The cross-section of identity and advocacy

In the bustling heart of Darlinghurst, where Oxford Street pulses with rainbow pride, stands a remarkable institution that bridges communities and identities in ways its visitors might never expect. QTOPIA Sydney, the world’s largest centre for queer history and culture, is led by a man whose Jewish upbringing profoundly shapes his approach to LGBTQIA+ advocacy and education.

Greg Fisher, QTOPIA’s founding CEO, speaks candidly about the intersectionality that defines both his personal journey and professional mission. “I’ve always been brought up, or I’ve grown up with two known identities, in my mind, Jewish and gay, probably three, and also Australian,” Fisher told The AJN. “They’re sort of the three prongs to my identity.”

This intersection isn’t merely personal — it’s foundational to how QTOPIA operates and the values it champions.

What began as conversations around a kitchen table has transformed into something extraordinary. Fisher was brought in during QTOPIA’s conceptual stage and invited to become its founding CEO, initially working pro bono while securing government support across all three levels and building community trust.

“I do take a lot of the lessons from my Jewish background and apply it to my work here,” Fisher reflected. “I think probably not consciously, but subconsciously, certainly in formulating programs and approaches with understanding from the discrimination against Jewish people that is often felt and the need for understanding, tolerance and acceptance.”

The parallels between Jewish and queer experiences of marginalisation have created natural educational partnerships. This year, marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, QTOPIA will present a major exhibition about the Holocaust and the queer experience, developed in consultation with the Sydney Jewish Museum — conveniently located just 300 metres away.

“Schools that come can literally go from one to the other, and to get the exposure through both lenses is something that, certainly, we’ve had a lot of interest in,” Fisher noted, highlighting how both institutions tackle similar themes through different cultural perspectives.

QTOPIA defies simple categorisation.

As Fished explained, it’s “a centre for queer history and culture, as opposed to just simply calling it a museum, because it is a lot more than that.”

The institution operates across three pillars: traditional exhibitions, educational programs (both curricular and non-curricular linked), and performance spaces that “amplify the voices of LGBTQIA+ and allies.”

The educational component particularly resonates with Fisher’s Jewish community values. Like other cultural institutions focused on marginalised communities, QTOPIA’s lessons centre on “inclusivity, respective identity, and respect of other people’s identity.”

As Fisher drew the comparison: “If students were to go to the Jewish Museum, the lens is obviously the Jewish community and its experiences, but the lessons relate to identity, inclusivity, and respect for others.”

QTOPIA is housed in the former Darlinghurst Police Station, which is the building that once imprisoned the 78ers — activists from the pivotal 1978 demonstration that sparked Australia’s first Mardi Gras.

Describing the 78ers as “accidental warriors or accidental advocates”, Fisher explained that while chanting for equal rights, the 78ers were round up by police and thrown into cells at the Darlinghurst Police Station. Their names were also published in the newspaper and many lost their jobs, with some even dying by suicide at the time.

“There was horror from the 78ers. But we worked with them gently and slowly … A lot of the 78ers were very traumatised by the concept of QTOPIA being here,” Fisher recalled. “We had psychologists assisting them in coming into the building.”

The transformation, though, has been remarkable.

“Once they came in and they saw how much we had actually changed it … they have embraced it, and they’re now our volunteers. They’re our living treasures … they’ve adopted it as their place. It’s a huge thing, to go from it being a place of trauma to a place where they feel safe, where they feel included, where they lead other people, tell their stories. It’s a magnificent thing to watch,” Fisher explained.

This June, during Pride Month, QTOPIA will unveil a documentary featuring these “living treasures” returning to the building, alongside a group photograph of the 78ers outside the centre. And, according to Fisher, the 78ers have claimed back their story, using the pink and black triangles are their logo.

“The pink triangle is from the Holocaust and so is the black one. The pink one, of course, was for gay men. The black one was for vagrant women. They didn’t call them lesbians back then. They decided to combine it and claim it back. And I really admire that,” he said, explaining that he owes all of his freedoms today to that group of brave individuals.

“I’m very grateful to them, because the freedoms that I enjoy are on their shoulders. I was 10 years too young to be out there in the streets with them,” he shared.

Also during Pride Month is Pride Fest, now in its second year, which kicks off on June 1, and brings over 150 events and more than 400 artists to Sydney. Fisher pointed to three events that he is most excited about, one of which is the documentary about the 78ers, to be screened on June 24.

“We decided to have a video made nearly 50 years on, and a big photo done of the 78ers outside the front of QTOPIA which will be revealed on June 24,” Fisher explained. “I’ve seen the video, and it’s so beautiful. It’s a beautiful teaching piece.”

Fisher also mentioned A Friend of Dorothy: Anthems of Pride which Fisher described as a very fun “walk through our history through anthems”.

And then, of course, there’s our very own Robyn Reynolds who will be performing What Doesn’t Kill You.

As QTOPIA prepares for its Pride Fest programming, Fisher emphasises the centre’s role as a community asset: “The best thing I can say is that the community have embraced QTOPIA as its asset … it’s not mine. I’m just the person in the chair at the moment as CEO.”

What’s bringing hope to Fisher is that he is seeing changes in the younger generation and their attitude towards inclusivity. He shared the story about a Catholic school from Port Macquarie coming to visit the centre, where a classmate felt so safe, that she came out as a lesbian – she wanted her identity to be known and understood and her fellow students and teachers embraced her.

“You could have knocked me over with a featherweight,” he admits, reflecting on how different today’s acceptance is from his own youth when “for the first part of my life, of course, being gay had to be quashed and hidden.

“I look at the kids now, and I feel there’s almost this hunger for people, for young kids, to have that understanding and inclusivity. That doesn’t mean there’s not a lot of bullying, but it’s certainly a lot better than what it used to be.”

For more information about QTOPIA, visit qtopiasydney.com.au
For the full Pride Fest program, head to qtopiasydney.com.au/pride-fest-2025