Pride lights the night in Sydney (Photo courtesy of Destination NSW) Australia offers LGBTQ travelers not only a wide range of experiences in a stunning setting but also a welcoming and diverse culture CHAD MANTOOTH | Contributing Writermantooth@dallasvoice.com Having grown up in Kansas, in the middle of the United States, I’ve always longed to see more than the flat, flyover states that are the Midwest.
When I was a kid, my dad was a huge Olivia Newton-John fan. She was his Australian heartthrob. Many a schoolday, I would come home to her music blaring or one of her live concerts in the VCR.
And as a young gay boy, I was mesmerized by her as well. She was pretty, sang beautifully and was from this great land far, far away.
I wondered how this pop chanteuse from Down Under got into my living room. And I always wondered what her homeland of Australia was like.