This Week on Orange Ribbon Saturday 15 May 2010

On this weeks show, we will be exploring the two sides of  "coming out". What is it like for someone to come out to a friend, their reaction and what it is like for the friend to have someone come out to them.

Both our guests are born in Australia to Vietnamese/Chinese parents, we will be looking into if it was easier for one to come out to the other because of their background or because they were good friends only.

If you have had an experience of coming out to a friend and want to share your experience, you can email onair@joy.org.au or sms 0427 JOY 949.

Another great Orange Ribbon show this week on Joy 94.9.

This Week on Orange Ribbon Saturday 8 May 2010

On this weeks show we will be speaking with Ravi who is a counsellor with mostly young people who have various problems including drugs, alcohol and mental health problems. Not all his patients are gay but there are some who are and we will talk to Ravi about what the challenges are for them.

Ravi has been with us Orange Ribbon before and we talked about India and how the High Court in Delhi legalised homosexuality. This week we will ask Ravi, has India move on from there? has it made a difference to the gay population in Delhi?

Tune into Orange Ribbon on Joy 94.9 on Saturday at 2.00pm.

Ravi will be available to answer your questions as much as he can, you can email him at onair@joy.org.au or sms 0427 JOY 949

This Week on Orange Ribbon Saturday 1 May

This week on Orange Ribbon we will be speaking to Henry from Bogota in Columbia. He will talk about his country, the poverty and how catholic his country really is.

Henry will also talk about training to be a Catholic Priest, a Dominican Brother in the  the church and how he found it easy to be gay even though he was very religious.

Henry is will be frank about the church and how many gay people he met while studying and part of the church. . He talks about leaving the church and studying an other profession but eventually it pulled him back in, he will tells why and how.

He will tells us why he came to Australia, what he is doing now and how life has changed a lot for him.

This week on Orange Ribbon is a little bit different, we do not get many people who have done so much in their life and happy to settle for something completely different.

Tune into Joy 94.9 and Orange Ribbon this Saturday at 2.00pm to hear Henry's fascinating story.

This Week on Orange Ribbon Saturday 24 April

This week on Orange Ribbon we will be talking to Eric who is Malaysian Chinese but has live in Australia for over 10 years. He will talk about his life in Malaysia and how and why it is different from his life here in Australia.

He will talk coming out to his parents and how he did it and who he told 1st and why. His story about coming out to them is different from the usual and quite funny. He will tell us how he met his partner and how his mother introduced his partner to someone else 1st.

You will enjoy Eric's story, he is honest about his life and funny about what happened along the way.

Tune in to Joy 94.9 on Saturday at 2.00pm to hear his story.

 

This Saturday on Orange Ribbon 17 April 2010

This week on Orange Ribbon we have Marc who was born and raised in France. He has spent a lot of his adult life in many countries not least in various cities in and around China.
He has a very interesting story, educated in France but also did his university studies in other countries and worked in Honk Kong and China for several years.
He met his 1st partner in his late 20's in China and has never looked back..
Marc will talk about life in China, coming out at a late age and how he eventually told his family about his life.
Tune into Joy 94.9 at 2.00pm this Saturday to hear Marc's very interesting story.

This Weeks Show Saturday 10 April

On the first half of this weeks show, we will be introducing our new presenter Mark. Mark will talk a little bit about himself, tell us what part of the world he comes from and how he got involved with Joy 94.9.

On the second half of the show, we will be speaking to Sanda who is a model, Bollywood Actress and Yoga teacher. Sanda is Croatian, lived in Sweden part of her life and has traveled the world as a model and eventually an actress in India.

Tune into Orange Ribbon on Joy 94.9 at 2.00pm to hear her amazing story.

Intercultural relationships... from the Australian partner point of view

There are many gay & lesbian relationships in Australia where one partner is of a traditional Anglo/Australian heritage, and the partner is from some other country... be that one of the European countries, the Americas, Latin America, Middle East, the African continent, or one of the many Asian countries.

