Celebrating Australia’s Out & Proud Lesbians

In 2008, a special day and week were created that served to celebrate and recognise the massive contributions of lesbian women around the world.

This week in Australia is Lesbian Visibility Week and we here at the Star Observer want to highlight the Aussie lesbians who continue to give a voice to the Ls of the LGBTQ+ community.

Penny Wong

Penelope ‘Penny’ Ying-Yen Wong is an Australian politician from the Labor Party and is currently serving as the Minister for Foreign Affairs and is the leader of the government in the Senate for the Albanese Government. She’s been representing South Australia in the Senate since 2002. 

Penny Sharpe

Penelope ‘Penny’ Gail Sharpe is an Australian politician and currently serves as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council for the Labor Party. Originally from Canberra, she relocated to Sydney and attended the University of New South Wales. She co-edited the book Party Girls: Labor Women, which looked at women in politics.

Hannah Gadsby

Hannah Gadsby is an Australian comedian, actor and writer whose career took off after winning the national final of the Raw Comedy competition in 2006. In 2018, they saw their Netflix show Nanette win the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special and a Peabody Award.

Narelda Jacobs

Narelda Jacobs is a Sydney-based Whadjuk Noongar journalist and presenter with Network 10 and NTIV. Since 2000, Jacobs has worked for Network 10 and is currently a co-host on Studio 10. She was also a Sydney WorldPride 2023 Rainbow Champion. 

Miriam Margolyes

Miriam Margolyes is a British-Australian actress and in 2002 as Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in that year’s New Years Honours for Services to Drama. She’s well known as a character actor on screen and stage, with her well-known roles including Professor Sprout in the Harry Potter series and Peg Sellers in The Life and Death of Peter Sellers. She’s also done voice acting in films like Happy Feet, Babe and Mulan.

Ruby Rose

Ruby Rose Langenheim is an Australian actress, model, television presenter and disc jockey. Rose was an MTV presenter during 2007 – 2011, and co-hosted television shows such as Australia’s Next Top Model in 2009 and Network 10’s The Project during 2009 – 2011. She also had several high-profile modelling roles such as Maybelline New York in Australia. In 2008, she pursued acting with roles in a few action films such as Resident Evil: The Final Chapter and John Wick: Chapter 2.

Moana Hope

Former AFLW player for the teams Collingwood and North Melbourne. Hope signed onto Collingwood in 2016 as one of two marquee players ahead of the Women’s inaugural season. She later signed onto North Melbourne in 2018 before being delisted at the end of the 2019 season. In 2018, Hope was a contestant on Australia Survivor: Champions vs Contenders and later returned in the 2020 Australian Survivor: All Stars.

Portia De Rossi

Portia Lee James DeGeneres, also known as Portia De Rossi is an Australian-American former actress and is the founder and CEO of the art company General Public. She won a Screen Actors Guild Award for her role as Nelle Porter on the American drama series Ally McBeal. She is married to actress, television host and comedian Ellen DeGeneres.

Magda Szubanski

Magdalene Mary Therese Szubanski is an Australian comedy actress, singer, author and LGBT rights advocate. Best known for her portrayal as Sharon Strzelecki on Kath & Kim, as well as Babe, Babe: Pig in the City, Happy Feet and its sequel. In 2019, she was appointed an officer in the general division of the Order of Australia (AO).

Patricia Karvelas

Patricia Karvelas is an Australian current affairs journalist, radio presenter and political correspondent. She began her career as a cadet journalist for The Australian in 2002. In 2008, she won the inaugural Wallace Brown Young Achiever Award for Press Gallery Journalism. From 2016 – 2017 she presented a weekly program called Karvelas on Sky News Australia. Currently, she hosts RN Breakfast on Radio National.

Julie McCrossin

Julie Elizabeth McCrossin is an Australian radio broadcaster, comedian, journalist, political commentator and activist for gay and women’s rights. McCrossin is best known for her time as team captain on the news-based comedy quiz show Good News Week between 1996 and 2000. A 78ers veteran, she had participated in the first Mardi Gras in Sydney, along with the protests at Central Court, Darlinghurst and Central Police Stations.