QUEER CRUSH OF THE WEEK: Dee Fidge

By Matilda Douglas-Henry

I am yet to meet Dee Fidge, but a few hours spent perusing her pitch-perfect Twitter feed has made me feel like I have.

Whether she is ruminating on the psychological process of birds or tapping into your deepest insecurities with only 140 characters at her disposal, Dee has a way with words that makes you feel less alone. Our brief social media flirtation (culminating in a gif she sent me of two monkeys embracing, AKA a symbol of the beginning of our fruitful friendship) assured me that Dee was the ideal first subject for a new Heaps Gay column – a space where we praise and interview our Queer Crush of the Week!

Dee’s immense crushability extends beyond a killer social media presence, and as such, she is a crush for life, not a crush that merely lasts for seven days. She pens thought-provoking op -eds for the ABC and searing political commentary for SBS comedy, such as the fabulous recent piece “Doctors Are Lying Nerds That Hate Kittens”, that was so on the money I felt like I was reading my own journal.

Not only is Dee a freelance writer, but she is also a comedian and social worker – is this, perhaps, the Holy Trinity of professions? I asked Dee a few questions where we talked about Space Jam, Kmart and how scary pigeons are.

Congratulations on being Heaps Gay’s Crush of the Week! What do you think is your most crushable quality? 

That would be my ability to eat vast quantities of food and never be full. It’s a very attractive trait.

Your Twitter feed demonstrates a real interest in pigeons. Does this stem from a serious fear of them, or are you just interested in their day-to-day life? 

Sorry to get all serious on you for a second but HAVE YOU SEEN THEIR FEET? PIGEONS HAVE DINOSAUR FEET. THEY ARE TERRIFYING. Pigeons want us to think they are harmless so we don’t suspect their plot to murder us and take over the world. This is probably definitely true.

What film best represents you? 

Easy – the 1996 hit film Space Jam. Not because of the scary aliens or whacky cartoon characters, and not because of Michael Jordan’s primo basketball skills, but just because I wanted to remind everyone about the 1996 hit film Space Jam.

What are you wearing right now? 

A Kmart boy’s Bart Simpson t-shirt. I like to shop in the boy’s section because it’s cheaper and they have cool shirts. Please don’t tell anyone.

If you were to come across an animal on the street and you instinctively thought, “wow, this animal is totally emanating my personality”, what animal would that be? 

A frightened possum just doing its best.

How do you navigate the intersection of being a queer person/social worker/comedian? 

I interact with people by using humour; my default state is making (bad) jokes. This has helped my work as a social worker because you have to form connections with people so quickly, so even if they don’t think you’re funny they will think you’re weird and that’s started a conversation.

I also use comedy to write about more serious issues that either I’ve seen first-hand in my work (mental illness, homelessness, substance abuse), or people in my community have experienced. I generally try to wave the rainbow flag wherever I go to remind people that we exist, and also use my privilege as an educated cis gal to draw attention to often-overlooked issues in the queer community.

As a vibrant social media personality, what is your opinion on forming relationships on the internet? Do you think it provides you with a space to form powerful and exciting connections? 

Oh golly, I have never been described as vibrant – I’m going to add that to my LinkedIn.  I definitely think the internet is a wonderful place to meet people and find supportive communities.

It is simultaneously an enormous rotting garbage pit full of bigoted drongos. Sunrise, sunset. That said I’ve met some of my closest friends online through Twitter or in awesome feminist groups, and I’m so thankful for that. Hashtag friendship is good.

Who is your crush of the week?

Stephanie Beatriz, who plays Rosa on Brooklyn Nine Nine. (This is also timely because it’s Bi Visability Week. Let’s not forget the B in LGBT!) She is so funny and beautiful and wonderful and talented and why won’t she date me.

 

Cackle at all of Dee’s amazing jokes at @figgled. Chuck her a follow – you won’t regret it.