Congratulations must be extended to the organisers of this year’s Sydney Writers Festival. While a perusal of the 2023 program reveals the usual assortment of lefty progressives peddling a pastiche of post-colonial theory, queer theory, critical race theory, identity politics and climate change, this time around the organisers have managed to conjure up a speaker so woke that he makes the rest of the line up look like MAGA attendees at a Trump rally.

I introduce to you Joshua Whitehead, lecturer in the Faculties of English and International Indigenous Studies at the University of Calgary. Joshua, whose pronouns are ‘(he/him)’ describes himself as a ‘Two-Spirit, Oji-nêhiyaw member of Peguis First Nation (Treaty 1).’

Among other tomes, Joshua has authored full-metal indigiqueer, a ‘cyberpunk dystopian vision of modern queer Indigenous life’ and Making Love with the Land which purportedly explores the ‘intersections of Indigeneity, queerness, and, most prominently, mental health through a nêhiyaw lens.’ In a session called ‘Queerstories’ one of Joshua’s spirits, presumably the Queer one, will share stories about himself, which stories promise to be vulnerable, fierce, heartbreaking and hilarious.

For those who can’t make it to the Sydney Writer’s Festival for this roller coaster of emotion, fear not. There is still ample opportunity to visit the National Gallery of Victoria’s Queer, which runs until the end of August.  On display are 400 artworks which explore ‘queerness as an expression of sexuality and gender, a political movement, a sensibility, and as an attitude that defies fixed definition.’

Both the Sydney Writer’s Festival, as well as the NGV receive government funding. It’s time for the taxpayers to stop funding this ideologically driven propaganda masquerading as culture.