Sydney queer history and cultural centre Qtopia is one of the federal budget winners after the Albanese government agreed to allocate $1.5 million to it in the 2024-25 federal budget.
The centre opened its doors in February at the old Darlinghurst police station, where many gay activists were once held.
The additional funds from the federal government are in addition to the more than $8 million Qtopia received in grants in order to open, as well as the millions in donations it has received to date from various high-net-worth individuals.
“Qtopia Sydney is thrilled to have achieved financial support from all levels of government, demonstrating the importance of our community and its stories,” said Qtopia chief executive officer Greg Fisher.
“The funds will be used to activate the next series of stories as well as support the introduction of our education and community engagement programs”.
Some of those stories will be told during Qtopia’s inaugural Pride Fest this June, which will run for the entire month featuring theatre, cabaret, drag and more.
Artistic director Carly Fisher, who is Greg Fisher’s daughter, said it was an honour to have so many acts participating and to be able to contribute to the cultural life of pride month.
“Pride Fest will be a staple event in the Qtopia Sydney calendar, taking place each year during June, pride month, to celebrate the creative, diverse and rich LGBTQIA+ talent we have in Australia,” she said.
More recently, the cultural centre opened the new Underground space at the Taylor Square toilet block with a new exhibition sponsored by 357 sauna.
The toilets were a popular beat and the curator of Qtopia, George Savoulis, said the exhibition charts a snapshot of cruising in Sydney during the late 20th century.
“The exhibition draws on archival visual materials related to key meeting places – including beats, saunas, fetish competitions, performances and club nights – to pay tribute to some of the subcultural icons and creative communities that emerged in Sydney during this time,” he said.
It’s one of four space to be added to Qtopia, which now includes the Taylor Square Substation, the toilet block, a bandstand in Green Park, and the main hub in the old Darlinghurst police station.
Eliot Hastie is a senior news producer at Channel Ten, reporting on a range of general stories, specialising in foreign affairs and LGBTQ+ stories. He’s also a reporter for Gay Sydney News, where he covers LGBTQIA+ culture, politics and nightlife. He previously helped to build and launch ausbiz, Australia's only live streaming finance news channel, where he was also an executive producer and host. He has previously worked as a finance and business journalist for publications including Fintech Business, Real Estate Business and other Momentum Media titles. Eliot holds a journalism degree from the University of Westminster and brings experience in both broadcast and digital reporting. Contact Eliot: eliot.hastie@gaysydneynews.com.au
