Joselyn Tran 🧚🏻🌞✨

WE JUST HIT #1 NATIONALLY CROWNED TOP SWEATER 👑 A BIG WIN FOR THE MINORITY AT THE TOP! 🏆🔥 NOW LET'S KEEP US ON TOP!

The sweat has officially paid off! Out of 1,828 Sweaty Bettys across the country, I have officially claimed the #1 spot on the leaderboard!

LGBTQIA+ people still face discrimination at work and in daily life. That's why I’ve teamed up with ACON Sweaty Bettys, raising vital funds for life-changing services that strengthen rainbow communities. Every dollar you give helps fund services that fight discrimination and increase community wellbeing year-round. I have been sweating it out to get on top for every queer kid who has ever felt unseen and out of place. I have pushed my body to the absolute limit every single day this June, and the crown is ours, but the clock is ticking and we need to defend it until the very end.

I’ve climbed up to the very top of that leaderboard for every queer kid who have been ostracised growing up. I am leading by being the blueprint to show that our trauma and circumstances do not define us. It is what we choose to do with them that does. I did the physical grind, but now I need you to step up and help me match that effort and smash my fundraising goal!❤️🧡💛💚💙💜💖🤎🩵🩷🤍

🌟A Beautiful Full-Circle Moment 🌟 

This campaign is a beautiful full-circle moment for me. Having previously screen printed for ACON Health and Qtopia Sydney, being visible in this space means everything! 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️💪🏻

My journey of service started at the age of 15, when I was the youngest volunteer in the event held outside of St Mary's Cathedral, driven by a deep desire to make a difference in the world. Since a very young age, the kid in me always felt a deep calling to live a life and serve a bigger calling than herself. Over a span of a decade, I have served a diverse range of not-for-profit organisations, being the light and pouring my energy into sectors from blood health to homelessness, the arts, environmental, higher education, giving back to regional and rural towns through active community service projects, sharing my gifts through talent quests and open mic nights, agriculture, and working with children.

Through volunteering and giving back to the communities, and sharing and spreading my light far and wide, I learnt that the act of giving to others is also truly an act of giving back to self. We make a living by what we get, but we make a profoundly meaningful life by what we give.

🕯️ Turning Pain Into Power 

Back when I was struggling with suicidal thoughts and my mental health as a kid, volunteering and music were my beacon of hope and a lifeline through my isolation when no one else was there. I still remember the beautiful, heart-touching experience of volunteering for Light the Night, moving in community to support the Leukaemia Foundation, walking with lanterns to lift up those fighting Leukaemia, support those who lost loved ones, and honour those we've lost. Hearing so many people from all walks of life share their lived experiences and stories of those they lost was such an emotional night, but it served as a reminder of how important community truly is for human connection and being the hope that people need when navigating the dark heaviness of life.

That foundational drive has evolved; today, I am a highly empowered multi-hyphenate creative who has the grit and dedication to turning pain into power and transforming my personal experiences into a force for good for the collective. I hold a jack of trades and a master of all: Designer, Artist, Singer-Songwriter, Musician, and Poet. As I've always proudly preached, "Vulnerability is the portal to connection," and it is deeply visualised, embodied, and rooted in my art and music.

In a world where many of us were brought up to suppress how we feel, I know that sharing my creative gifts with the world and being deeply rooted in the frequency of my authenticity is changing lives, as my music and art serve as a gateway for people to feel their emotions and heal. Our sensitivity is our superpower, and the more we lean into the depth of our vulnerability, the more we can form the meaningful connections that are vital to our mental health, because connection and community save lives.

🧠 The Systemic Cause & The Fight for Mental Health

Oppression often functions by making marginalised groups invisible or unwelcome in daily life, especially in highly gendered or historically hostile environments like sports and fitness spaces. Pride is an essential antidote to shame and isolation, and it is fundamental to suicide prevention. As a queer, neurodivergent Mental Health Warrior, this mission hits incredibly close to home. Born out of the legacy of the 1969 Stonewall protest and a fierce history of resistance, Pride today empowers marginalised individuals to embrace their authentic identities.

