MICF: Geraldine Hickey – Turns out I do like sundried tomatoes

I saw Geraldine Hickey in a Fringe show in 2009 and I’m finally seeing her standup. Yay. Gorgeous, filthy and deliciously satisfying, Turns Out I Do Like Sun Dried Tomatoes celebrates the realisation that being yourself really beats trying to fit in.

Geraldine loves (really, really loves) crocodiles, thinks John Masden writes brilliant books and has short neatly trimmed finger nails. I have three pairs of Crocs (that I really love; yes, really), read Marsden’s Tomorrow series in my late 30s and have long finger nails painted in glitter that chips off. One of us is celebrating coming out. (Clue: the fingernails.)

This Comedy Festival, Geraldine looks back over her life and wonders why she didn’t see the signs. Well she did, but there was a bit of in and out (and a bit of in and out) in the meantime.

Confusing her bogan tendencies with being a lesbian, growing up in conservative Liberal-voting country Victoria, and dealing with her Christian faith and the ridiculous tenets of Catholicism didn’t help. She thought that the hating of skirts, the Melissa Etheridge posters and her passion for cricket should have made her realise, but then even her loving having sex with women didn’t do it.

Fortunately for her (and I’m sure some very lucky women), that’s all changed and, even if her mum might give the show a miss, we’ll all celebrate with her and keep fighting until she can have a caravan park wedding just like her sister’s.

More of Anne-Marie’s writing is at sometimesmelbourne.blogspot.com