Community: A conversation with Mr VicBears 2026

Community
What is it? How do we build it? How do we sustain it?
Join Mr VicBears 2026 Justin for an honest conversation about what it really means to give back to community.
Alongside a panel of respected community leaders who have made significant contributions to the LGBTQIA+ community in Victoria and beyond, this forum will explore what it takes to build resilient, connected, and enduring communities. Together, the panel will unpack the challenges, responsibilities, and rewards of creating and sustaining spaces where people can truly belong.
The discussion will begin with a series of curated questions designed to offer insight into building, maintaining, and growing LGBTQIA+ spaces, followed by an open audience Q&A to bring in community perspectives and questions.
Following the formal discussion, stay on at UBQ for networking and casual socialising.
Event Details
📍 Location: UBQ
📅 Date: Saturday 30 May 2026
🕒 Forum: 3:00pm–5:00pm
🥂 Social / Networking: From 5:00pm onwards
Panellists
Randy Roy | He/Him
•Producer of drag events that platform marginalised performers - kings, gender non-conforming performers, POC, trans people, and disabled people.
•Advocate for accessibility in queer community events, especially for disabled, immunocompromised and neurodivergent people
•Provide resources and support for queer drag king + gender non-conforming performers to express themselves through free workshops, zines, and community-led resource sharing
Tim Jones | He/Him
•I'm Professor of History at La Trobe University and President of the Australian Queer Archives.
•The queer archives has been protecting queer history for 48 years –
•it's volunteer run and funded by donations from the community.
Pepper Pop | She/Her
•A co-owner and business manager of Eagle Leather, which has been serving the Australian fetish, BDSM, leather and queer communities since 1994
•Very passionate about giving back to community, and through Eagle Leather has helped facilitate a long history of donating to and sponsoring LGBTQIA+, fetish, and community organisations, events, and charities. Last year alone, Eagle Leather donated over $30,000 in cash and prizes to LGBTQIA+ and Kink social groups, events, title contests, titleholders and charitable organisations locally and around the world.
•20+ years of BDSM and community involvement, including her work at Eagle Leather but also outside of this, through presenting workshops, performing, volunteering, modelling, judging contests, running events, and generally helping out with some elbow grease behind the scenes - anywhere she is needed!
Brendan | He/Him
•A co-founder of Pride in Water, the Australian and New Zealand Water Industry's LGBTIQ+ initiative ensuring employees, contractors and customers feel safe, included and valued within the water industry.
•A board member of Proud2Play, an organisation dedicated to increasing LGBTIQ+ engagement and safety in sport, exercise, and active recreation and proactively tackling discrimination and hostility within the sporting realm.
•The current VicBears All Stars winner where he was able to raise over $7,000 to support Many Coloured Sky, an organisation which helps to connect and support LGBTIQ+ refugees and immigrants living in Melbourne as well as supporting LGBTIQ+ organisations with capacity building overseas.
Delsi | They/Them
•Owner of grassroots queer org - Unicorns
•LGBTQIA+ Gendered Violence Prevention Educator and Author of the new WorkSafe Victoria LGBTQIA+ Workplace Safety Toolkit called Being Valued
•Melbourne Rubber 2022 Winner and Vice President Melbourne Rubber