By Aimee Volkofsky,Coquohalla Connor

Copyright abc

Broken Hill was illuminated with joy and community spirit as it hosted the first-ever Rainbow in the Outback festival to celebrate queer pride in Far West New South Wales.

Along with colourful drag performances, local musical acts and markets, the event aimed to foster a safer, more supportive environment for LGBTQIA+ people in rural communities.

Lifelong Broken Hill resident Matthew McIntosh said it was essential to be able to be themself in their hometown.

“Festivals like this are really important to me because it’s a time when I can embrace my weirdness without fear,” they said.

“Breaking out of my shell a little bit with the help of festivals like this has very much helped me to do that when it’s not a festival.

Dorian Lenoir grew up on South Australia’s Yorke Peninsula and travelled to Broken Hill from Adelaide to perform — under the stage name Dorian Courtisan — at the event.

“Growing up queer in the countryside wasn’t something people talked about — there weren’t many older queer people that I knew, there weren’t any events about that,” they said.

“It was something I learnt to keep to myself, to see an environment that’s similar to what I grew up in but where it is celebrated and everyone feels safe to be open is really healing and refreshing.”

‘Critically important’

Gavin Prendergast, regional outreach manager with LGBTQIA+ health organisation ACON, made the trip from Sydney to attend the event.

He said queer young people were some of the most vulnerable people in the country.

“It’s like the axis of evil — being isolated, having no-one around you that is like you, feeling alone,” he said.

“It can really impact on a person’s mental and physical health.

“It’s vitally important that things like exist, especially in the Far West of NSW.”

Festival organiser Brendon Barlow, who uses the drag name Shelita Buffett, said it was “really important to have in place a local performer who could practice their art for a local crowd”.

“So many people, unfortunately, still feel the need to hide their true selves,” he said.

“So a space where people feel safe and celebrated is so critically important.”

Ongoing evolution

Broken Hill has been a part of Australia’s queer iconography since the Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert was partially filmed there in late 1993.

In the years that followed the city took advantage of its new-found fame and launched the Broken Heel Festival, which went on a hiatus in 2024.

It is hoped Rainbow in the Outback will continue the celebration of Broken Hill’s queer community and history.

For Jaddan Bruhn, whose family has called Broken Hill home for 100 years, the festival is an essential component in the evolution of the city.

“With all the different events that happen through the year, it allows Broken Hill to evolve while still staying true to its origins,” they said.