The Dalarinji Project- “Your Story”: A Narrative Synthesis

Abstract

This paper summarises the achievements of the Dalarinji (in Dharug, ‘Your Story’) research project. The aim of the project was to understand the social and emotional wellbeing of Indigenous LGBTIQSB+ peoples (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex, queer, sistagirl, brothaboy) living in the place now known as New South Wales (NSW), Australia. The project was codesigned and co-led by our project partners, BlaQ Aboriginal Corporation and the Aboriginal Project at ACON. Over the course of the project, we conducted interviews, workshops, and an online survey to collect Indigenous LGBTIQSB+ peoples’ needs, experiences and aspirations from across NSW. This article synthesises the available literature on Indigenous LGBTIQSB+ people at the start of the project in 2019 and tracks the progress of the field and the project outputs since then. Using information from each of the project’s publications, this article summarises the project’s findings in relationship to debates about human rights; identity, belonging and connectedness; viable alternative futures and service provision. The article concludes with a commentary on work in the field and some suggestions regarding the way forward.