Benjamin Law always felt different – Then came the diagnosis

Benjamin Law grew up by the beach in 1990s Queensland. He was queer, Chinese-Australian, and didn’t seeing himself reflected in the world around him. So he picked up a pen and changed that.

From memoirist to screenwriter, commentator to Survivor contestant, Benjamin has built a career by leaning into identity, humour, and personal truth. But a recent diagnosis he didn’t see coming cast a new light on everything: his childhood, his work habits, and even his so-called flaws.

“Most people don’t need a calendar blocked out from 6:30am to 10pm just to function. I do. That’s how I’ve navigated this brain in a neurotypical world.”

Benjamin Law shares how this diagnosis has helped him embrace the chaos of his creative brain and soften self-judgement. He also reflects on navigating public backlash, writing his family into the cultural mainstream, and how he finally came to love the beach he once avoided. “I realised it wasn’t the water that I hated, it wasn’t the ocean I hated. It was probably my relationship to my childhood home [town]”.

Benjamin Law’s books include The Family Law and Gaysia. He also co-wrote and co-created Wellmania for Netflix.

@mrbenjaminlaw

+++

On Curveball, guests reveal how they’ve overcome a challenging moment they couldn’t see coming. It’s a production of Deadset Studios.

Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on Instagram. Sign up to Curveball’s LinkedIn newsletter or suggest a guest by visiting www.curveballshow.com

This episode was produced by Sarah Dabro with editing by Gia Moylan. Executive producer is Kellie Riordan.

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.