A place to call home - a podcast by ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences

When we encounter someone who doesn't seem native to Australia, the question that rolls so easily off the tongue is 'Where are you from?' followed by 'Why did you leave?'

For Tina and Renee Dixson, queer human rights activists who were forced to flee their country of origin, the answer isn't so simple. And the question can actually be a bit offensive.

“Often those questions come across almost as justification for why you're here or whether you're deserving to be here,” Tina explains. “They go hand in hand with narratives of who is a real refugee, and almost the amount of violence you experienced to qualify.”

In this episode, Tina and Renee reframe the conversation around people who have been displaced. We don't go into their origin story and discuss the reasons for that. And we challenge the notions mainstream Australia has about refugees: who they are and who they can be.

The Queer Displacements conference is running from 14-15 November. Find the program and buy tickets here: http://bit.ly/QueerDisplacements Spaces are limited.

Renee Dixson is a PhD candidate at the Australian National University. Renee’s research interests are digital humanities, queer theory, feminist theory, and the intersection of gender, sexuality and refugee status.

Together with Tina, she is a co-founder of a refugee-led support and advocacy group for LGBTIQ asylum-seeking and refugee women titled the Queer Sisterhood Project; and a co-convenor of the first Australian conference on the issues of LGBTIQ asylum called Queer Displacements: Sexuality, Migration and Exile. 

You can follow Renee on Instagram @reneedixson

Tina Dixson is a feminist academic and a policy professional, who has worked in the areas of LGBTIQ, refugee and women’s rights. Tina has a strong experience engaging with international human rights bodies and international policies on refugees. Tina is a PhD candidate at the Australian National University researching lived experiences of LGBTIQ asylum-seeking and refugee women in Australia.

You can follow Tina on Twitter @TNDixson

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The theme music for This Academic’s Life is “Snow Blower” by Flower Crown.

Other music used in this episode: “Inspiring filaments” by Podington Bear.

This Academic’s Life is a production of the ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences. It’s produced by Evana Ho. The production assistant for this episode was Brandon Tan.

You can find us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @ANUCASS.

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