Georgie Stone

OAM
Stone in December 2017
Other namesGeorgie Sarah Jean Robertson Stone[1]
Occupations
  • Actress
  • writer
  • advocate
Years active2010–present
Parent(s)Greg Stone
Rebekah Robertson

Georgie Robertson Stone OAM is an Australian actress, writer and transgender rights advocate. At the age of 10, Stone was the youngest person to receive hormone blockers in Australia, which set a precedent that eventually changed the law that compelled transgender children and their families to apply to the Family Court of Australia to access stage one treatment. She continues to advocate for transgender children, and is one of the most visible transgender people in Australia. She is also known for her role as Mackenzie Hargreaves in Neighbours.

Early life

Georgie Stone was born to parents Greg Stone and Rebekah Robertson. Stone attended Elwood College 2013-2018 and was co-school captain in 2018.[2] Stone began studying a Bachelor of Arts at The University of Melbourne in 2019.[3]

Career

Activism

"The involvement of the Family Court in the medical decisions of transgender teens is actually harming those children it is supposed to protect"[4]

—Stone on the court process

In 2014, Stone appeared on Four Corners,[5] talking about her experiences in court and changing the law surrounding stage one treatment. In February 2016, Stone and a number of other families of transgender kids travelled to Canberra to speak with politicians about changing the law.[6] Stone and her mother were interviewed on The Project[7][8] in response to the controversy surrounding the Safe Schools Coalition and the importance of the program. Later that year, Stone and her family appeared on Australian Story, telling their story.[9]

Stone started a petition on change.org in August 2016, rallying support for law reform.[10][11][12][13] Stone has also spoken out in support of transgender kids being allowed to use the bathroom of their choice,[14] the importance of the Safe Schools Coalition,[15] and the Pride Centre located in St Kilda.[16]

Stone was announced as a judge at the 2017 GLOBE Community Awards.[17] Stone also featured in the ABC Me television series, Advice to My 12-Year-Old-Self, which aired on 11 October in celebration of the United Nation's International Day of the Girl.[18][19] The show consists of 37 interviews, all lasting two minutes in length, of prominent Australian women. In late 2017, Stone was made the official ambassador for the Royal Children's Hospital Gender Service in Melbourne.[20]

In 2018, Stone became the ambassador for the Human Rights Arts and Film Festival, Wear it Purple Day and the AFL Pride Game.[21][22][23] In 2019, Stone was named an Ambassador for The Pinnacle Foundation.[24]

In June 2022, a 28-minute documentary about her own life, titled The Dreamlife of Georgie Stone, written by Stone and directed by Maya Newell, had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City[25][26] and then its Australian premiere at Sydney Film Festival. The film was co-produced by Stone, Newell, Sophie Hyde, and others.[27] It was released worldwide on Netflix on 22 September 2022.[28]

Acting

In March 2019, Stone joined Australian television soap opera Neighbours in the guest role of Mackenzie Hargreaves.[29][30] She plays the first ever transgender character on the show, having pitched the role to the show's producers a year earlier.[31] Stone began filming her scenes in June, with the episodes to be aired later in the year.[32][33] Stone described Mackenzie as "a bit world weary, a bit cynical, a bit hardened by her experiences".[34] She also described her as "sweet, compassionate and lovely" when she opens up to other people.[35]

In September 2019, it was announced that Stone would appear in a spin-off titled Neighbours: Erinsborough High, reprising her role from the main show.[36] The series was released on My5 and 10 Play in November, and comprised five episodes that "explore issues universally troubling teens today – bullying, mental illness, sexuality, cultural diversity, parental and peer pressure, and teacher-student relationships".[37] On 19 October 2019, it was announced that Stone would be promoted to the regular cast in early 2020.[38] She co-wrote an episode of Neighbours with executive producer Jason Herbison, which aired in July 2020.[39]

For her performance, Stone was nominated for 'Best Daytime Star' at the 2020 Inside Soap Awards.[40]

Personal life

Stone lives in Melbourne, Australia. She has a twin brother. Stone commenced taking puberty blocking treatment in 2011, the youngest in Australia to commence stage-one treatment (she was 10 at the time).[41][42] In 2015, she commenced hormone replacement therapy, at age 15.[43] Since 2014, Stone has been public about her gender identity.[44]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2022 The Dreamlife of Georgie Stone Herself Documentary short [45]

