Phoebe Thompson (They/Them) is a queer, nonbinary curator, artist, and poet living on unceded Boon Wurrung land. Their multi-disciplinary practice is concerned with sustainability, personal identity, and the built and existing environment, whilst placing value on process, sentimentality, and connection.

Follow Phoebe:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pho_tho_/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phoebe-thompson-256a63208/

Anthony Mario Mathew (He/Him) is a 26 year old artist who resides in the town of Stawell in Victoria. He works as a Primary School Teacher and is passionate about bringing positive change to his surroundings by being actively involved in the fields of music, drama, visual arts and fashion. Mario aspires to bloom and make the world a better place through his voice.

In this second episode of the Voices of Us series, we will be speaking with Phoebe, a Melbourne-born queer artist and Mario a queer international student from India. Phoebe and Mario met each other in an art initiative - Across the Bridge.

In this episode, you will learn more about what genders and pronouns mean to two different individuals from different backgrounds. Both Phoebe and Mario talked about how they went about discovering their respective sexual identity and pronouns. The challenges they both faced growing up in an environment where queer topics are taboo and in a society that has lots of stereotypes and tends to put people in boxes.

Proudly supported by City of Melbourne Libraries, Voices of Us is a series of podcasts that focuses on the voices of queer international students. It creates a safe space for international students to share stories, raise awareness about sexuality and explore culturally specific issues, and provides them the resources and support. Hear about the challenges of international students navigating their queer journey, identity and self-exploration and how different cultures shape the way they engage with family, friends and partners.