The Same Same 25 is an annual celebration of the 25 Most Influential Gay and Lesbian Australians.
About The Same Same 25 - The Same Same 25 is an annual celebration of the 25 Most Influential Gay and Lesbian Australians. They are publicly nominated, and chosen by a panel of community leaders. For the past two years, the announcement of the 25 Most Influential Gay and Lesbian Australians has attracted widespread national media attention and focused on the achievements and influence of a varied and inspirational group of people. View the Same Same 25 for 2009 here. View the Same Same 25 for 2008 here. View the Same Same 25 for 2007 here. About Same Same
The Judges - The Same Same 25 judges are drawn from a wide cross-section of the community, representing a broad field of influence and experience in their chosen professions. Andrew Creagh (Editor, DNA Magazine), Cec Busby (Editor, LOTL Magazine), Rachel Cook (Editor, Cherrie Magazine), Christian Taylor (Editor, SameSame.com.au), David Wilkins (ACON), Kevin Golding (Business Analyst), Peter Walton (Publisher, Evolution), Libby Clark (Co-founder, Sound Alliance), Tim Duggan (Co-founder, SameSame.com.au)
The Process - The Same Same 25 is publicly nominated, and chosen by a panel of community leaders. Anyone in Australia can nominate someone for the Same Same 25.

Trevor Ashley

Much-loved drag diva

Work it, girl!

Trevor's star turns as the dramatic diva singers he grew up with have been leaving audiences in tears of laughter for several years now, most notably as Miss Understanding in the live Priscilla, Queen of the Desert musical, which he performed over 600 times.

Ashley’s no stranger to zipping into a dress for big shows – he recently portrayed Liza Minnelli in solo cabaret show Liza on an E for Brisbane’s Pride Week, transformed into several of the world’s best-known diva singers for four I’m Every Woman shows at the Sydney Opera House, and was then back as Liza for the Melbourne's Midsumma Festival.

Ashley is also a well-known figure on the Sydney drag scene as his alter-ego Cleopatra Coupe. Cleo’s shows have earned her ‘Mardi Gras Royalty’ status. No small honour!

How did it all begin? "I started doing Cabaret work in Sydney and then started touring my own shows, performing as a boy," he tells Same Same. "I went to New York and did my show over there and a drag queen came up to me after a show and said, 'Have you ever thought about doing drag?'

"So I did a few shows and got to know a few of the girls and it was fabulous. I started performing at the Albury before it closed, and then, only a few months after I had started, I ended up working full time, five or six nights a week at all the different clubs around Sydney. So for a while I was kind of always in drag, and then Priscilla happened!"

Ashley is currently personifying another great leading lady on stage - he's in Melbourne playing Edna Turnblad in Hairspray the Musical, which will head to Sydney in June.