This week we take a look at one Australian's view on such intercultural relationships, and his own experiences with a number of short, and one not-so-short, intercultural relationships. Our guest this week is 31-y.o. Scott, an Anglo Saxon Australian who professes to liking guys "with tanned skins", be they Latin American, or Asian. Scott will openly discuss his experiences, why he prefers this "type" of man, and how he has handled such relationships. And he will specifically discuss his experiences with the longest relationship he has had to-date, which ended about a year ago... or did it?

This can be a controversial topic, particularly if we end up discussing such labels as Rice Queen, Potatoe Queen, Sticky Rice etc. But it's a topic that is of interest to many people in our communities never-the-less. So listen in to Orange Ribbon next Saturday (3rd April, 2010) when Hao and Allan (yes... Allan is returning briefly...) chat with Scott about all of the above issues.

And one final note of sadness... and the reason for Allan's brief return this coming Saturday...

Orange Ribbon presenter, Hugh McKenna, has recently been on 4 weeks holidays which not only took him to India for a 40th birthday party, but also back home to Scotland in order for him to catch up with his very ill and ageing mother. Hugh returned home to Melbourne just last week and was able to return to the airwaves last Saturday.

Unfortunately, Hugh's Mum passed away in the past 24 hours, which means that Hugh has now had to rush back to Scotland again for the funeral. Our sincere thoughts are with Hugh and his family during this very sad moment in their lives.

As a result of the above emergency, Allan will be back with Hao for this coming Saturday's program, before he too heads off back to Hong Kong again next week for most of April. It is expected that Hugh will be back on board again for Orange Ribbon on Saturday 10th April. Our condolences to Hugh and his extended family at this difficult and stressful time.

Orange Ribbon: 2:00pm Saturday, 3rd April, 2010

This Week on Orange Ribbon Saturday 27 March

This week we will be speaking to Jason who originally comes from mainland China. He will tell us what his family life was in like China, why his parents decided to come to Australia and what life was like for his parents and him when they first arrived here.
Jason was very young when he came to Australia, we will find out what it is like for a child to come to Australia  and have to learn to speak English at school and see his parents struggle to pay the rent and buy food.
He will also talk about the first person he came out to and why, even though he did not even like her.

To hear Jason's story, tune into Joy 94.9 and Orange Ribbon on Saturday at 2.00pm.

Born in Mauritius, raised in Australia

Mauritius is a tiny island spec out in the middle of the Indian Ocean, off the coast of the much larger Madagascar, which in turn is off the eastern coast of Africa.

This week on Orange Ribbon we chat with Michael, who was born in Mauritius, but moved with his family to Australia some 40 years ago when he was a toddler.

As a result, although with obviously coloured skin, Michael is very much Australian in so many ways, having effectively spent almost his entire life in Melbourne. He comes from a Catholic family, although he admits that religious convictions have long faded into the background of his life. He will discuss being raised in the outer northern suburbs of Melbourne,, family issues, the freedom of going to university, and about his coming out process.

These days Michael works in Event Management, and he also will speak briefly about just some of the issues he has to deal with on a day-to-day basis with his work, and about some of the major events in which he has been involved.

So join Allan and Hao this coming Saturday (13th March, 2010) at 2:00pm for this interesting chat.

Orange Ribbon can be heard every Saturday between 2:00-3:00pm on JOY 94.9FM, or if you are not in Melbourne then you can listen in "live" via JOY's webstreaming.

Orange Ribbon moves to a new day and time

Regular listeners to Orange Ribbon will be used to tuning in to JOY 94.9FM on Wednesday evenings for the past three and a half years. In December we had a minor time change, having been moved from 7pm to 8pm.

HOWEVER... Orange Ribbon is now to have a brand new day and time. We are being re-scheduled to Saturdays. Which day...?

