Alireza Noori is a trilingual software developer, music, animal and nature lover. On a journey of exploring what this beautiful world has to offer.

Rames is American Samoa at heart and Asia at look. He loves sleeping and just being lazy.

In this third episode of the Voices of Us series, we will be speaking with Rames and Ali who grow up in different cultural backgrounds, which have affected their queer identity differently.

In this episode, you will hear their stories to explore their identities, find freedom and their community in Australia. One speaker comes from a country where queer is a norm and accepted. Whereas another speaker comes from a country where queer is taboo and not usually discussed.

While their culture shapes their understanding of society and norms, sometimes it challenges them to truly understand and identify themselves. They also shared their challenges trying to connect with other queers authentically and meaningfully in Australia.

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.