Sydney WorldPride: Courtney Act reveals what she wishes people really knew about the queer community

Legendary drag queen Courtney Act has revealed what she really wishes people knew about the queer community.

Courtney, who is an ambassador for Booking.com’s Travel Proud program, spoke to Daily Mail Australia at Sydney WorldPride about inclusivity and the one thing she wants people to know about the queer community.

“If you don’t belong to the queer community, I wish people knew that the people of the queer community are just like them,” said the 41-year-old artist.

“We love, we eat, we go to work, we play, we just think about things a little differently sometimes, and sometimes completely the same. I think the more we share and hear each other’s stories, the more we realize that our similarities are greater than our differences,” she added.

Courtney, real name Shane Jenek, grew up in Brisbane and was heavily bullied for being gay.

Ever the comedian, the star joked that if she could go back in time, she’d tell her younger self to “start a YouTube channel sooner and hit the gym,” before spouting a more serious message about self-acceptance.

“I would tell my younger self that the world may not understand who you are now, and you may not understand who you are now, but who you are is valid and remains true to you,” she said.

“Eventually the world will evolve and you will be better understood who you are and you will understand yourself better.”

“If you don’t belong to the queer community, I wish people knew that the people of the queer community are just like them,” the artist told Daily Mail Australia.

WorldPride is an event that promotes lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues internationally through parades, festivals and other cultural activities.

This year, Sydney made history as the first city in the Southern Hemisphere to host a WorldPride event, after winning the rights in 2019.

Courtney played a key role in Sydney WorldPride, performing at the Live and Proud concert and exclusive shows for Booking.com at official ‘Pride Villages’ in Sydney’s CBD.

Ever the comedian, the star joked that if she could go back in time, she’d tell her younger self to “start a YouTube channel sooner and hit the gym,” before spouting a more serious message about self-acceptance.

“I would tell my younger self that the world may not understand who you are now, and you may not understand who you are now, but who you are is valid and remains true to you,” she said.

The singer also recently released her own Sydney WorldPride celebration song, a dance number titled Celebrate.

“Sydney is one of the gay and queer capitals of the world, it’s also part of the Asia-Pacific region of the southern hemisphere that has never seen a WorldPride,” Courtney told Daily Mail Australia.

“I think it’s a great opportunity to bring global attention to Asia Pacific because in some countries it’s not legal to be queer.”

Courtney rose to fame after participating in Australian Idol in 2003.

“Sydney is one of the gay and queer capitals of the world, it’s also part of the Asia-Pacific region of the southern hemisphere, which has never hosted a WorldPride before,” Courtney told Daily Mail Australia