Qtopia Sydney

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Qtopia Sydney We are Sydney's Home of Q***r History and Culture. We are exhibitions, performances, venues and activations. We are by community for community.

We are home to the 78ers and our incredible volunteer family.

13/10/2026

“It’s a fantastic opportunity to bring q***r artists from all around Australia into one space.”

We caught up with Jordan Taylor, founder of , outside The Substation to chat about SUB-URBAN, our new Art & About Sydney exhibition exploring q***r culture and joy underground.

As proud sponsors, The Rainbow Collective are also funding a $1,000 prize for the winning artist!

Come experience the show for yourself.

Dates: 23–30 October
Times: 10:30am – 6:00pm daily
Location: The Substation, Qtopia Sydney

Free entry, donations welcome!

A massive thank you to everyone who came down to The Substation a couple of weeks ago to have their portraits taken by A...
12/10/2026

A massive thank you to everyone who came down to The Substation a couple of weeks ago to have their portraits taken by ARVIN PREM KUMAR!

We were honestly so blown away by the turnout and how beautiful all the portraits turned out. Seeing so many familiar and new faces in our space was absolute magic.

Since you all loved it as much as we did, we’re already working on bringing Arvin back for another session at The Substation before the year is out!

Keep an eye on our feed, we’ll be sharing details and booking links soon. Stay tuned!

Perfect day Parramatta Pride Picnic with our wonderful volunteers! 🫶 Come say hello, we’re here for a few more hours!
10/10/2026

Perfect day Parramatta Pride Picnic with our wonderful volunteers! 🫶 Come say hello, we’re here for a few more hours!

We’re heading out to Parramatta Pride Picnic tomorrow and our wonderful volunteers will be on the ground all day! Whethe...
08/10/2026

We’re heading out to Parramatta Pride Picnic tomorrow and our wonderful volunteers will be on the ground all day! Whether you’re keen to learn more about what we’re up to at Qtopia Sydney, curious about our exhibitions, or just want to have a chat and grab some info, come find our stall and say hi.

Events like these are all about celebrating our vibrant, diverse community right across Sydney, and we’re so thrilled to be part of the day.

Pack a picnic rug, soak up the sun, and drop by to meet the team, we’d love to see you there!

A big congratulations to D***S ON BIKES | SYDNEY on their award tonight at the Honour Awards! What a way to celebrate In...
08/10/2026

A big congratulations to D***S ON BIKES | SYDNEY on their award tonight at the Honour Awards! What a way to celebrate International Le***an Day! 🥳

After a brilliant debut of Weekend Homosketchuals last month, we’re super excited to host Q***r Sketch Club Sydney once ...
08/10/2026

After a brilliant debut of Weekend Homosketchuals last month, we’re super excited to host Q***r Sketch Club Sydney once again at The Substation this Saturday!

Kick off your weekend with a nice, relaxing dose of community and creativity in our historic home at The Substation. Weekend Homosketchuals will be led by the legend Guy James Whitworth—with a portion of proceeds going directly toward supporting Qtopia Sydney!

Whether you haven’t picked up a pencil since primary school or you’re a seasoned artist, it’s super low-pressure and open to everyone. Grab a spot, support q***r history, and come draw with us! ✏️✨

Book you’re spot via the Q Events link in bio.

Today, on 8 October, we celebrate International Le***an Day, a time to honour the resilience, culture, and enduring cont...
07/10/2026

Today, on 8 October, we celebrate International Le***an Day, a time to honour the resilience, culture, and enduring contributions of le***an communities across Australia and globally.

While the day traces its roots to early gatherings in New Zealand and Australia in the 1980s—including the first major Australian event held in Melbourne in October 1990—it remains a vital annual moment of pride, visibility, and solidarity.

A cornerstone of Sydney’s q***r publishing history is Le***ans on the Loose (LOTL). Co-founded in January 1990 by Frances Rand and Jackie Scherer, LOTL grew from a grassroots, eight-page newsletter into Australia’s longest-running le***an publication. Later acquired and expanded nationally by publisher Silke Bader in 1998, it captured decades of news, activism, culture, and community life.

