I’m Will Kostakis...
...award-winning Australian author and Eltham Library’s unofficial gay mascot. (The Council’s legal department has asked me to stop calling myself that, but I refuse.)
I’ll be returning to the library on Thursday 16 May to join a conversation celebrating LGBTQIA+ Voices in Literature with Michael Earp (Kindred), and Hannah McElhinney (Rainbow history class : your guide through queer and trans history), alongside our chairperson, Erin Kyan.
This subject is deeply important to me. As a young adult author, I have spent the past two decades writing stories about people on the edge of the rest of their lives, taking their first steps into adulthood. I know how daunting those steps can be. When I was a teenager, I was terrified of stepping out of the closet. How would being openly gay affect how others see and treat me? It was the support of my friends, family, and the wider community that gave me the confidence to live authentically.
My latest novel, We Could Be Something, is a fictional reflection on my journey, contrasting the queer experience of 2024 with that of decades prior. A lot’s changed, but there’s still so much to do. Two-thirds of LGBTQIA+ youth experience abuse due to their identity, over one-third of LGBTQIA+ Australians have experienced verbal abuse in the past year, and in a 2018 study, a majority of LGBTQIA+ employees in Australia said they weren’t out to everyone at work.
That’s where IDAHOBIT comes in.
So, what is IDAHOBIT exactly?
May 17 is International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia. First commemorated as the International Day Against Homophobia in 2005, in the years since, the day has expanded to also acknowledge the experiences of the wider LGBTQIA+ community. The date marks the anniversary of the World Health Organisation’s 1990 decision to remove homosexuality from the Classification of Diseases. IDAHOBIT is an opportunity to learn about and foster inclusion. Everyone is invited to wear rainbow, decorate work and private spaces, and fundraise for LGBTQIA+ organisations that create change.
Where to start?
Yarra Plenty Regional Library service, of course. It boasts an extensive queer collection, with texts spanning all age groups and reading levels, including teen fiction, memoir and works from First Nations writers. It’s perfect for LGBTQIA+ people who yearn to see themselves in the stories they read, and for allies who wish to learn more about the experiences of the community. YPRL also offers writing workshops year-round, including a recent Midsumma Queer Writing workshop that empowered LGBTQIA+ aspiring authors and hobbyist writers to explore their identity on the page.
To commemorate IDAHOBIT, Yarra Plenty Regional Library will be hosting a series of events across their branches:
Pronouns and Rainbows, Monday 13 May, 6pm—7.30pm at Ivanhoe Library and Cultural Hub.
LGBTQIA+ Documentary Screening, Monday 13 May, 6.30pm—8.30pm at Eltham Library
Loud, Proud and Unhoused Workshop, Tuesday 14 May, 11.00am—12.00pm at Eltham Library
Cyanotype Printing, Tuesday 14 May, 4.00pm—6.00pm at Ivanhoe Library and Cultural Hub
IDAHOBIT Youth Movie Night, Wednesday 15 May, 5.30pm—7.00pm at Eltham Library
IDAHOBIT Mindfulness Colouring, Wednesday 15 May, 6.00pm—8.30pm at Whittlesea Library
IDAHOBIT Rainbow Craft Day, Thursday 16 May, 4.30pm—5.30pm at Thomastown Library
LGBTQIA+ Voices in Literature, Thursday 16 May, 7.00pm—8.00pm at Eltham Library
Flipbook Animation, Thursday 16 May, 6.00pm—8.00pm at Ivanhoe Library and Cultural Hub
IDAHOBIT Tie-Dye and Beading Workshop, Friday 17 May, 3.30pm—5.00pm at Diamond Valley Library