Dani Leever
As seen in:
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Articles by Dani Leever
Archer Asks: Jimi The Kween on mixtapes, horny ratbags and crunchy drag
Known and celebrated as a vocalist, DJ, performer and drag artist, Jimi The Kween is a trailblazer in inclusivity and self-expression, creating safe dance spaces where everyone is free to be themselves.
Asian migrant sex workers deserve justice: Violence, raids and racism
Content warning: This piece discusses, in detail, violence, murder, sexual violence, racism, police raids and sex work stigma. I remember the first time I read about Hyun Sook Jeon and Yuqi Luo: two migrant sex workers who were robbed, assaulted and brutally killed by a client while working independently in their workplaces within a span of 24 hours. It was December 2022. That night, I reached out to everyone I knew who were sex workers and those who advocated for them.
Grief in the digital space: Death and virtual ghosts
Content warning: This article discusses death and murder. Dead people haunt the digital realm. They are everywhere: likes, shares, captions and comments attached to lost loved ones. Not to get all Sixth Sense about it… but we frequently see dead people on social media. Following the dead online can snag the breath in surreal suspended animation.
Archer Asks: Gavilán Rayna Russom on dungeons and dancefloors, S&M history, electro freakery and trans expression
Black Meteoric Star is a project Gavilán Rayna Russom started when she was living in Berlin, a guise which brought together her lifelong love of dance music culture with spiritual themes, drag and her formative experiences of S&M (sadomasochism) culture. Rayna, a transgender woman, has been a DJ and producer of electronic music for over 30 years and has been producing community cultural events for as long. She has also been involved in kink and BDSM for decades.
WORKER: An Archer x TØS Podcast: Expressions of Interest
Archer Magazine and TØS Journal are recruiting for their new podcast WORKER, a community-led podcast centred on authentic storytelling from sex workers. WORKER is a 6-part audio series produced by Archer and TØS Journal. WORKER invites sex workers to share experiences on our own terms, in an peer-led environment free from reductionist narratives and usual ‘scandalous’ headline-grabbing portrayals of sex work. This is about the genuine moments of our lives and experiences.
Cervical screenings for queer and trans folks: Inclusive health care on our terms
Content note: This piece discusses dysphoria and queerphobia in health care settings. For many people within the LGBTIQA+ community, cervical screening can feel uncomfortable, inaccessible or difficult to navigate. Many people experience barriers to screening, including gender dysphoria, a history of sexual trauma, and distrust of health professionals or health services. These barriers can result in negative cervical screening experiences or lead people to avoid accessing screening altogether.
Archer Asks: MUNA on astrology, queer-coded cartoons and sad dance bangers
MUNA’s journey has always been about bringing to light the complex, messy, ecstatic realities of life, and with their fourth album, Dancing On The Wall, they’ve never been sharper, darker or more exhilarating.
Translating culture and queerness: My father never said I love you, he asked what noodles I wanted
I remember the Friday night ritual clearly. Around nine in the evening, long after dinner had been cleared, my father would appear in the doorway and ask, quietly, what noodles we wanted. Then he would disappear around the corner and come back with takeaway from the hawker stalls – each order exactly right, each container warm. We would eat with the kind of enthusiasm that is itself a language. He never asked whether we enjoyed it.
Filipino mythology and the severed bride: ‘Manananggal in Makati’ image essay
In Filipino mythology, the Manananggal is the ultimate self-segmenting survivor. By night, she detaches her upper torso from her lower half, sprouts massive, bat-like wings, and flies into the dark to feed on the hearts of the living. But there’s a catch: her lower half remains stationary, rooted to the spot, utterly vulnerable. If a hunter finds that lower half and sprinkles salt, ash or garlic on the open wound of her waist, she can never rejoin.
Queer Fashion Files: Interview with style and music icon Kaiit
Welcome to Archer’s Queer Fashion Files! Each month, we interview trendsetters and tastemakers, showcasing the diversity and talent of the fashion world. You can check out all episodes of our Queer Fashion Files here. In Episode 30, Hailey Moroney chats to Kaiit about culture, fashion and the importance of caring (lots!).
A fond farewell from a couple of Archer mates
There are some changes afoot at Archer… For a bit of background, Archer Magazine was started in 2013 by writer and journalist Amy Middleton. It’s a media platform for intersectional LGBTIQA+ people whose voices are often left out of mainstream conversations. The platform is going strong, with many awards, dozens of global events, and more than 3 million website views under its belt.
