30 Under 30 - 2021 — Out For Australia

2021 Awards Event

Entertainer

Natali Caro

Radha

Entertainer

JamarzOnMarz

Miss Cairo

Keynote

Host

Benjamin Law

Maeve Marsden

The event was held virtually.
A special thanks to The Bearded Tit (Warrane, on Gadigal Country) for providing the space for the performances to be recorded.

Entertainer

Seann Miley Moore

2021 Category Winners

Changemaker of the Year

Varo

Varo is a queer non-binary leader who's passionate about creating an inclusive and safe society for LGBTIQA+ South Australians. They head up the team at the SA Rainbow Advocacy Alliance and work in policy development at the SA Housing Authority.

Student of the Year

Aziz Lawandos

Aziz Lawandos is a graduating medical student with a passion for improving queer health education. He spearheaded the UNSW Medicine Queer Curriculum Review, providing recommendations for more comprehensive and sensitive queer health education.

Young Professional of the Year

Krystal De Napoli

Krystal De Napoli is a Kamilaroi astrophysics graduate and award-winning science communicator whose work centres on the promotion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledges, and diversity and inclusion in STEM.

Community Champion of the Year

Srishti Chatterjee

Srishti Chatterjee is a Bengali writer, unionist, and community organiser. A resident mum friend and bonafide cook, they are passionate about grassroots, collective-based justice and intersectional policy making.

Mentor of the Year

Ian Blekkenhorst

Ian Blekkenhorst is the Melbourne-based CFO of global tech start-up LOKE, and prior to that was with Deloitte in both Australia and New Zealand. He champions the power of inclusion and mentoring, utilising his platform as a young, out professional.

Special thanks to these brands for donating to the Winners Gift Box!

2021 Winners

ACT

Han Worsley is a Pinnacle Scholar and Education student at the University of Canberra. Driven by their isolated upbringing in Nullamanna, NSW, Han is CEO of charity Country to Canberra, empowering rural women and non-binary students through leadership.

Han Worsley

Kat Reed is a passionate human rights advocate, community builder, avid intersectional feminist and political performance artist. Kat is currently the CEO of Women With Disabilities ACT.

Kat Reed

NSW

Aziz Lawandos

Declan Davis is an activist focused on human rights and economic justice. Outside of this, Declan currently runs his own technology and environmental strategy consulting business.

Declan Davis

Isabella (Izzy) Calero is a 24 year old neurodiverse, Latinx & linguistically diverse lesbian. Izzy works as a Diversity Employment Consultant at WISE Employment where she is a facilitator for Australia's first ever LGBTQIA+ Employment Provider Program, Rainbow WISE.

Isabella Calero

Kait Fenwick is a transgender public health student and equity and inclusion professional living in Muloobinba on unceded Awabakal Country. They are passionate about dismantling exclusive organisational culture and centering the lived experience of underrepresented peoples within workplaces and healthcare.

Kait Fenwick

Liz Duck-Chong is a writer, researcher and filmmaker who works primarily in LGBTQ+ sexual health and education. Her work focuses on uplifting the lives and work of trans communities, and telling the stories less told.

Liz Duck-Chong

Lucky Dodd is a social work student and LGBTIQA+ peer worker, working as a Learning Development Officer at Twenty10. They are inspired by histories of LGBTIQA+ community organising and the creative ways we build communities of care.

Lucky Dodd

Rhys Evans is the Projects, Policy and Law Reform Solicitor at the HIV/AIDS Legal Centre (HALC). Through his work Rhys has been involved in significant law reform work in areas of public health, discrimination and human rights.

Rhys Evans

Sanjay Alapakkam is a final year law/commerce student at UNSW. He is very passionate about the rights of LGBTQIA+ people and refugees, and diversity in the legal profession.

Sanjay Alapakkam

Sean Landis is an emerging theatre maker who is passionate about creating work that celebrates queer joy and emphasises the lived experiences of diverse queer artists.

Sean Landis

Taz Clay is a Kalkadoon and Bwgcolman brotherboy who uses his lived experience to educate around LGBTI health, suicide prevention within the LGBTI Sistergirl Brotherboy and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community, out of home care, Alcohol and other drugs support.

Taz Clay

QLD

Isabelle Bowen-Rotsaert is a third year Speech Pathology student and disability support worker with a background in primary education. She spearheaded the creation of a student LGBTIQ+ Society at ACU Brisbane, despite pushback from more conservative officials.

Isabelle Bowen-Rotsaert

Jesse Farrance is an operational Police Officer who volunteers as the district coordinator of the Qld Police Service LGBTI Liaison Officer program. He strives to break down barriers to reporting for LGBTI victims of crime and domestic violence.

Jesse Farrance

SA

Oliver Keane works with SHINE SA to deliver training to schools and health providers around relationships and gender diversity. He enjoys creating accepting cultures in schools and health settings for diverse people.

Oliver Keane

Varo

TAS

Andrew Aisbett is an actor, playwright and theatre-maker in lutruwita/Tasmania. He has published two LGBTQIA+ focussed plays for the stage, and wants to see more diversity and inclusion on Tasmanian stages.

Andrew Aisbett

Nicky van Dijk is an organisational mastermind and passionate fighter for justice. She founded Tasmania Ethical Non-monogamy and the Pride Society of UTAS, and co-convenes Tasmanian Asexuals and Aromantics.

Nicky van Dijk

VIC

Ayman Shash is a law graduate at Herbert Smith Freehills, and is a co-founder and Vice-President of the African Australian Legal Network, where he has portfolio responsibility for LGBTQIA+ inclusion.

Ayman Shash

Bee Gibson is an asexual and aromantic advocate, co-founder of the Aces+ Melbourne advocacy team, member of the City of Yarra's Rainbow Advisory Committee and software development team lead at Infoxchange.

Bee Gibson

Caitlyn Georgeson is a lawyer and human rights advocate who has been involved in a range of LGBTIQ+ community organisations. She is passionate about empowering the next generation of LGBTIQ+ leaders through educational scholarships and mentoring.

Caitlyn Georgeson

Elvis Martin has managed to overcome very difficult circumstances and inspire many with his advocacy for social justice, addressing mental health, homelessness, family violence and LGBTIQA+ community issues.

Elvis Martin

Ian Blekkenhorst

Krystal De Napoli

Lotte Wolff is a consultant with a Master of Development Studies who is passionate about migration policy and queer theory. She has worked at UNHCR, researching the experiences of women seeking asylum and LGBTIQ+ forced displacement.

Lotte Wolff

Srishti Chatterjee

WA

Ben Nowrojee champions increased investment and awareness for mental health prevention alongside disability, multicultural and LGBTIQA+ inclusivity. Ben works on Youth Pride Network and spearheads many youth-focused initiatives.

Ben Nowrojee

Lieutenant Matthew Newman is an accomplished Maritime Warfare Officer serving in the Royal Australian Navy. He has led a number of initiatives within the ADF for sexually and gender diverse personnel - including education for commanders on issues affecting the military LGBTI community.

Lieutenant Matthew Newman

Elizabeth Plotnek is a queer hydrogeologist with a disability who co-leads Jasper WA, the LGBT+ advocacy group at BHP, empowering colleagues to create safer environments at work and home through language and awareness of intersectionality.

Elizabeth Plotnek

Robyn Lambird is a queer and nonbinary elite para-athlete, model, mentor, and disability advocate who is passionate about improving representation across the board. They wish for all young people regardless of their gender, sexuality, or ability to be seen and valued.

Robyn Lambird