‘Shame and betrayal’: giving light to rural NSW’s dark LGBTQ+ chapter

Josie Young in her Sydney apartment. The designer recalls the experience of growing up queer in rural NSW as ‘confusing’. Photograph: Carly Earl/The Guardian

When the Sydney-based designer Josie Young undertook an online search for the queer history of her rural hometown, she stumbled onto the team researching a podcast about the world’s only gay prison, situated at the heart of Cooma in the New South Wales Snowy Monaro region.

“I sent them a quick note to say I was keen to hear more and stay updated with their findings,” she told Guardian Australia.