Television

Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2014 Four Corners Herself Episode: Being Me
2016 Australian Story Herself Episode: About A Girl
2019–present Neighbours Mackenzie Hargreaves Main cast [31]
2019 Neighbours: Erinsborough High 5 episodes [46]

Awards and recognition

Year Organisation Award Work Result Ref
2016 GLOBE Community Awards GLBTI Person of the Year — Won [57]
2016 Anti-Defamation Commission Making a Difference Award — Won [58]
2017 Liberty Victoria Young Voltaire Award — Won [59]
2017 Human Rights Awards Young People's Human Rights Medal — Won [60]
2018 Australian of the Year Awards Victorian Young Australian of the Year — Won [61]
2018 Young Australian of the Year — Nominated [62]
2018 Australian LGBTI Awards Hero of the Year — Nominated [63]
2019 — Won [64]
2019 7NEWS Young Achiever Awards Victorian Young Achiever of the Year — Nominated
2019 Create Change Award — Won [65]
2019 People's Choice Award — Nominated
2020 Inside Soap Awards Best Daytime Star Neighbours Nominated [66]
2022 Nominated [67]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Georgie Stone - Profile". LezWatch.TV. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  2. ^ "Georgie Stone (OAM) | Elwood College". www.elwood.vic.edu.au. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  3. ^ The Australian Women's Weekly (22 July 2019). "EXCLUSIVE: Meet Neighbours' newest star, trans activist Georgie Stone". Now to Love. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  4. ^ "How this trans activist is saving lives". Topics.
  5. ^ "Being Me". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 17 November 2014.
  6. ^ Medhora, Shalailah (22 February 2016). "Australian transgender children closer to accessing hormones without court permission". the Guardian.
  7. ^ "WATCH: Trans Teen Georgie Stone Talks About Safe Schools On 'The Project' - Pedestrian TV". 25 February 2016.
  8. ^ "Georgie knows first hand that "without the Safe Schools Coalition life is hell"". 26 February 2016.
  9. ^ "About A Girl". 15 August 2016 – via www.abc.net.au.
  10. ^ "Category". Herald Sun. 24 November 2016. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
  11. ^ "Boost for trans teens' hormone fight". 24 January 2017.
  12. ^ "The young Australians redefining gender - Star Observer". www.starobserver.com.au. 22 May 2017.
  13. ^ "Trans activist: "We need to save the lives of kids like me" - Star Observer". www.starobserver.com.au. 17 March 2017.
  14. ^ "For some transgender students, the school bathroom is a battleground". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 1 April 2017.
  15. ^ "Trans teen Georgie Stone talks about the importance of Safe Schools on 'The Project'". Daily Life. Archived from the original on 20 February 2020. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
  16. ^ "Category". Herald Sun. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
  17. ^ "Judges". 1 August 2016. Archived from the original on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  18. ^ "Advice To My 12 Year Old Self: Georgie Stone". ABC iview.
  19. ^ Dubecki, Larissa (2 October 2017). "Our Pick, free-to-air: Advice to My 12-Year-Old Self". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  20. ^ "Georgie Stone". Transcend Support. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
  21. ^ "Georgie Stone named ambassador for AFL Pride Game - OUTInPerth - LGBTIQ News and Culture - OUTInPerth – LGBTIQ News and Culture". www.outinperth.com. 24 May 2018.
  22. ^ "Georgie Stone Named Ambassador For This Year's AFL Pride Game - QNews Magazine". 19 May 2018.
  23. ^ "Pride game: I'll stand by you". saints.com.au. 23 May 2018.
  24. ^ "Our Ambassadors". The Pinnacle Foundation. Archived from the original on 7 June 2019. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  25. ^ "The Dreamlife of Georgie Stone". Tribeca Film Institute. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  26. ^ Staff Writer (23 October 2019). "Screen Australia puts $2 million towards 11 documentaries". IF Magazine.
  27. ^ "The Dreamlife of Georgie Stone". Sydney Film Festival. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  28. ^ "You can watch 'The Dreamlife of Georgie Stone' on Netflix". Bank Australia. 14 October 2022. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  29. ^ "Neighbours: Soap casts first transgender character". BBC News. 25 March 2019. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
  30. ^ Burke, Tina; Hockey, Maddison (17 June 2019). "New cast member alert! Christie Whelan Browne joins Neighbours". TV Week. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
  31. ^ a b Anderton, Joe (23 March 2019). "Neighbours to introduce its first transgender character as Georgie Stone joins the soap in guest role". Digital Spy. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