Dismantling oppressive systems isn’t just about big political speeches, it’s about the collective making intentional, everyday choices to shift power and resources. Oppressive systems thrive by keeping marginalised communities underfunded, invisible, and isolated. When we advocate for rainbow communities and fundraise, we are actively pushing back, moving vital resources directly into queer health, mental health support, and trans healthcare. Money raised through Sweat with Pride supports Rainbow Giving Australia and ACON, which power these life-changing services across Australia. 🌈

✊ Breaking Generational Silence

Being the first openly queer and neurodivergent descendant in my whole bloodline holds immense weight. Coming from a first-generation mixed POC immigrant family, I’ve experienced firsthand discrimination and isolation. Growing up as a closeted, queer and neurodivergent kid who was heavily ostracised and severely bullied, I know firsthand how dark it can get. Straight, neurotypical kids will never truly understand the weight of it all.

By stepping up and out into this visibility, I am standing loud and proud—speaking up for all the queer kids who had to hide due to cultural shame and fear, and being both the queer and neurodivergent representation I never had growing up.

By taking up this space, I am honouring my inner child. If it wasn't for their braveness, I probably wouldn't be where I am today, experiencing these incredible opportunities and connecting with the beautiful souls I’ve been blessed to cross paths with. By breaking this generational silence, I am also honouring my ancestors who had to hide their gifts and authenticity, while trailblazing a more safer, accepting, and loving path for those who come next. 💛🌻 We are building the safe future our inner children always deserved. 💖

🏆 A Political Act of Representation

From national leaderboards to major platforms like Mardi Gras, the forefront of our community has historically been dominated by privileged voices that don't reflect our true intersectional diversity. As a mixed POC, queer and neurodivergent woman, holding this space and topping that leaderboard means the absolute world to me. Pushing to hold this position is my way of demanding space, breaking the silence, and ensuring our minority and neurodiversity resilience is seen at the very top.

Queer pioneers have been foundational to Modern Life, shaping society across technology, arts, and human rights! Their outsized contributions, born from necessity, resilience, and unique perspectives, have quietly built or inspired much of the culture and infrastructure that we all rely on daily. The indelible mark of queer history spans countless fields: from modern computing and microchip architecture to the internet, pop art, literature, and the ballroom roots of modern music, all the way to civil rights strategy and global social movements. They didn't just influence culture, they fundamentally engineered the very frameworks of the modern era. The world we know today simply would not exist if it weren't for those brave queer pioneers!

🕯️ An Inspired Future for Every Misfit

I hope every queer kid who identifies as being a minority within a minority sees me on top of that Sweat with Pride leaderboard and feels empowered and inspired, and knows that they too can make anything happen, and anything is possible.

I am the living blueprint for every queer kid from every corner of the world who always felt like a misfit; you are exactly what this world needs. My win isn't just my win but a win for every queer kid who always felt unseen and like a misfit, especially those who identify as being a minority within a minority. The world is better with you in it. You belong here; you are more than deserving to take up space in every room and every opportunity you walk into, so don't be afraid to shine the brightest; the world changes through us sharing our light. 🌟🕯️❤️🧡💛💚💙💜💖🤎🩵🩷🤍

Whether you are part of the LGBTQIA+ community or not, we all hold a shared responsibility to cultivate a safer and more inclusive place for everyone to be their authentic self, to love loudly, and to live without fear. We all deserve to be loved, respected, seen, acknowledged and celebrated. It is a fundamental human right. Hate and racism are taught, but they can always be unlearnt.

Every dollar raised and every minute moved helps build a world where safety, healthcare, and dignity belong to everyone, not just a privileged few. We are at the top, but the work isn't done. Help me defend 🏆#1 Top Sweater spot and channel these vital resources where they are needed most!

Thank you for backing the blueprint and standing with the collective. Let’s bring this title home for every unseen kid, the ones who identify being a minority within a minority and every queer that have always felt out of place! 🏆🔥💪🏻🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️