Living as a young queer person in a regional town is sometimes a difficult experience, but these youth are creating change.
Bianca Lubke just graduated from high school and she is already achieving big things.
She created a group for queer youth aged 13 to 18 called Alphabet Soup which meets every week after school at a cafe in Wagga Wagga in southern New South Wales.
There they connect and participate in fun activities.
"I started wearing this little pride pin and being more open about the person I was, so that meant some kids came and started talking to me, started hanging out," she said.
"They wanted to talk to someone who understood them and respected them, and especially in an environment where that wasn't very common, unfortunately.
The Riverina in south-west NSW is one of the most religious regions in the country.
Data from the 2016 ABS Census shows that nearly 78 per cent of respondents in the Riverina identified as Christian.
Bianca has become somewhat of a lifeline for vulnerable queer youth in the community.
Jae, who did not want their last name used, identifies as transgender, meaning they do not identify with the gender assigned to them at birth.
Jae also identifies as pansexual — which means they are attracted to all genders.
"Even with new services, such as a new youth group, there's still not a lot of support services for young queer youth in Wagga," Jae said.
It has been a tough few weeks for the transgender community with the debate surrounding the now-shelved religious freedom bill.
Moderate Liberal MPs and other members of Parliament were concerned about the lack of protections for gender diverse school students.
"I completely agree with the premise that people shouldn't be discriminated against based on religion," Jae said.
Olivia, who also did not want her last name used, identifies as questioning between aroace or somewhere on the aromantic-asexual spectrum, so she does not feel any attraction.
She said although she was not a part of the standard school system, "knowing people who will be directly affected is terrible".
Olivia, Jae, and Bianca encouraged people to be open to learning about the queer community.
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