• Saturday
• Samedi
• Samstag
• Zaterdag
• Sabato
• Sábado
• 토요일
• 土曜日
• 星期六

Beginning Saturday, March 6th, Orange Ribbon will be heard at 2:00pm every Saturday. The last Wednesday evening edition was presented on 24th February, and JOY's new and revised program schedule will take effect from Monday 1st March, which means that Orange Ribbon now has a 10-day break before returning to the airwaves again at our brand new time.

So... beginning from Saturday 6th March, and every Saturday after that, tune in to Orange Ribbon at 2pm every Saturday on JOY 94.9FM. Or if you live outside Melbourne (Australia) then you hear the live webcast concurrently from the JOY website.

Living in an inter-cultural relationship

Over the years Orange Ribbon has spoken to a number of intercultural couples... i.e. gay or lesbian couples where each partner comes from a different country or culture. These are always interesting discussions, and every one has its own uniqueness, quality, and fascinating story.

This week we visit another inter-cultural relationship.
Tim is Australian and a familar voice and a founder of "The Spin" program heard on Tuesday nights on JOY 94.9. His partner, Greg, is Singaporean and has only been here in Melbourne for about five months.

Each has his own unique story, and we get to discuss coming out issues, family, church, meeting parents, and much more.

But we also chat about what it is like to be in an intercultural relationship... language miscommunication, living together, who cooks the meals, and what type of meals... and a number of other relationship issues.

And Tim also tells us about a new JOY program which he will be part of which premieres next Tuesday night on JOY 94.9.

So join Allan on Wednesday 24th February at 8pm for this very interesting discussion on JOY 94.9FM. And if you are not in Melbourne then you can listen in via the internet from the JOY website.

American Experiences

Hao returns to this week's program to discuss about his experiences with his America trips.  Hao has been to America many times and has made some interesting observation about American life and culture.

So join Allan and Hao at 8:00pm this Wednesday (17th February) for this weeks edition of Orange Ribbon on JOY 94.9FM (Melbourne) or via webcasting on http://www.joy.org.au/.

This Week on Orange Ribbon Wednesday 10 February 2010

This weeks on Orange Ribbon our guest is from New Zealand, Conrad grew up in a small town called Taurango with a small population and he describes it as country and coastal. He enjoyed his life in New Zealand but things changed when he went to the USA as an exchange student and he had to go back to New Zealand and settle back there. He will tells us about discovering he was "different" and making the big decision to move to Australia which change his life and eventually met his partner. Conrad has a story with a difference, he is not the only gay in the family. To find out whom the other gay is and hear the whole story, tune into Joy 94.9 and Orange Ribbon on Wednesday night at 8.00pm.

An old presenter returns

Hao is Vietnamese-Chinese-Australian, and was a presenter on Orange Ribbon from 2003 through until our 12-month "off air" break in mid 2005. Hao made a brief appearance on our 400th anniversary program in December, where he indicated that he might return to the airwaves sometime in the new year.

Well, he's returning, and will be on tonight's program as a guest. And you will hear some more from Hao over the next few weeks. So tune in to Orange Ribbon tonight (3rd February, 2010) to get an update on what Hao has been doing over the past 5 years, why he left Orange Ribbon 5 years ago, and he may also express some personal views on the gay Asian community in Melbourne, and Australia.

This week on Orange Ribbon Wednesday 27 January

Our guest this week is an indigenous TV and radio personality, journalist, and entertainer. Pascoe Braun will talk about how young his mother and father when they had him, being one of the stolen generation, and the white family who adopted him. He will also give us an insight into how the church treated the indigenous people and the heartache he and many of his community still feel today.

We will talk about the gay indigenous community in Adelaide and the events that take place there for them.  Pascoe has very strong views about the Australian and Aboriginal flag and what the government of today should  do with them.

He is very open about the sad start to his life, going on the streets as a teenager, but also lets you see how he turned his life around and changed everything for the better.

A Fillipino singer joins us on Wednesday

Del was raised in Cebu (Philippines), of a Chinese mother and a Fillipino/Spanish father, who separated when he was just 5 years of age, so he ended up being raised by his mother. He is an only child, although he has a half-brother and half-sister from his father's subsequent re-marriage.

