Daniel Witthaus - Beyond Priscilla: One Gay Man, One Gay Truck, One Big Idea

Beyond Priscilla was as much a rollercoaster as the original drive. After hundreds and hundreds of cuppas I felt a responsibility to share countless yarns that were trusted to me so readily, warmly and with such candidness.

To the many and varied LGBTI organisations, media outlets, projects and community groups, thankyou; for all the supposed agendas and in-fighting, you did a remarkable job of showing me your best, believing in this project and supporting me to splutter around the country. Special mention to Doug Pollard and the Freshly Doug team at JOY94.9FM. Another special mention to Paul Hollingworth for his company for the first 8 weeks on the road, and then remote support from Melbourne thereafter.

To those who provided free cuppas, meals and shelter, I am forever indebted. I witnessed the best that country Australia had to offer and only completed my drive because of its generosity. I was sheltered for a staggering 235 of 266 nights on tour, thus saving me in the vicinity of $25-30,000 at the very least. Special thanks to Rohan Randall for post-tour sanctuary.

Motafrenz car club, Deb Holder and Jim Doultre with Matthew Richie kicked off donations through Uniting Care-Cutting Edge (UCCE) Shepparton for fuel, and the generosity thereafter did not wane. For their part, UCCE, especially Ro Allen, let me take my openly gay truck, Bruce, around the country and were never far away, especially Damien Stevens, to provide me with logistical support. Note to Bruce: although incredibly thirsty at times, you never let me down once.

Thanks to Kenton Penley Miller, Paul Bugeja and Fiona Sawyer who read very early drafts of my manuscript and provided assistance. Thanks to my publisher, Gordon Thompson, for giving me the idea to turn a heavy, stagnant 20 chapters into a lighter, nimble 266 days; for understanding the heart and soul of this rollicking rural rollercoaster and, with Ashley Sievwright and Helen Bells support, working through my tendency to overwrite and get in the way of the story. Special thanks to Luke Gahan for introducing me to Gordon.

A shout out to the young gay and lesbian Eastern Europeans on that cold, Warsaw afternoon who asked the question that started this crazy adventure. And then to Katherine Cooney, Rodney Croome and Mum for confirming that this drive must happen. Special thanks to Rodney for his pioneering project efforts with Outlink and for sharing so much of his experiences, hopes and regrets.

A long and strong bear hug to the men in my life who held on, or at least tried to, as I undertook the endeavours of this drive and this book: Shaun, Chris, Neil, Scott and Sander. Thanks for understanding that I cant sit still.

Finally, special thanks to my family of Mum, Mick and Helene, who never question my need to follow my dreams and adventures; special thanks to Mick for storing my stuff in his garage for a year. To my family, for enduring my long absences, and homophobia because of your youngest son/little brother, all my thanks for loving me more fiercely as a result.

2014 Daniel Witthaus

First published 2014

ISBN: 9781742983912 (ePub, Mobi)

Clouds of Magellan, Melbourne, Australia

www.cloudsofmagellan.net

All rights reserved.

A CiP record for this title is available from the National Library of Australia.

Digital edition distributed by

Port Campbell Press

www.portcampbellpress.com.au

Conversion by

Daniel Witthaus is the author of Beyond Thats So Gay! Challenging homophobia in Australian schools and the Pride & Prejudice educational package. He continues to visit country communities to challenge homophobia one cuppa at a time, occasionally chatting with media outlets. In 2013 Daniel founded the National Institute for Challenging Homophobia Education (NICHE), which focuses on the needs of regional, rural and remote Australia. He likes to use Melbourne as a base, with occasional sojourns in Berlin.

For the women of my extended family who taught me the beauty, art and importance of the humble cuppa, especially Mum, who perfected it DW

ABC Studios, Melbourne, VIC

So what are you drivin? A bus with a shoe on top? Like Priscilla?

Cue half-nervous laughter.

No, I reply, Im driving my openly gay truck called Bruce. Hes got an empty roof rack on top.

Im in at the studio of 774 ABC Melbourne for a live interview with Jon Faine. Jon is known (quoting his website) for his quick wit and willingness to ask the stickiest of questions. Ive been feeling nervous about my encounter with the firm but fair radio host Ive listened to for years. Perhaps I shouldnt be so awed. It becomes clear in the moments before the interview that Jon is less than prepared.

I have to admit that I have no idea why youre here. I guess youll be able to explain it yourself ?

I nod, perhaps a little too vigorously in an attempt to hide my disappointment and increasing anxiety, assuring him its no problem. I quietly take my seat in the brightly coloured studio next to another author.

Although Jon tries himself to appear at ease and a little too casual, I wonder in the seconds before we go to air if hes actively avoided researching his second guest this morning. It leaves me with the feeling that Im an inconvenient addition to his morning. And that Im about to be reduced in the listeners ears to the most familiar stereotype that mainstream Australia has for gays in the bush. Though I suspect its inevitable. Tell most Australian people of a certain age that you are going to drive non-stop around the country to challenge homophobia in regional, rural and remote areas (and by homophobia I mean fear and hatred of anything that is not 100% heterosexual), and youll cop some Priscilla reference.

Were joined now by a man who is about to set off to do an almost Priscilla, Queen of the Desert road trip I suspect Good morning Daniel Witthaus.

Good morning Jon and I think its more Leyland Brothers than Priscilla Queen of the Desert but we can go through the details later

Jon laughs. Are you going to walk into a crowded bar in an outback NSW pub dressed like Hugo Weaving was ?

I doubt that, I dont think my legs are as good as his, but Ill definitely be a little more low key about it

What is the character of your trip then?

My answer more Leyland Brothers I believe, is accurate. Rather than an abbreviated personal quest to the centre of Australia with shades of provocation, entertainment and titillation, mine will be an extended, simple journey to engage and educate.

You couldnt get more simple and straightforward than Mal and Mike Leyland, the famous brothers who, through the power of television, took millions of Australians each week to every nook and cranny of their great country. Along the way they would uncover parts of Australia most had only ever heard about, and certainly were not expecting to visit anytime soon. When encouraging younger folk to imagine Mal and Mike I typically say, think of your most embarrassing, daggy uncles.

*

The Beyond Thats So Gay Tour was a 266 day self-funded road trip that I took around Australia from February to November in 2010. And just as Mal and Mike in their journeyings answered the questions of everyday Australians about the land we inhabit, I too was looking for answers to everyday questions about life for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in regional, rural and remote Australia.

There are currently two camps as to how to get along as anything but straight in the bush: one says LGBT people need to entertain, provoke and cajole, almost forcing something approximating tolerance and acceptance; the other says LGBT people should hide, or assimilate, as well as we can, but at the expense of ourselves. I was planning to do neither. My secret challenging homophobia weapon on my journey wasnt a party frock or a closet. It was a regular, everyday cup of tea: a cuppa. My plan was to have a thousand conversations. I light-heartedly joked that I was going to challenge homophobia one cuppa at a time. It was a strategy aimed at disarming and engaging the most hardened of opponents. And it worked. When I set out, most people feared I would be run out of town with pitchforks, that I or my openly gay truck Bruce would be harmed, or that, at best, Id be met with deafening silence. But instead I had more cuppas than I ever dreamt possible in 38 weeks. In fact I never exhausted the invitations extended to me in towns big and small.