Photo credit: Alex Frayne
Written by: Caitlin Holt
Bedazzled in ornate earrings and a bright-red lip, Dr Gertrude Glossip PhD (Formal Drapery, Curtain University) has a unique 30-year history to tell.
Gertrude shares her wisdom gained from 25 years of Feast Festival participation, and 29 years of growing into the Gertrude Glossip identity. Her Queer History Walks are an iconic Festival event, with this year being both a celebration of the Festival’s 25th birthday, and remembering Ian Purcell AM, founding member of the SA Rainbow Advocacy Alliance.
Will Sergeant and Dr Gertrude Glossip are two sides of the same coin. Will’s alter-ego, Gertrude, was created in 1993 for The Uranian Society, an Adelaide forum for gay men’s culture that started in 1989, of which, Will was a founding member.
The group took a trip to Urania, a small town on the Yorke Peninsula, and were in need of a leader to conduct a walking tour revealing its ‘secret’ gay history. Thus, the ‘Dr Gertrude Glossip’ character was born.
“Gertrude is not a drag queen. I’m just an exaggerated version of Will. Will with a bit more, and a bit more frocked up,” Gertrude said.
“It’s not very hard to make the transition either way. The fluidity between the two is very easy.”
For the first Feast Festival in 1997, then artistic director, Margie Fischer, approached The Uranian Society to conduct a history walk. The late Ian Purcell AM and Will Sergeant worked together to create ‘Sex, Crimes, Shocks and Scandals: The John Lee Memorial Adelaide Gay History Walk’, led by Will’s alter-ego, Gertrude.
Dr Gertrude Glossip has conducted a history walk for the Feast Festival every year since. When asked what words of wisdom she would like to impart on a younger Gertrude Glossip, she reminisced on how the character has evolved over the past 30 years.
“I would say to a younger Gertrude that you’ve started on a journey, just keep going. In 30 years, you’re going to be an absolute icon, so just keep going and evolve to some extent,” she said.
“The original image was a bit frumpier, so I would have asked her to just work on her style a little bit.
“The look nowadays is very much ‘down and diva’. My great fashion icons are the late Queen Mother and Dame Edna Everage.”
Twenty-five years on, certified Queen of the Walk, Dr Gertrude Glossip, is taking festival-goers on a nautical but nice ‘cruise’ of the queer history of Port Adelaide through swamps, wharves, pubs, and back alleys of The Port.
‘Hello Sailor: Queering The Port! Feast Rainbow History Walk Season 26 in Memory of Ian Purcell
AM’ will be a magical maritime of moments to remember, held Sunday the 13th of November from 11am.
“This year’s walk is sponsored by the Port Adelaide City Council Library. We did the original walk in 2005, and this year will be based on that but with new material,” Gertrude said.
“Will and I have always added something new. As Gertrude, one of her catchcries is, ‘something old,
something new, something borrowed and always something a little blue’.”
As Adelaide’s Queer Arts and Cultural Festival, Feast brings together LGBTQIA+ artists and community
members from around the state to celebrate all things queer.
Gertrude emphasises that everyone from the wider community is invited to join.
“There are always new people on the walk, or ‘Gertrude Virgins’ as I call them, and I like to make them feel very welcome. On all walks there is a breadth of people from young to old.”
Once known as the Adelaide Lesbian and Gay Cultural Festival, Feast has evolved to represent and embody the entire queer spectrum, which Gertrude calls her ‘rainbow family’.
“There’s more diversity and inclusivity across the board which is marvellous. For allies to be welcomed is another great thing too,” Gertrude said.
“Trans people have a much greater profile now. It’s a very important progression from 30 years ago. Trans people got a little lost in the ‘gay and lesbian’ title.
“I feel so honoured to see the Festival evolve and to be an ambassador of the Feast Festival this year, particularly in its Silver Jubilee.”
To join Dr Gertrude Glossip on her ‘Hello Sailor: Queering The Port!’ walking tour, book via the Port Adelaide Library by phoning: 8405 6580.
For more information on Feast Festival and to see the full event program, visit
https://www.feast.org.au/events/.
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