Del's original life plans were to be involved in fine arts, but this didn't really start to develop until his university days where he was initially involved in the university drama club, and where later he ended up being president of that same club.

Due to a set of circumstances which he will outline on Orange Ribbon on Wednesday night, Del ended up being offered a recording contract with a major recording label, which resulted in him settling in Manila for most of the past 10 years. But he did not like the "show business" side of the industry. He preferred to just be able to sing at venues, hotels etc., and not have to worry about all the associated PR and "sales" activities associated with marketing record albums etc.

As a result of a later change of agents he gained a series of assignments (most of around 6 months...) singing at a number of well-known international 5-Star hotel venues in Japan, Indonesia, Singapore, and latterly Korea.

There is much, much more to Del's story, including his meeting with his current Austraian partner. So you will need to listen in to Orange Ribbon this coming Wednesday evening (20th January, 2010) at 8:00pm where we will hear about a very interesting life from a very gifted and talented singer.

Orange Ribbon, 8:00pm every Wednesday, on JOY 94.9FM in Melbourne, or you can listen in "live" over the internet by going to http://www.joy.org.au/ and clicking on the "Listen Now" icon at the top of the page.

From Greece to Australia to the States

What must it be like to be plucked from your surrounds at the age of twelve and be plonked into a whole new one with different culture and language? Or to switch to a different career that is world's apart? Constant change seems to embody the life of Simon Simoudis, an Australian of Greek background.

Join us on Orange Ribbon on Wednesday, 13th of January 2010, on Joy 94.9fm at 8pm as Simon shares with us his stories. Wondering how the US fits into this show? Tune in and find out.

A young man from Colombia is next

On Orange Ribbon this week we get to chat with a young man from Bogota, Colombia, who has just spent six months in Australia undertaking a short-course here as part of an exchange program.

Nicolas, although not religious or from a religious family, went to a Catholic school in Bogota, which created its own problems as he will tell us. It was in his early teenage years that he began to realize that he was gay, and he finally came out to his Mum at age 17 when he was directly confronted by her about his sexuality.

He talks about coming out and life as a gay person in Colombia.

Nicolas is passionate about his country and feels he has to help its people. Poverty is rife, and he tells us why and how the poor people live.

Here is a very intelligent and educated young man who dearly loves his country and hopes to be able to help build a better life for all Colombians, albeit having to try and resolve the crime (much of it related to the drug trade...), the corruption, the poverty, and many other issues facing his country. One of his early objectives is to become a professor to further educate his people, and also he would like to work for the World Bank one day.

Nicholas is only 21 years old and his story will make you realise, not all of the youth of today think the same way.

Join Ka Fam, Hugh, and Allan for this interesting chat coming up this Wednesday evening at 8:00pm on JOY 94.9FM.

Our annual Retrospective (2009)

Yes, it's that time of the year again. Another year has passed, and another 52 editions of Orange Ribbon has been produced.
As has been our habit over recent years, the last program of the year is our "retrospective edition" where we select out snippets from the various programs during 2009, to either remind you of some great interviews you have heard, or to remind you of some you may have missed.

Each year we try to pull out small segmnets of interesting chats we have had, or some funny moments we have had in the studio, or perhaps an aggegration of snippets on a common theme.

So join Allan, Ka Fam, and Hugh this coming Wednesday night (30th December) at 8:00pm for our 2009 retrospective edition.

And the Orange Ribbon team wishes all our loyal listeners a safe and enjoyable holiday season, and that 2010 will be a happy and prosperous year.

This week on orange ribbon Wednesday 23 december

On this weeks show we are honoured to have a Chinese guest from mainland China. Bin comes from Shanghai and has an amazing story to tell about life in China and working in the medical profession there.

He gives us an insight into the gay scene in China and how the government is handling the HIV situation in the country. We will hear about censorship of gay publications in Chinese but not in English.

Tune in to orange Ribbon on Joy 94.9 from 8.00pm to 9.00pm to hear the whole story.