  32. ^ "Georgie Stone becomes first trans character on Neighbours". PinkNews. 23 March 2019. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  33. ^ "Georgie Stone to play first transgender character on 'Neighbours'". QNews. 24 March 2019. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  34. ^ McManus, Bridget (25 August 2019). "Neighbours set to introduce first-ever transgender character". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
  35. ^ Hockey, Maddison (30 August 2019). "Georgie Stone opens up on making history as Neighbours' first transgender character". TV Week. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
  36. ^ Lee, Jess (5 September 2019). "Neighbours to get new spinoff series focusing on Erinsborough High". Digital Spy. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
  37. ^ Meade, Amanda (6 September 2019). "Neighbours goes back to school in spin-off miniseries Erinsborough High". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
  38. ^ Byrne, Fiona (20 October 2019). "Georgie transforms into permanent role". Herald Sun. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
  39. ^ "Neighbours - Georgie Stone co-wrote emotional Mackenzie scenes". Digital Spy. 3 July 2020.
  40. ^ "Inside Soap Awards reveals full longlist for 2020's ceremony". Digital Spy. 14 September 2020.
  41. ^ "Trans teens applying for hormone treatment up 360 per cent - Star Observer". www.starobserver.com.au. 6 February 2017.
  42. ^ Skelley, Jemima (21 February 2017). "13 LGBT Teens Whose Instagrams Are Inspirational AF". BuzzFeed.
  43. ^ "Transgender Teen Georgie Stone Is Fighting To Help Other Trans Youth - QNews Magazine". 19 July 2016.
  44. ^ "Georgie Stone, Changing Law for Trans Youth". Archived from the original on 7 July 2017. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
  45. ^ "The Dreamlife of Georgie Stone - About". Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  46. ^ Clarke, Stewart (5 September 2019). "Iconic Aussie Soap 'Neighbours' to Get Spinoff Series".
  47. ^ Donelly, Beau (20 October 2016). "Transgender teen Georgie Stone crowned GLBTI Person of the Year". The Age.
  48. ^ "Australia's GLBTI person of the year is trans activist Georgie Stone". 22 October 2016.
  49. ^ "Georgie Stone wins Making a Difference award". Herald Sun.
  50. ^ "25 LGBTI Australians to watch in 2017 - Gay News Network". Archived from the original on 1 March 2017. Retrieved 27 June 2017.
  51. ^ "Australian of the Year Awards". Archived from the original on 21 February 2022. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  52. ^ "Category". Herald Sun. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
  53. ^ "Georgie Stone nominated for Human Rights Award". OUTInPerth. 7 November 2017.
  54. ^ connie.kwan (15 November 2017). "Winners and Finalists of the 2017 Human Rights Awards". hrawards.humanrights.gov.au. Archived from the original on 13 March 2018. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
  55. ^ "Australia Day honours list: Jane Turner and Campbell Newman among 2020 recipients". the Guardian. 25 January 2020.
  56. ^ "Heraldsun.com.au | Subscribe to the Herald Sun for exclusive stories".
  57. ^ "GLBTI change makers recognised as winners of the GLOBE Community Awards". 23 October 2016. Archived from the original on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
  58. ^ "Georgie Stone Becomes Youngest Person Ever to Receive ADC Making a Difference Award". Anti Defamation Commission. 16 November 2016. Archived from the original on 12 April 2019. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
  59. ^ "Category". Herald Sun. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
  60. ^ Elizabeth.Tan (7 November 2017). "2017 Young People's Medal finalists announced". hrawards.humanrights.gov.au. Archived from the original on 29 August 2019. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  61. ^ "Samuel Johnson named Victorian Australian of the Year for cancer work". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 26 October 2017.
  62. ^ "Georgie Stone named Victoria's Young Australian of the Year - OUTInPerth – LGBTIQ News and Culture". www.outinperth.com. 27 October 2017.
  63. ^ "Hero of the Year". Archived from the original on 12 October 2017. Retrieved 12 October 2017.
  64. ^ "Shortlist". australianlgbtiawards.com.au. Archived from the original on 14 March 2018.
  65. ^ "Current Finalists | Awards Australia". awardsaustralia.com. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  66. ^ "Who will get YOUR vote in the Inside Soap Awards 2020?". 15 September 2020.
  67. ^ "Inside Soap Awards reveals nominees and icon category for 2022". Digital Spy. 18 July 2022.
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