Our identities are constantly evolving and changing – whether it be in our jobs, our family roles or how we express our gender. Trans-masculine performer Zac Callaghan explores the universality of transitioning in their one-person show “Queer as Flux”. Here, they talk about why it’s so important to celebrate people’s differences.
Growing up in Redlands on the outskirts of Brisbane in the ’70s, I was a tomboy. My family used to call me “Tommy”. As a seven-year-old, I was already “packing” – I’d put footy socks down the front of my stubbies. I used to wee backwards on the toilet. My family just thought it was a phase, but it clearly never was.
I came out as queer in the late ’80s. My mum didn’t handle it well at first. She has dementia now, so in a way I’m relieved that me being trans isn’t something that could upset her now. The abuse I got walking down the street as an outwardly queer person back in the late ’80s and ’90s has made me more aware of the need to connect and be generous about people’s differences.
I studied drama and psychology at university, and dabbled in amateur theatre while I was a student. Since then, I’ve written and performed in a number of productions, and have won a few awards. One-person shows have become my specialty. I always try to create work that’s positive, life-affirming and funny. Queer as Flux is the fourth one I’ve written and performed in. I play myself at various points in my life, and also appear as a drag-queen fairy godmother who guides the audience through a history of the LGBTIQ+ rights movement in Australia – it’s a way of honouring the queer trans-cestors who came before us. The show looks at the universality of transitioning: at my mum’s transition from being who she was to someone with dementia, and my dad’s transition from husband to caregiver. It celebrates the ability to adapt and change, be fluid and flexible, and how we receive others in their own transitions. My main aim was to take my own personal story and show people that you don’t need to be scared about change.
Zac Callaghan in Queer as Flux. Source: Supplied
I had top surgery 18 months ago. Doing that as a 49-year-old was quite late. But I think if that’s your truth, and if that makes you feel like you can be who you really are, it’s never too late
I explore my own gender transitioning in Queer as Flux. I started taking testosterone two years ago and had top surgery 18 months ago. Doing that as a 49-year-old was quite late. But I think if that’s your truth, and if that makes you feel like you can be who you really are, it’s never too late. I now feel like my body aligns with how I identify and how I want to present myself to the world. I no longer have this dysphoric sense of not belonging in my body. I just I feel so comfortable in my skin.
The statistics on suicide for trans people are still shockingly high. . For people to have access to gender-affirming medication and surgery, it saves lives.
My show also pays homage to trans women, because they’re the ones who are still being unfairly targeted by hate crimes. In the United States, murders of trans women have recently reached record highs, particularly of black, indigenous and other women of colour. That’s where the biggest danger lies.
It’s so positive and affirming to see trans people represented in the media now. Michaela Jaé Rodriguez from television’s Pose was the first transgender person to win a Golden Globe (in January this year), and Elliot Page is doing big things for trans guys, as is Elliot Fletcher from Shameless. But there’s still a long way to go in terms of the mainstream, in sport and general acceptance. Even within queer culture, historically there’s been a divide, so it’s really important to push for more understanding of trans and non-binary people, and be more accepting.
One of my biggest practices is curiosity. If I can bring that to the stage and trust that I’m charming, funny and non-confrontational enough to make people question their assumptions or beliefs, then I think I’m adding value to the planet for trans and queer people and anyone with any kind of difference.