Queer Fashion Files: SLAMROSS1000 by Slam Ross
Welcome to Archer’s Queer Fashion Files! Each month, we interview trendsetters and tastemakers, showcasing the diversity and talent of the fashion world. You can check out all episodes of our Queer Fashion Files here. In Episode 29, Hailey Moroney chats to Slam Ross about club culture, gritty queer aesthetics and creating a world out of art. Reintroducing gabber to Melbourne’s underground in 2017, SLAMROSS1000 quickly became known for her DJ sets and late-night parties.
Archer Asks: The Beaches on Aries rage, 'Silver Springs' and making music out of breakup gossip - Archer Magazine
Formed in 2013 in a Toronto neighborhood that shares their name, The Beaches consist of lifelong musicians and pals: frontperson and bassist Jordan Miller, Jordan’s sister Kylie Miller on guitar, their grade school accomplice Eliza Enman-McDaniel on drums and close bud Leandra Earl on guitar and keys. The Beaches’ first self-released album Blame My Ex, turned heartbreak into a punches-not-pulled pop-rock masterclass.
Archer Asks: Courtney Barnett on searching for signs and being a Scorpio
In the hands of Courtney Barnett, fragments of everyday life become rich and riveting. A deft lyricist and virtuosic guitarist with inimitable musicianship, Barnett first found critical acclaim with 2013’s The Double EP: A Sea of Split Peas and broke into the mainstream in 2015 with her debut album, Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit.
Transness, body image and travel: I ate cheese on holidays
Content warning: This article discusses disordered eating and disordered exercising. For a long time, I was not a fan of the overseas holiday. I was rigid and liked routine, and had struggled on my few previous international trips. I had trouble navigating new places and found change and spontaneity difficult. I had flown to Europe once before, in 2013, and, knowing myself well, visited just Berlin and Copenhagen – two cities, all I could manage. A lot has shifted in 10 years.
moisturizer is the ripping second album by Wet Leg, the Isle of Wight five-piece founded by Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers. It’s fun, freaky and fabulous, an unbridled display of the live muscle they built up over a few years of non-stop touring. Punchier, prettier and more perverted where it counts, moisturizer is an album of manic love songs and well-timed kiss-offs, delivered by a clan of the UK’s most beloved oddballs.
Archer Asks: Buon-Cattivi Press on queer disability justice and creativity
Dr Alex Dunkin is the founder of micro-publishing label Buon-Cattivi Press. He launched the label in 2018 with Peering Through and since has had the privilege of publishing one or two books a year, including Gertrude Glossip’s Queer History Tour Book Queen of the Walk, and Dona Juanita and the Love of Boys by Gabrielle Everall, which featured on the ABR’s 2020 Books of the Year list. Jace Reh (he/she/they) is a queer, disabled Gamilaroi person living on Kaurna Yerta, raised on Narrunga country.
Archer Asks: Rex Letoa Paget on a fa’afatama identity and healing through poetry
Rex Letoa Paget (Samoan/Danish) is a fa’afatama crafter of words born in Aotearoa, now living on the unceded lands of the Wurundjeri people. His poetry and storytelling are his compass through space and time.
A Q&A with Judith Butler: Gender fear, fascism and TERFs
Judith Butler is a philosopher and Distinguished Professor in the Graduate School in the Department of Comparative Literature at the University of California, Berkeley. Their books, including Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity (1990) and Bodies That Matter: On the Discursive Limits of “Sex” (1993), have been translated into over 25 languages. In this interview, Judith discusses their latest book, Who’s Afraid of Gender?
The most read pieces of 2023: Queerplatonic love, neurodivergent art and trans music
Howdy! It’s Alex Creece, your online editor and dyke at large. This year at Archer has been bonkers – we celebrated our 10th birthday, and launched two incredible new print issues: INCARCERATION and PLEASURE. The INCARCERATION issue quickly became our best-selling print mag of all time. It’s urgent and essential reading.
'The Ultimatum: Queer Love' finale & reunion recap: "Surprise, I’m gay, surprise!" - Archer Magazine
It’s the end of the route, queers. What a cursed journey this has been – a moment in sapphic pop culture history that we all witnessed live, together. The Ultimatum: Queer Love finale and reunion have officially aired. It’s over. Feel like reliving the nightmare of the first eight episodes? Head here. I watched this on my friend’s couch, but we almost couldn’t stream it because their ex-wife, with whom they share a Netflix password, nearly bumped us off because she was watching it at the same time.
