INTERVIEW | Kat from Heaps Gay

In anticipation of their two-day party kicking off TONIGHT, I chatted with Kat, the creator of Heaps Gay. The inclusive queer organisation has been throwing raucous parties around Sydney for the past three years but, thanks to their recently-announced travelling gap year, they’ll be paying visits to Newcastle among a host of other regional cities. Those who turn up to The Gateway Hotel from 4pm can expect “80s, 90s, drag and disco performances and more!!!” which, as Kat tells me, are all underpinned by love, inclusivity and the desire to spread equality.

Q: It must be super exciting to be hosting events outside of Sydney. Which other places are on your itinerary?

I’m excited about taking that vibe out to places where [they] may not necessarily have it. Newcastle’s a safe bet because I think there’s a really good community already in Newcastle, people doing some really cool stuff so I guess we’re just adding to that. The next stop will be the Central Coast, then Canberra then we’ll be looking at taking it a little bit more rural. We’re doing twelve pubs in twelve months.

Q: Which performance are you most looking forward to?

So, The Magda Szubanskis are a four-piece cover band and they play songs like anything from Shania Twain to Madonna to any kind of sing-a-long, trashy hit that you can image. It’s kind of like a comedy act but so entertaining and fun and the crowd really get into it.

Q: How important do you think events like this are for the LGBTIQ+ community?

I think they’re really Important. I think that everybody has different experiences in coming out with different types of support networks around them… and I think that the safe spaces or the inclusive spaces of queer parties allow people to be themselves without any judgement and meet like-minded people where they may not necessarily do so outside of the event. So I think that’s really important. I think that, even more so after things like Pulse shooting in Orlando, it’s so important to be creating these spaces for people

Q: Do you expect the vibe to be different between cities?

Definitely. I feel that the community brings the vibe. The last party that we had in Sydney we had 900 people in a carpark. People dress up, it depends on the different acts that are there. So the vibe in Sydney’s always the same: it just feels like a real house party, super fun, you never know what you’re gonna get and that’s what’s so good about it. Going to new cities is gonna be interesting because we don’t necessarily know anyone that’s gonna be coming, it’ll be so much dependent on how much fun that want to have.

Q: What would you say is Heaps Gay’s main message?

It’s all about being inclusive and spreading love so, kind of closing that gap between the heterosexual community and the LGBTI community. Creating safe spaces, spreading equality and fighting for equality.

Q: Do you see regular Heaps Gay events coming to Newcastle like in Sydney?

Yeah, definitely. If the crowd’s into it. The TINA (This Is Not Art) guys are so amazing and I think what they’re doing in Newcastle is really special for the community so if it doesn’t happen to become a regular thing, I’d love to come back next year and be a part of TINA.

Q: Can you tell me a bit about how Heaps Gay started? What inspired you to create it?

For sure. Heaps Gay started after I got back from London which is very different from what it was in Sydney. The events that were happening, it was really a mixture of guys and girls of different ages and infused lots of different types of art, not just music. And I really loved that scene so when I got back to Sydney I was really excited about going out and there wasn’t really anything like it and I didn’t really feel comfortable at the traditional queer events that were happening in Sydney - you either have Oxford St clubbing or a couple of lesbian nights that I didn’t really align with- and also I didn’t find them inclusive at all. So we said, ‘let’s see how we go and start a party’ and actually got a grant from this really great organisation called LINC ( Lesbians Incorporated)... to do something for the community. And I sat around the barbeque with some friends and brainstormed some really silly names and the first silly name that came out was Heaps Gay and it sort of stuck.

Q: Do you think this inclusivity is why it’s been successful?

I think the fact that it was guys and girls on the first ever night and a mixture of queers and the heterosexual community, it sort of set the scene. And from that we’ve seen a lot of new parties and a lot of different organisations popping up in Sydney. And it’s so good for young, queer people growing up.

Q: Anything you’d like to add?

Heaps Gay prides itself on giving a platform for any young person who wants to… showcase their work. If there’s any writers, we have a website called Heapsgay.com. People get paid to write their opinions, their stories, whatever they want to do. So if there’s anyone who wants to be part of the Heaps Gay community, we’d love to hear from you.

{image credit: Heaps Gay}