Open Doors Youth Service Celebrates 25 Years With Trans Youth Art Exhibition

Open Doors Youth Service in Brisbane is marking its twenty-five-year birthday with a transformative celebration this month.

Working with local organisations, the group are launching Shimmer, a powerful art installation created with local trans youth.

Plus, they are gearing up for a huge night of celebrations to raise much-needed funds for the organisation.

Open Doors celebrates twenty-five years

For decades, Open Doors Youth Service have operated in Brisbane, providing support services for LGBTQIA+ youth.

This vitally important support service has provided safe spaces and programs for our community in Brisbane and beyond and been recognised with multiple awards for their work.

In 2025, the organisation announced it would be extending its services south of the city as it launched its new support hub in Logan.

In 2026 it’s the next step for Open Doors as they celebrate this important milestone, recognising this is a particularly tumultuous time for trans youth in Queensland, they are determined to remain visible.

“In a world that too often seeks to silence or erase us, our existence is resistance, and our joy is revolutionary. This milestone is not just a celebration of the past—it’s a call to protect our future. Help keep us alive for another 25!”

The organisation are working together with Gerwyn Davies, Museum of Brisbane, MELT Festival, and Brisbane Powerhouse and twelve trans youth for an incredible artistic celebration of the community.

“This year, Open Doors Youth Service proudly celebrates 25 years of standing beside LGBTQIASB+ young people across Queensland, a milestone that honours our community’s resilience, courage and pride” said Rachel Hinds CEO of Open Doors told The Star Observer. 

“Since our beginnings in 1998, we have been driven by one simple belief: that every young person deserves to live authentically, feel safe and be celebrated for who they are. From humble beginnings as a small volunteer-led initiative to now being Queensland’s only dedicated LGBTQIASB+ youth service, ODYS has grown into a vital lifeline and a vibrant community hub for hundreds of young people every year” she said. “Reaching 25 years isn’t just a milestone for us, it’s a reminder that young LGBTQIA+ people have needed safe, affirming support for a long time, and they still do. Our history matters, but so does our responsibility to the next generation.”

Shimmer is a recognition of the importance of centring our queer youth and their voices in our community Hind says.

“As Open Doors Youth Service marks 25 years of supporting LGBTQIA+ young people in Queensland, we wanted to do something that felt true to who we are and the community we exist for. Rather than simply looking back, we wanted to centre young people, especially trans and gender diverse young people and create something that reflects both the challenges they face and the joy, creativity and resilience they carry.”

“That intention led to Shimmer, a powerful collaboration between Open Doors Youth Service, Gerwyn Davies, Museum of Brisbane, MELT Festival, and Brisbane Powerhouse. Through this partnership, 12 young trans and gender diverse people worked directly with Gerwyn Davies to create artworks that reflect who they are — which are now on display at the Museum of Brisbane until April.”

However, the community will be able to explore this exhibition in a new and unique way as Open Doors launches its fundraising gala dinner inside the actual exhibition.

“When planning our 25th anniversary fundraising dinner, it felt deeply important to hold the event inside the exhibition itself” Rachael said.

“Celebrating within Shimmer means that our community is surrounded by the stories, creativity and lived experiences of young trans and gender diverse people while coming together to raise vital funds to continue supporting them.”

The dinner will provide guests with a bespoke dining experience, drag performances and high energy entertainment and a live auction on the night.

Gerwyn Davies will also attend as a guest of honour, and most importantly, funds raised from the event will go back into this vital community organisation.

For more information and to grab your tickets, head to the Open Doors Website.

The Open Doors 25th Birthday fundraiser will take place at the Museum Of Brisbane on Saturday, March 7, from 6:30 pm.