visibility," he said.
A history of harm
Like many venues, Flamingos fell victim to the coronavirus pandemic and closed its doors in the wake of the dancing ban and capacity restrictions.
Mx Rosengrave remembers Flamingos fondly for the home away from home that it provided.
"I remember going when I first moved to Tasmania. It was great for me to have a dedicated queer space to hang out, meet new people, and build communities — to feel safe enough to express myself," they said.
It is a sentiment shared by Charlie Burton, committee member for Equality Tasmania, who said the loss of Flamingos was detrimental to the community.
"Queer spaces and safe spaces for LGBTQIA+ individuals are really important," Mr Burton said.
It is difficult to believe now, but in 1997 Tasmania was the last state in Australia to decriminalise homosexuality — specifically the law that banned consensual sex between adult men in private.
Next month marks the 25th anniversary of that law being repealed.
But in 2022, members of Tasmania's LGBTQIA+ community are not surprised that there is still no permanent venue, and safe space, exclusively for them.
"There is still a lot of discrimination in the community. Everyone seems to think that we've reached equality in Tasmania but, in the real world, we haven't," Mr Quilliam said.
Community finds a way
In the wake of Hobart losing Flamingos, Tasmania's LGBTQIA+ community refused to let the closure take away their opportunities for self-expression and advocacy.
A series of pop-up events have filled Hobart's event calendars over the past two years, and continue to gain popularity.
LIMBO, a not-for-profit queer party event founded in Hobart in the wake of Australia's vote on same-sex marriage, continues today.
Another Hobart pop-up event is NASTY PARTY, which describes itself as a "queer party collective … centring the joy of the hard queer, trans, bla(c)k, and POC [people of colour] community".
Judy's is another regular Hobart queer dance party that has emerged, hosted by locally renowned drag queen Pussay Poppins and DJ Mama De Leche.
Dexter Rosengrave said they were not surprised at all by the community's response to having no permanent venue, like Flamingos, available to them.
Mx Rosengrave added that the community's resilience was thanks to a long line of "older queer folk in Tasmania who have fought hard to get us where we are today".
That resilience has been reflected through the community's positive response to the range of Tasmanian pop-up events on offer.
"The community are having a lot of fun. It's really great to see that and the creativity on display right now," they said.
While Tasmania's LGBTQIA+ individuals are enjoying the rise in pop-up club spaces, the impact that a lack of permanent venues in Tasmania has on the community should not be underestimated, Charlie Burton said.
"The fact that there are so many pop-up events in Hobart really speaks to a need," he said.
"When there is a failure to fill that need, of course the queer community steps up and makes it happen."
A space to call their own
The resilience of Tasmania's LGBTQIA+ community is apparent in the wake of Flamingo's closure, and how they have responded.
Alongside this, Mr Burton added that Tasmania's progress, when it comes to LGBTQIA+ rights, should not be ignored.
"Tasmania has come a really long way in proving rights and justice for LGBTQIA+ people. We passed the nation-leading gender recognition laws only a couple of years ago," he said.
"We went from the bottom of the pile when it comes to inclusion to being, in some ways, the leader."
Despite this, earlier this year Tasmanian senator Claire Chandler spoke out against transgender women participating in women's sport.
She introduced a private member's bill to change the Sex Discrimination Act to allow sporting groups and clubs to exclude transgender women from single-sex sports.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison was quick to support Senator Chandler's bill, describing it as "terrific".
The proposed bill was met with swift criticism by Tasmania's transgender and equality advocates, and members of Labor, the Greens, and independents.
It was a political move that Mr Burton said reflected the need for Tasmania's LGBTQIA+ community to have permanent safe spaces.
"Queer spaces provide somewhere for communities to safely organise and mobilise when we're attacked."
Mx Rosengrave said they hoped for a future in Tasmania where LGBTQIA+ individuals would have, not just temporary spaces to feel safe in, but a range of permanent spaces as well.
"I personally believe we should have both. It comes down to risk and safety," they said.
"An inclusive space is great, all spaces should be that way, but a dedicated queer space basically allows us to let go of hyper-vigilance and fears of being observed or experiencing hostility and/or violence."
For an LGBTQIA+ individual living in Tasmania, safety fears are still very much a reality.
"We really need to see the government step up. That will have an impact on the broader community and shift their thinking too," Mx Rosengrave said.
Regardless of what happens next, Mx Rosengrave said Tasmania's LGBTQIA+ community had already proven to be resilient and positive.
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