It's So Hard

Tess Lyrez

I'm Tess Lyrez, a Western Australia–based and touring Ȿ:/ 𝒲₃ᵣ. Listen in as I chat with guests about life in and around the Ȿ₃* industry. Website - softermedia.net

  1. SEASON 3, EPISODE 115 TRAILER

    115. Silencing within Orgs feat. Nat Tang, Chloe Durand, Stuart Venables, and Gemma Frances: "Stop being a hack brutha..."

    "The movement is not found in the four walls of just one organisation. And if you are the sort of person who is prone to speaking out — sometimes against your own self-interest, just on the basis that it's the right thing to do — you will find that your capacity for change is not bound to one particular organisation..." -Chloe Durand In this episode, we chat about the toxic patterns that show up in political parties, Ȿ:/ 𝒲 orgs, and other organising spaces. Many thanks to former WA Greens co-conveners Nat Tang (@natchiching) and Chloe Durand (@nicotene_dundee), former WA Greens secretary Stuart Venables (@ssvenables), and ex-culty Gemma Frances (@unhinged.oracle) for your insights. Recorded 23rd August 2025 Host - Tess Lyrez @softermedia Sound - Michael Unwin @___mauja___ Leave a review or sign up to my mailing list - softermedia.net Contains explicit descriptions. S3:E115

    1h 40m

  2. 01/07/2025

    114. When Policy Doesn't Work feat. Nat Tang: "Our enemies are organising against us..."

    Nat Tang (@natchiching) is the former Policy Convener for The Greens WA. In 2022, she consulted Decrim WA while developing the party's Ȿ:/ 𝒲 policy. In this episode, we discuss the importance of consulting grassroots communities, whether Ȿ:/ 𝒲 and domestic violence should be framed as women's issues, and the stigma and limitations we encountered while working on decriminalisation efforts. Recorded 21st June 2025 Host - Tess Lyrez @softermedia Sound - Michael Unwin @___mauja___ Mentions - @demyunn Website - softermedia.net Contains explicit descriptions. S3:E114

    1h 48m

  3. 11/02/2025

    Moments: Me on Making Emotional Labour Visible - with thanks Sabah & Pris (links in notes)

    This moment was recorded LIVE as part of Consent Conversations at Smut Club. The rest of this discussion is coming soon. Many thanks to Sabah and Pris for deepening my understanding of consent and emotional labour. This conversation couldn't fully capture my mistakes in the deleted episode or the depth of their feedback and advice. For more insights, I recommend following and supporting them directly. Sabah - @badgalcovphephe Pris - @prisbackedup and @decolonisesexworkau It's So Hard is produced by - Tess Lyrez Instagram - @softermedia   Website - softermedia.net

    6 min

  4. TRAILER

    Moments: V on Decrim 4 Dummies

    Decrim 4 Dummies is a workshop by V from Decrim WA. This 101 entry-level session breaks down everything you need to know about the SW laws in unceded, so-called Western Australia - and beyond. Tickets to Decrim 4 Dummies (live episode) Tickets to Consent Conversations (live episode) Smut Club events and info This moment is from episode 112. Mentions - Smut Club @smutclubfilmfest, V @puppygirlfemboy, Lua @littlelua.s, & Mercy @mxstress.mercy It's So Hard is produced by - Tess Lyrez Instagram - @softermedia   Website - softermedia.net

    2 min

  5. 20/08/2024

    113. The Future of the NDIS feat. Sunyal Maroo: "It's politics 101..."

    "If you don't have any connection to disability from your own life, it's very easy to not understand it." -Sunyal Maroo Sunyal Maroo was born with Ataxic Cerebral Palsy and began experiencing debilitating chronic nerve pain at the age of 17. He has forged a career that leverages his lived experiences in his professional life. After graduating, Sunyal worked in various roles at Curtin University. He is currently a valuable member of the IT & Risk Assurance team and serves as the chairperson of the Accessible @ Curtin Collective. In this episode, Sunyal discusses abled bodied assumptions, his mental health journey, and his passion for risk management. He criticises Labor's NDIS Amendment Bill (2024) and urges abled folks to better advocate for and include disabled people, at all levels. LinkedIn - https://au.linkedin.com/in/sunyalmaroo Contact - sunyalm@protonmail.com Recorded 21st July 2024 Disability is NOT a Bad Word Isabella Choate, TEDx Nothing Without Us podcast Youth Disability Action Network (YDAN) NDIS Ban Sex Work with Lua from Decrim WA Lua and Joni Boyd, Indymedia Touching Base Resources and action steps Mentions - @isabella.choate @disability_pride_fest, @katiaschwartz, @touchingbaseinc, @jordonsteelejohn, @littlelua.s, @mxstress.mercy, @checkout_chick463  Contains explicit descriptions. It's So Hard is produced by - Tess Louise®  Instagram - @softermedia  Website - itssohard.info  S3:E113