'The Ultimatum: Queer Love' episodes 5-8 recap: "People just offer me unconditional love" - Archer Magazine
This week really kept us LGBTs satiated. We had FOUR new episodes of the most chaotically trash TV show of all time: The Ultimatum: Queer Love. Welcome to the recap of The Ultimatum: Queer Love episodes 5-8, where we learn that love is a lie, Lexi has a hot mum, the stereotype of lesbians saying “I love you” after 2.5 weeks exists for a reason, and some people don’t shoo their dog off the bed before having sex. I’m Dani, Archer’s Online Editor. I’m gay and love reality TV, so welcome.
'The Ultimatum: Queer Love' episodes 1-4 recap: "I think I fingered you" - Archer Magazine
As a reality TV-obsessed lezzo and the Online Editor of Archer, it’s my duty to review the show that every queer and their dog (Tiff’s giant husky? More on that later…) is talking about: The Ultimatum: Queer Love. The Ultimatum: Queer Love is the latest all-queer Netflix dating show, the previous seasons of which were strictly heterosexual (read: confronting and confusing).
Red Rooster Just Dropped Merch For Chicken Stans Who Binge 'Gossip Girl'
Tell us you love Punkee without telling us you love Punkee. Sign up to our newsletter, and follow us on Instagram and Twitter. It'll mean the world. For all us chook lovers, chicken salt fiends and chippie stans, Red Rooster have just launched the merch line of our dreams. When it comes to national treasures, you don’t much more Australian than Red Rooster.
Jesse From 'MAFS' Claims His 'Ick List' Was A Stitch-Up By Producers
Tell us you love Punkee without telling us you love Punkee. Sign up to our newsletter, and follow us on Instagram and Twitter. It'll mean the world. Jesse Burford from Married at First Sight is on a MISSION right now to clear his goddamn name. Just last week, he went rogue in an interview, shading the MAFS producers for giving Claire an “angel” edit, despite the toxic behaviour he claimed she exhibited.
TikTok Has Become Obsessed With ‘The Hunger Games’ And It’s Unhinged
Tell us you love Punkee without telling us you love Punkee. Sign up to our newsletter, and follow us on Instagram and Twitter. It'll mean the world. It’s not just you, The Hunger Games is inescapable on everyone’s timelines lately. I thought I had busted my algorithm because I needed a video of Peta as the face painted rock for… personal reasons, but it seems that the book series is having a cultural resurgence.
From Scream To Meme Queen: Why Jamie Lee Curtis Is Everywhere Right Now
Tell us you love Punkee without telling us you love Punkee. Sign up to our newsletter, and follow us on Instagram and Twitter. It'll mean the world. Jamie Lee Curtis is in her winning era right now. At long last, she’s finally having her moment in the sun. She recently snagged herself an Oscar, is receiving praise for her chaotic role in Everything Everywhere All At Once, and is carving out her reputation as a happy-to-be-here supportive bestie.
'MAFS' Gronk Shannon Is Now An Uber Eats Driver Because Nowhere Is Safe
Tell us you love Punkee without telling us you love Punkee. Sign up to our newsletter, and follow us on Instagram and Twitter. It'll mean the world. He was arguably the most cursed groom to come out of this year’s Married At First Sight, and now apparently Shannon Adamshas hung up his reality TV shoes… for the time being, anyways. In a wild plot twist, a Reddit user has posted in the MAFS subreddit that he’s now making extra cash as an Uber Eats delivery driver.
Sam And Jordie Shared A Gorgeous Video Of Their Newborn Bub
Tell us you love Punkee without telling us you love Punkee. Sign up to our newsletter, and follow us on Instagram and Twitter. It'll mean the world. The Aussie reality TV family tree is getting bigger. Ex-Bachelorette and Home and Away star, Sam Frost, has welcomed her first baby with Australian Survivor star, Jordie Hansen. The new bubba’s name is Theodore Paul Frost-Hansen (or Ted for short), and is obviously as cute as a button.
Married At First Sight's Jesse Burford Slams Claire Nomarhas' Edit
Tell us you love Punkee without telling us you love Punkee. Sign up to our newsletter, and follow us on Instagram and Twitter. It'll mean the world. Much to the dismay of Married at First Sight fans everywhere, the end is in sight. But thankfully, because the reality TV gods are good, the drama is far from slowing down.
