Converse unveils ‘Proud To Be’ digital comic series to celebrate Pride
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH CONVERSE
WORDS BY KATE STREADER
A celebration of self.
Everyone has their own story, one that makes them exactly who they are today. To celebrate Pride Month, Converse is amplifying the stories of people in the queer community with its digital comic series, Proud To Be.
The project pairs queer storytellers – Converse retail manager and drag icon, Tequila Mockingbird, long-standing Converse partner Minus18, and Converse All Star Julai – with queer artists Daya Czepanski, Tim Sta-Ana and Sara Moana to bring their stories to life.
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The three digital comics explore what makes these storytellers proud to be part of the LGBTQIA+ community. And as you’ll soon see, each story is as unique as the person who wrote it.
Naarm-based drag queen Tequila Mockingbird – known by Josh Munroe by day – has been in the drag scene for 15 years. The decade and a half of experience and knowledge gleaned from drag elders is a sense of pride for them. It’s what their illustrated comic is all about – resilience, joy and empowerment.
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“I now find myself in the fortunate position to give back to the community who[‘ve] helped me find who I am and gave me a sense of home,” they write. “It’s the only open stage of its kind where people can feel safe to express exactly who they are and find a place to belong where they may have not before.”
New Zealand-born, Naarm-based Samoan performer Julai – aka Christian Stewart – takes pride in being part of the queer ballroom scene which has involved walking in some of Australia’s biggest balls and taking out the grand prize for OTA Performance at the 2022 Sissy Ball.
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“I remember being in grade 6 and saying to myself, ‘I feel I’m going to do something GREAT! I just don’t know what?’,” he writes. He’s now a leader within the Naarm ballroom scene and a proud ‘ballroom father’ to five mentees.
Minus18 is an Australian charity committed to creating safe spaces for young queer people. For the last 14 years, the Minus18 Queer Formal (which is on this Saturday at the National Gallery of Victoria) has welcomed thousands of LGBTQIA+ kids to some of Australia’s biggest venues.
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“Every year, close to 2,000 queer young people get to experience the sparkliest night; dancefloors and drag queens; dinner and dessert; fun activities and accessible hang-out spaces,” Minus18 says. It’s a night of fun, lightness and inclusivity – and importantly, it’s free for all youth to attend.
Celebrating and showcasing the vastness of the queer community is vital. Every life is varied and every life is valid. As Tequila Mockingbird says, “Nurturing the next generation of artists [who] proudly represent what came before [them] and are willing to take up the fight for what is stills why I am proud to be a part of this community.”
To explore Converse’s full campaign, head here.
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