Ono
2022

Ono (they/them)

Bachelor of Law (Hons) / Bachelor of Arts (Gender Studies)

ACT

Hello, my name is Ono. Inspired by Black and Asian-led queer spaces in London and teachings from the ‘Erotic as Power’ by Audre Lorde, I envisioned a space for community and liberation for Queer, Transgender, Intersex, Black and People of Colour (QTIBPOC) here in Australia. Thus began my journey of bringing together DEiFY – a QTIBPOC collective here on Ngunnawal (Canberra), Ngunawal, and Ngambri land.

Currently, I am studying a Bachelor of Laws, specialising in Law Reform, Environmental and Social Justice, and a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Gender Studies. In these courses, I use critical race, feminist, and queer theory to analyse how the law can simultaneously be a tool of liberation and oppression. Next year, I will complete an Honours thesis examining how colonial understandings of gender, sexuality, and disability have informed LGBTIQ+ case law and its effect on QTIBIPOC communities within Australia. As a community organiser, I have been invited to consultations with the ACT Government, ANU Law School and community organisations.

I want to thank The Commonwealth Bank for this scholarship and The Pinnacle Foundation for this opportunity. I plan to use this opportunity to make a difference within our community and in the advancement of LGBTIQ+ rights within Australia and globally.