At Qtopia Sydney, preserving these stories is central to our mission. Visitors can explore our current exhibition featuring iconic covers from Le***ans on the Loose—a striking visual record of grassroots journalism, community activism, and le***an pride across the decades.

Happy International Le***an Day! 💜🤍🩷

For over thirty years, the Sydney Gay & Le***an Choir (Sydney Gay & Le***an Choir) has served as a vibrant, harmonious s...
06/10/2026

For over thirty years, the Sydney Gay & Le***an Choir (Sydney Gay & Le***an Choir) has served as a vibrant, harmonious soundtrack to Sydney’s LGBTQIA+ community.

The choir was born out of a call to action in November 1990, when a letter published in the Sydney Star Observer invited local community members to come together and sing. By 1991, SGLC held its debut performance, sparking a musical legacy built on inclusion, joy, and artistic excellence.

Operating as an un-auditioned choir, SGLC welcomes singers across the entire spectrum of sexualities, gender identities, and musical backgrounds, as well as straight allies. United by a shared passion for song, their dynamic repertoire spans classical masterpieces, pop hits, musical theatre, and contemporary Australian works.

From marching and performing at local community events and pride celebrations to taking the stage at major national and international festivals, the Sydney Gay & Le***an Choir remains a powerful, visible symbol of diversity, harmony, and radical welcome.

Video by elise forever blackeyedbeas via Sydney Gay & Le***an Choir

This GiveOUT Day, we are building the future of Qtopia Sydney, and we need your help to raise $6,000. Every dollar you g...
05/10/2026

This GiveOUT Day, we are building the future of Qtopia Sydney, and we need your help to raise $6,000. Every dollar you give helps bring our upcoming exhibitions to life. Early donations are now open, and we hope to reach our goal by 15 October!

At the heart of our upcoming line-up is a blowout tribute to the legendary Maxi Shield—a queen with a laugh as big as her hair, and a heart to match. We’re teaming up with her inner circle and Sydney’s drag royalty to take over our largest gallery space with her iconic looks, wigs, jewels, and outrageous stories. Help us give Oxford Street’s favourite icon the larger-than-life showcase she deserves!

Every dollar raised this GiveOUT Day will directly support:

Building the Maxi Shield Tribute Exhibition
- Funding the curation, display elements, promotion and design needed to showcase Maxi’s wardrobe and stories with the grandeur and quick-witted humour she brought to the stage.

Fuelling Future Exhibitions
- Preserving, archiving, and celebrating the history, art, and voices of Australia’s LGBTQIA+ trailblazers for years to come.

Your gift ensures that the joy, humour, and legacy of our community’s icons continue to shine bright. Donate today and help us reach our $6,000 goal to support the future of Qtopia Sydney!

https://giveoutday.org.au/o/qtopia-ltd

Born in Hurstville, Sydney, Justin O’Brien (1917–1996) was one of Australia’s most vital q***r modernist artists, celebr...
04/10/2026

Born in Hurstville, Sydney, Justin O’Brien (1917–1996) was one of Australia’s most vital q***r modernist artists, celebrated for fusing early Renaissance tradition and religious iconography with ho******ic tenderness. Raised in a strict Catholic family, his identity as a gay man infused his art with a constant, generative tension between spiritual devotion and personal desire.

Following his return to Sydney after WWII, he won the inaugural Blake Prize for Religious Art in 1951 and mentored emerging talents like Martin Sharp at Cranbrook School. Navigating mid-century Australia’s intense homophobia, O’Brien eventually relocated to Rome, where he lived openly as a gay man and spent decades painting quiet, deeply sensual depictions of the male form—subtly reinterpreting sacred imagery through a distinctly q***r lens.

Photographer: Fiona McDougall

Address

301 Forbes Street
Darlinghurst, NSW
2010

Opening Hours

Tuesday 10:30am - 4:30pm
Wednesday 10:30am - 4:30pm
Thursday 10:30am - 4:30pm
Friday 10:30am - 4:30pm
Saturday 10:30am - 4:30pm
Sunday 10:30am - 4:30pm

Telephone

+61272588300

Website

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