in conversation with bush crawling
Written by Elizabeth Weiss
Graphic by Daphne Bryant
Artist Bethan Power is no stranger to the lack of readily available spots for the queer, especially WLW, community to connect. Living in Perth, Power learned to love where she is from despite the lack of a strong LGBTQ+ presence. Even though Western Australia is geographically isolated, instead of leaving she decided to start a movement: with that, Bush Crawling was born.
Image courtesy of Chloe Sherman
Q: What is Bush Crawling and how did it start?
A: [Bush Crawling] was born out of a desire to meet and befriend other lesbians locally. I had come out of a long-term relationship and realised I’d isolated myself quite a lot during it - to no fault of my ex girlfriend. Coming out of that period of my life, I had to come to terms with who I wanted to be and what I valued. Community and friendship is something I deeply value. Despite cherishing my existing friendships, I always craved wanting to feel more connected to other lesbians. Whilst sexuality is not the most important thing about us, there is something incredibly special about being able to connect with people who share a similar understanding of the world as you.
Perth (Boorloo), Western Australia, is considered the most geographically isolated city in the world. It is a beautiful place to live and I am eternally grateful to have found myself residing here. However, this isn't the case for everyone. Many young adults move away from this city, often relocating to cities on the eastern coast, in search of something better. But, I don't believe this is the way to go. I think there is a fundamental flaw in moving away in search of something better and forgetting what we are blessed to already have.
I often hear people speak of Melbourne (Naarm) as the "queer capital" of Australia. Thus, people flock there - in search of what they feel is lacking here in Perth. I have no intent to move cities, or countries, at this current point in time. And I find it disheartening to think that [moving] is the only way I could ever find a community centered around lesbians. So, I figured I would just start my own. Bush Crawling itself started on a bit of a whim. I had been listening to the“ Lesbian Supper Club” podcast quite a bit in the week leading up to this and see this as a big inspiration. Over text one evening I had been venting to my friend, Hideen, about wanting a space for lesbians to meet and make friends in Perth. I mentioned how I wanted to start up a club of sorts but couldn't think of a fitting name. Hideen dropped "bush crawling" into the conversation - and so the club was born! I realised if I didn't do something then, that I would probably put it off. So I made an Instagram account, titled it @bushcrawling and decided I could figure out the rest the next day.
Q: I’m curious as to how you built the community. Outreach is so hard!
A: We are still a pretty small community, and haven't even had our first meetup yet! It will be on November 30 and I'm super excited for it! So far, the community has grown quite organically. I've been creating posts on Instagram, which have been shared by followers,thus exposing Bush Crawling to a wider audience. The majority of the community is local, though I noticed in the accounts analytics tab that we have a handful of overseas followers which is quite exciting! That being said, I must give credit to the wonderful women who have been actively engaging with the account and sharing news of it with others. Early into creating Bush Crawling, Vee (@acidbathvamp) reached out to me and offered to create a short TikTok video to spread the word about Bush Crawling. The video is wonderful, as is she. I think a lot of lesbians are gravitating to this space because we really don't have many existing spaces dedicated to us.
Image courtesy of Linden Archives
Q: What has been the most profound or inspirational aspect of this experience for you?
A: I think the most profound aspect of this experience so far has been the interaction with other lesbians who have expressed their gratitude to me for starting this group. Connecting with one another online is all well and good, but it is no substitute for in-person human connection. I suppose I hadn't realised how much my own feelings of isolation were shared by other lesbians around me.
Q: Why do you think it’s important to have queer oriented spaces?
A: I think it will always be important for marginalized communities, of all kinds, to have spaces dedicated to them. I think my friend said it gorgeously.
“ It is important to stay connected with people from different walks of life, as our differences are what makes being human so beautiful. At the same time, we are all deserving of our own smaller communities of culturally like-minded individuals.”
Q: What is girlhood to you?
A: Girlhood, to me, is the shared continual navigation of what it means to exist as women within this world.