    1h 29m

  6. TRAILER

    112. Reflections on the Decrim Movement (2024) feat. Lua, Mercy, and V: "The translation error..."

    "The decriminalisation, the advocacy, the work is for everyone, and therefore it should be designed with everyone in mind..." -Mercy Recorded 12th May 2024 Coming soon... Mercy and Lua are bringing  Smut Club to Naarm/Melbourne! Workshops for WA-based sex workers - @decrimwa Follow for updates - @littlelua.s, @mxstress.mercy, @puppygirlfemboy, and @smutclubfilmfest Please contribute... Decolonise Sex Work AU - @decolonisesexworkau "Mutual aid, free supplies, and more..." Transfer - Acc Name: P.iles | BSB: 734668 | Acc: 725397 Beem - @DecoloniseSW Help Jasmine Stay Back and Recover - @Raatkiraaani "After being displaced because of the border restrictions..." Jasmine's podcast series - Migrant Sex Workers of Colour on Race Matters podcast Palestine Australia Relief and Action (PARA) "Supporting Palestinians to live safe, happy and fulfilling lives in Australia..." Clean Air Naarm (CAN) - @cleanairnaarm "Providing access to cleaner air supplies for artists..." Mutual Aid So-Called Australia - @mutualaidsocalledoz "Find community fundraisers to contribute to..." Contains explicit descriptions. Mentions - Touching Base, Rainbow Labor WA It's So Hard is produced by - Tess Louise® Instagram - @softermedia Website - itssohard.info S3:E112

    48 min

  7. 13/05/2024

    111. Reflections on the Decrim Movement feat. Lua and Mercy: "The girlboss image thing..."

    "I think, unequivocally, in my opinion, that eugenics, ableism, the whorearchy, and decriminalisation are in an intrinsic ecology. Disabled rights are sex workers' rights. Sex workers' rights are disability rights. It is all interconnected..." -Lua Recorded 30th April 2023 Follow on Instagram for updates - @littlelua.s @mxstress.mercy @smutclubfilmfest Contains explicit descriptions. Mentions - Smut Club Film Festival It's So Hard is produced by - Tess Louise® Instagram - @softermedia Website - itssohard.info S3:E111

    40 min

  8. 02/02/2024

    110. Trans Rights and The Law feat. V and Joni Boyd: "What laws could be passed to make things better for trans people?"

    "I'd say the biggest problem faced by the queer community in this country is homelessness..." -Joni Boyd On 10th January 2024, Misty Farquhar from Rainbow Futures WA dropped an opinion piece in The West Australian about state Labor's commitments to enact change for the local LGBTQIA+ community, which are yet to be fulfilled. Misty Farquhar's article:  Labor all talk, little action in protecting LGBTIQA+ community In their article, Farquhar discusses the following issues that need amending. If you're a WA resident, please raise these points with your local Member of Parliament: Mental health support for the queer community needs sustainable funding Intersex babies are being forced to undergo surgeries that they can't consent to Discrimination is being enabled by WA's out-of-date Equal Opportunity Act Trans folks are facing barriers when getting their ID updated to reflect their gender identity Follow on Instagram - Rainbow Futures WA @rainbowfutureswa, V @puppygirlfemboy, Joni Boyd @checkout_chick463 Contains explicit descriptions. Mentions -  Decrim WA and Indymedia It's So Hard is produced by - Jenn and Tess Louise® Instagram - @softermedia Website - itssohard.info S3:E110

    30 min
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Trailers

Ratings & Reviews

4.1
out of 5
9 Ratings

About

I'm Tess Lyrez, a Western Australia–based and touring Ȿ:/ 𝒲₃ᵣ. Listen in as I chat with guests about life in and around the Ȿ₃* industry. Website - softermedia.net

Information

  • Creator
    Tess Lyrez
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2025
  • Episodes
    115
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright: Tess Lyrez, Tess Louise® 2020
  • Show Website
    It's So Hard