Sydney WorldPride: Archer's Top Picks - Archer Magazine
Hello, queers! Sydney WorldPride is just around the corner, and it’ll also be encompassing the events of 2023’s Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. We’re more excited than Heidi Klum at Halloween, or Mariah Carey at Christmas. Sydney WorldPride will feature over 300 events, across the Official program, WorldPride Arts, WorldPride Sports and open-access program Pride Amplified, so there’s a lot of queer amazingness to choose from.
Non-Binary People's Day: A roundup of pieces from non-binary writers - Archer Magazine
July 14 is International Non-Binary People’s Day! It’s basically my birthday. Just kidding. I’m obviously a Libra. Non-Binary People’s Day came about to celebrate non-binary folks and their identities, while raising awareness of the challenges faced by the non-binary community. It’s a moment to reflect on the richness and diversity of our gender identities, as well as celebrate the wonderful non-binary people in our lives and LGBTQIA+ communities.
The most read pieces of 2021: Poppers, The L Word, sex and disability
As we celebrate our newly launched DISABILITIES issue, we’re also taking the opportunity to look back on all of the brilliant pieces we’ve published this year. This was my first year as Archer Magazine’s Deputy Online Editor. As a long-time Archer volunteer and hanger-arounder of editor Amy Middleton, I was absolutely thrilled to come aboard. I’ve connected with so many brilliant queer writers, who have blown me away with their insight, humour and talent.
Plants, queerness and mental health: The joy of growth
Content warning: this article discusses depression. In 2015, I forgot who I was. Like a reverse Wizard of Oz, the world suddenly went from vibrant colour to black and white. I felt as though there was a storm cloud behind my shoulder. Joy was being sucked out of my every move. Depression wasn’t a new experience for me. I was an unwell teen and was growing into an unwell young adult. I was working a job I hated.
In 2021, Queer-Only Dating Apps Are More Important Than Ever
Tell us you love Punkee without telling us you love Punkee. Sign up to our newsletter, and follow us on Instagram and Twitter. It'll mean the world. As soon as I started chatting to my current partner online, they made sure we’d clarified two key pieces of information about each other: our pronouns and our star signs. They’d posted: “butch non-binary dyke looking for the carabiner to my belt loop”. I’d responded: “your ad is cute, come check out my carabiner collection this weekend?”.
Osher Günsberg And James Mathison Dished The Dirt On Some 'Australian Idol' Secrets
"Kyle Sandilands stole everything from his dressing room...Like the huge TV, everything from the minibar? He ransacked the whole room." Looking back, Australian Idol seems like a fever dream. The fashion, the questionable song choices, the nodules, the controversies, Paris Hilton, Hillsong, gold dresses, tradies singing Pink songs, the fact that Shannon Noll and Guy Sebastian still feature in our lexicon nearly two decades later…it’s a lot to consider.
The Strange And Homophobic History Of “Queer Icons” t.A.T.u
It’s 2006 and I’m sitting cross-legged, my face about 30cm from the lounge room television. I’ve plugged my headphones into the AUX jack at the front of the unit and I’m clutching the VCR remote close to my chest. I’d managed to record the music video for ‘All The Things She Said’ and was watching it on repeat. I was fixated by this clip; the spooky green lighting, chaotic camera movement and of course, the hot lesbian schoolgirls making out in the rain in front of a crowd.
How A Chain Email Convinced The World 'The Ketchup Song' Was An Ode To Satan
Was it simply an innocent pinger anthem? Or was it a secret campaign to get children to worship the devil? School discos were the most important dates of the social calendar at my primary school. We’d pile into our school gymnasium at 6.30pm, where the sports equipment had been swapped out for streamers and a disco ball, while someone’s slightly older cousin sulked in the corner enclosed in a makeshift DJ booth.
Elliot Page & The Incredible Impact Of Trans Coming Out Stories
Yesterday in a heartfelt Instagram post, Elliot Page told the world that he is trans, and that he uses he/they pronouns. It's news that is currently blowing up the internet with countless celebrities, public figures and organisations expressing love and support for Elliot. His post was poignant, acknowledging the relief and joy of sharing this news, allowing him to publicly celebrate his transness.
The Most Thoroughly Cooked Moments In 'Australian Idol' History
Before the Honey Badger dumped two beautiful finalists, before Sarah Murdoch announced the wrong winner of Australia’s Next Top Model and before Martha poured a wine all over Cyrell on MAFS, we had Australian Idol — the cornerstone of Australian television in the early 2000s. The masterpiece that brought us Guy, Shannon, Millsy, Ricki-Lee, Paulini and countless other unmistakable superstars.
