Dr Yves Rees is a queer and trans person who is active in Melbourne LGBTQIA+ communities. As the author of trans memoir All About Yves (Allen & Unwin, 2021) and co-editor of anthology Nothing to Hide: Voices of Trans and Gender Diverse Australia (Allen & Unwin, 2022), Yves has become a prominent trans advocate who has appeared at the Sydney Opera House, Sydney Writers Festival and on Channel 10’s The Project.
Yves featured in the award-winning ABC TV documentary Queerstralia, has consulted on LGBTQIA+ issues for the Victorian state government, has volunteered with Transgender Victoria, and was a finalist for Artist of the Year at the 2021 Globe Awards.
We have awarded a Small Grant to Yves to support their documentary podcast about the Broken Heel Festival.
A Broken Hill drag festival inspired by hit film Priscilla Queen of the Desert (1994), Broken Heel is going big in 2024 to celebrate the film’s thirtieth anniversary. With collaborator Sam Elkin (an experienced podcast maker), Yves will attend the festival on 5-9 September and record audio onsite, including interviews with drag artists, visitors and locals.
They will later edit this audio into a 30min documentary podcast that will also feature discussion of the history and present of drag in Australia. ABC RN’s History Listen have expressed interest in broadcasting this podcast in late 2024. This podcast forms part of a larger project on the history of drag in Australia. As a professional historian and experienced podcaster, Yves will lead and host this podcast project.
