Perth’s first LGBTQIA+ radio program with an indigenous perspective has hit the airwaves and the team are eager to share your stories.

Launching in August last year, Rainbow KINection broadcast their very first show on Noongar Radio 100.9FM and have continued to bring queer news to your radio every Thursday afternoon.

We caught up with hosts Mel Brandis and Simone Springer to find out how the show got started, and what they hope to achieve as they charge through their first year.

“We were brainstorming ideas and they liked “Connection” but of course Rainbow Connection with a C had already been taken, but it’s much better to have ‘Kin’ in the title,” Brandis said of the program’s name.

“That’s where a lot of our ideas come from – connection, family, togetherness – and that just fit perfectly with the message we want to put out.”

The team have curated a series of unique guests each week, touching on marriage, mental health, drag, music and much, much more.

“So far we’ve spoken to Lynn MacLaren, Ruven Govender, Alexas Armstrong, Perri Oxide, Anna Diction from Victoria and even Matt McJunkins & Jeff Friedl from A Perfect Circle,” Springer said.

The duo told OUTinPerth they hope to use the program as a conduit to tell a wide range of stories from within the indigenous and LGBTIQ+ communities.

“We don’t want it just to be our voices so we’ve been trying to get as many people as we can from the community to be on.”

“I think one of our favourite episodes was the Pride episode where we had about 10 guests from the community having a chat about what Pride meant to them. Some really made us tear up, but the show must go on!”

Springer and Brandis added that while presenting the show has ultimately been a rewarding experiences, it has come with it’s fair share of challenges in its burgeoning months.

“Around the time of the marriage equality debate there was a huge call for more information. We basically had one show on marriage equality, but we touched on it in many more, and we found ourselves giving out counselling information to a lot of people who needed help.”

“I think having a lot of voices out there saying “It’s going to happen!” and encouraging people to take care of themselves was what the listeners needed.”

Catch Rainbow KINection every Thursday night from 6pm on Noongar Radio 100.9FM.

Leigh Andrew Hill