A new queer comedy web series is making a splash on YouTube - and with a title like Ding Dong I'm Gay, it's no surprise why.
Penned by writer/actor Tim Spencer and directed by Skit Box's Sarah Bishop, the series explores a number of fantastical realities of bad sex, unwanted house guests, the queer experience, and hostile first-aid instructors.
With the show's already racking up over 35,000 views, Spencer - who also stars in the show - believes that the internet remains a natural fit for queer storytelling.
"In some cases, it feels like gay content is at home on the web," he tells SBS Sexuality.
He continues: "We're only now getting used to seeing LGBTQIA characters in the mainstream and most of the time it's peripheral. LGBTQIA folk have a tradition of tracking down our stories. Sometimes it feels like it's worth more, because it wasn't spoon fed to me. It's just great that we can do now it with the ease of the internet."
Source: Ding Dong I'm Gay
"It was about time I made something that was not so dark," Longhurst tells SBS Sexuality.
"I will always be drawn to telling character-driven stories with bold subject matter, but the older I get the more I want to show a different side and Ding Dong I’m Gay was a chance to do that."
The series follows the story of "high-achieving neurotic" Cameron (Spencer), a gay man from the country whose life has flat-lined in Sydney. That is, until his naive cousin moves in from Yass and shares the news that he too is gay.
Cameron then takes it upon himself to become his cousin's gay guru and "right the wrongs that were visited upon him by contemporary gay life".
It's a familiar situation for Spencer, who says he's previously dated a number of men who weren't openly gay.
"I was very lucky to be surrounded by a lot of friends, both men and women, who helped me - and put up with me - while I experimented with who I wanted to be," Spencer says.
"It's a really energetic time, there's so much to do and so many people to meet. I wish I had been less wrapped up in myself and more interested in the people around me," he admits.
"It's hard though, because suddenly you have a license to become anyone you want. I remember lots of running around in tight jeans and t-shirts that were too small for me."
Longhurst agrees, reflecting on his own experience moving to Sydney from a small country town.
"I grew up in rural NSW and I spent a long time trying to find my feet in general when I moved to Sydney, let alone come out," he tells SBS Sexuality.
"Sarah (who directed Ding Dong I'm Gay) was one of the first friends I made in Sydney and was one of the first people I ever told."
Longhurst continues: "When I met Tim I came out to my family, I am not sure why I feared telling my family. They were and have always been incredibly loving, supportive and have often been very defensive against homophobia in others."
"I have experienced a lot as I navigated my sexuality and I am grateful for lots of my friends and family for their love."
