Entertainer and QNews writer Destiny Rogers dies, age 64

Queensland entertainer, writer and beloved QNews contributor Destiny Rogers has died.

She passed away at her home in Hervey Bay this morning after a long battle with lung cancer. She was 64.

In the late 1970s, Destiny, who was a proud trans woman, began working in the gay bars in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley.

“It was the punk era and the declining years of the Bjelke-Petersen reign, and we all partied like there was no tomorrow,” Destiny recalled.

“Then AIDS came along, and for a while, it seemed like there would be no tomorrow.

“We were lucky to have venues like the iconic Terminus Restaurant where we can form our own families and communities. LGBTQIA+ people have always been good at making their own families.”

After making her name for her caustic wit at the Terminus, Destiny moved north and continued performing as a wildlife showperson.

With the Crocodile Dundee movies then providing the strongest international image of Australia, the media loved her no-fucks-to-give croc shows.

“I did eight shows a day: toads, snakes, crocodiles, trained parrots, and got a bit of attention for the contrast,” Destiny said.

“There isn’t much difference between working with crocodiles and drag queens. You never know when they open their mouths if they are going to smile or bite you.”

‘It’s been a great life and I wouldn’t give back a minute’

Destiny Rogers later went on to manage nightclubs and more recently organised north Queensland pride events.

A passionate historian, she wrote and edited everything from magazine articles to books while also a proud sex worker.

Destiny Rogers took the helm of QNews Magazine back in 2018. You can read Destiny’s work here, and read her very last feature here.