Queer-friendly tattoo studios: Disrupting the straight masculinity of the tattoo industry
The first time I walked into a tattoo parlour, a brawny and stand-offish middle-aged man was scoffing at a young female client, telling her that her tattoo idea was never going to happen. I could barely hear him over the aggressively loud metal blasting through the shop speakers. Disheartened, she left, and I was next in line. He asked me what I wanted, and he could barely control his eye roll when I told him the small dainty tattoo I wanted on my wrist.
Archer Asks: Kelli Jean Drinkwater, director of Nothing to Lose
Nothing to Lose is a cinematic celebration of the possibilities and capabilities of fat and queer bodies. The documentary follows a powerful cast of performers as they train and rehearse for an award-winning groundbreaking dance production entitled Nothing to Lose. Seeing the film on its opening night at ACMI late last year, you could feel the significance of the unapologetic nature of this film.
'Being queer isn't just a box, it's a limitless way to express who you are as a person'
In grade six in primary school, when my friends would talk about having crushes on boys in school, I realised that I kind of had crushes on everyone… that’s when I started to think I might be different. When I got to high school, I was more confused than ever. In health and sex education, the only types of relationships we were being taught about was between men and women, and even then, it was all about the intention to have kids.
'I was at a high school party when a crushing terror took over me. It's lasted a decade.'
Content Warning: This article discusses severe anxiety and may be disturbing for readers. The glass I was holding suddenly smashed to the floor. I pressed the fingers of my right hand into different places along my left arm, shoulder and hand. Nothing. I had completely lost all feeling. Cold sweat trickled down my neck and with shaky hands, I attempted to find my pulse in my neck. It was as rapid as a frenzied snare drum. It was 2009; I was 15. I was standing in the backyard at a high school party.
'I felt like a prisoner inside my own body'
At 15 severe anxiety took over Dani's life, but in the midst of a "hellish nightmare" came hope. The glass I was holding suddenly smashed to the floor. I pressed the fingers of my right hand into different places along my left arm, shoulder and hand. Nothing. I had completely lost all feeling. Cold sweat trickled down my neck and with shaky hands, I attempted to find my pulse in my neck. It was as rapid as a frenzied snare drum. It was 2009; I was 15.
In Defence Of The Indecisive Uni Student
Don't be afraid of changing your mind. “So, what do you reckon you’ll do for 75 years on this planet? You have until Monday to decide.” That’s how the end of high school can feel. The seemingly impossible decision around your uni degree can come with the pressures of figuring out your passions, how those things could possibly be employable, and external pressures from family or friends. It can seem like we constantly need to have our minds made up. But what if we don’t?
How to make everyday, IDAHOBIT!
Our top tips for calling out queerphobia. May 17th is International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersexism and Transphobia (or IDAHOBIT as it’s cutely known for short). It’s a day where we celebrate the beautiful LGBTIQ+ community and a reminder that we all need to do more to challenge discrimination. But taking a stand against the discrimination that impacts LGBTIQ+ people can seem tricky, after all, where do you even start?
Archer Asks: Nic Holas, co-founder of The Institute of Many
Nic Holas is a writer, activist and the co-founder of The Institute of Many (TIM), an advocacy platform and grassroots movement for People Living with HIV. TIM has the largest membership of any HIV organization in Australia. We chatted with Nic to talk about U=U, TIM’s latest campaign aiming to highlight the message that an undetectable viral load of HIV is untransmittable. You can watch the U=U videos here. Hey Nic, thanks for chatting with us.
It’s OK Not To Make Friends In Every Single Class At Uni
In fact, a few friendless classes could be good for you. Eating a particularly pungent tuna sandwich on day one of a new elective probably didn’t help me make any friends. Neither did sitting next to the only power point in the lecture room every week and taking up the ports to charge my Nintendo DS and bike lights. It was Wednesday at 1.30pm; Introduction to Criminology. The class where I didn’t make one friend all semester.
We asked eight LGBTIQA people about the importance of queer anthems
BOSTON - MARCH 3: Cher sings at a sold out performance at the Fleet Center during her "Do You Believe?" tour, March 3, 2000. (Boston Globe (Photo by Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)) There are certain songs you'll find in high rotation at any queer event you find yourself at. Every Mardi Gras after party, every queer house party, even every personal ‘pump up’ playlist for LGBTIQA people. It’s hard to deny the power of queer anthems.
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