“What I’ve learned to be true is my intuition has never lied to me once. It doesn’t know how to lie”.
Barry Brandon (he/ they/ her/ ze) aka The Queer Indigo lives at the intersections of advocacy & creativity, empowerment & entertainment. It’s Barry’s intuition that has landed him there - as a content creator, influencer, public speaker, emcee & host, community builder & LGBTQ+ leader. I’ll also throw iconic fashionista in there too! And it’s an exciting time for Barry as you’ll hear in this episode of ‘Pause. And Rewind…’
As The Queer Indigo, Barry harnesses social media as a canvas for awareness, expression & connection blending aesthetic appeal with meaningful content that transcends conventional boundaries to a global audience. I’ve followed & loved his Instagram page since its early days several years ago so when our paths crossed through We Create Space, I was overjoyed. The content - bold, empowering, stunning - has helped me to embrace myself more, celebrate my body, femininity & style. It’s a journey as it is for many of us in the LGBTQ+ community and I loved hearing Barry talk about its beginnings as a “dumb walk” and has been able to most past seeing it as simply fun & frivolous through to the realisation of how much impact it has.
This podcast very much explores two origin stories. The origin of The Queer Indigo - as a result of life-changing three hour conversation with a stranger which he describes as “an absolute disruption to my entire life” - and that of Barry’s life before then.
As an 8 open-heart surgery survivor with operations spanning from birth to aged 27, Barry was acutely aware from a young age that “tomorrow was not necessarily promised”. He spent much of his childhood in hospitals looking out of the window simply wishing. Much of his experiences have resulted in Barry’s fearless approach to life (his only fear is “getting dead”) along with an early yearning for justice, a sense of ridiculous at situations around him at times and confusion at the state of the world.
Whether in hospital as a child or throughout life, Barry has always been surrounded by people - it’s something we see in his content now with his love of creating community. He talks about the pride he has in his friendships and how as queer people, we’re “better when we’re together”
As a creative force, I probe Barry about choosing a life of graft following a particular job that paid him an obscene amount of money. “It wasn’t a choice” he replies. Whether producing exquisite content, organising show-stopping events or launching his new magazine ICONIQA, Barry is focused on celebrating queer excellence & joy, amplifying others and empowering everyone to follow an unapologetic of self expression. He’s truly passionate about the queer community and has learned that although our languages, political systems, cultures & traditions may differ, we’re often aligned in our identities, moral compasses, values & search for freedom.
Barry is incredibly humble. He sees himself as a vessel for lifting up & championing others, enabled by his lack of ego & jealousy. Barry expresses how discovering self joy & the adventure of self exploration has led to his happiness, peace & self-value, both professionally & personally.
The three words Barry uses to describe him & his origin story are ‘Resilience. Dreamer. Courageous’. This episode is packed with so many wonderful moments and it was a dream to sit down with Barry for my first in-person recording whilst he was in London. We explore Barry’s love of Oprah, his queer awakening in Berlin & a hilarious childhood anecdote that speaks to both his humour, love of performance & fearlessness. Enjoy!
Please note: Some of the topics we cover during this podcast are sensitive. Please take care of yourself whilst listening.
