I AM... We tell the stories of 8 unique individuals from around the country who share their personal perspective on what it means to be queer in 2018 and their hopes for the future.

These short films were artfully created by Jeff Johnson from JUMP Productions - a Melbourne film director who approached this project through the eye of a creative who is a part of the LGBTQI+ community - showcasing each individual with color, movement, sound and a close attention to detail that comes across beautifully in each narrative.
I am
Oscar Key Sung
facebook.com/oscarkeysung
Oscar Key Sung is ethereal, spiritual and complex. 'D.Y.T' is the first look at new material anticipated for release later this year, an example of music the multi-talented artist worked on whilst living and performing between Mexico City, Berlin and Los Angeles.
His vision for equality puts focus on elevating those with marginalised voices so that everyone can be heard equally.

"I think it's really important to pursue equality and to elevate people who have been subjected to things and to elevate their voices."
Song: D.Y.T - Oscar Key Sung
Kitsune Music
I am
Miss Blanks
facebook.com/missblanks
Miss Banks has quickly established herself as one of the most important voices in Australian hip hop. With provocative lyrics, an unabashed attitude and hard-hitting beats, she has become a force to be reckoned with in Australia's music landscape.

"As a trans woman of colour, what equality means to me is being able to live my most authentic self, free from any kind of discrimination based on the intersections that I offer."
Song: Fantasy - Miss Banks
Dew Process Records
I am
Loredo Malcolm
locreado.com.au
Jamaican born dancer Loredo began training at the young age of 9. He had a brief stint in New York before settling in Australia. He has toured the world in Disney's production of the Lion King and more recently opened his own dance school 'LOcREaDO Dance Company' which performs professionally around the world. Loredo never loses sight of his humble beginnings in homeland Jamaica and the obstacles he has had to overcome to follow his passion.

"I did not wake up going 'I like men.' I just found myself where I found myself."
I am
Darcy Chiswell
@_darcy_lee_
Adelaide based Levi's employee, Darcy has been with the company nearing on 7 years. As a transgender male he has been extremely open about his physical and mental transition both before, during and after hormone replacement therapy and top surgery. A proud, strong individual who now wants to focus on living his life and being true to himself.

"When I got older... I sort of opened my eyes to be like 'maybe I can do this' - I don't have to be famous to be trans, I can just be me and be trans."
I am
Abbe May
abbemay.com
Abbe May is a singer-songwriter based in Perth. After performing with various bands, she began focus on her solo career in 2010. Abbe's self-expression, unapologetic attitude and varying music styles have cemented her as one of Australia's leading rock voices. 2018 has welcomed the release of her latest album 'Fruit'. Throughout each track, Abbe talks desire, faith, pain and sexuality; in fact, the album has been self-labelled as her 'coming out' album.

"I really do like pushing the boundaries; we live in a world that tends to bleach things a little too much."
Bitchcraft - Abbe May
Luxury Cat Records
I am
Kim Leutwyler
kimleutwyler.com
Born in America, Sydney-based Kim Leutwyler migrated to Australia in 2012. She works in a variety of media including painting, installation, ceramics, print media and drawing. Kim's current work takes its form in paintings dealing with images of beauty, gender and Queer-identity.

"Equality is such a broad thing and it's so hard to truly define what success would look like... there's gonna be a next hurdle, for trans-rights and sex workers and everybody who still faces inequality within Australia. So the job will never be done, but I think it's about taking incremental steps to get to those building blocks of equality."
I am
Chili Philly
chiliphilly.com
Since August 2014, as a way of connecting and making new friends in Melbourne, Phil Ferguson has been creating crochet hats and posting them on Instagram with an overwhelmingly positive response. Now, with more than 100k followers on Instagram, Phil has been featured on Huffington Post, BuzzFeed, Frankie Magazine, BBC and even on Instagram's account itself.

"I feel like overtime, everybody's almost proving that any sort of diverse people, they are no different from anybody else."
I am
Ruby Allegra
@rvbyallegra
Adelaide based makeup artist, and soon to be speech pathologist, Ruby Allegra is passionate about promoting intersectionality representation, inclusion and body positivity. Hugely outspoken on Instagram, Ruby is tackling activism and change for those in both the disabled and queer community.

"Ignorance is a reflection of the way people are conditioned in our society to view and understand disability. It's not a reflection of you as a person, or your value and your worth, because you have value and you worth, and disability is a part of that."