Episode 7: Benjamin Law
Can we hold two truths at once?
In this episode, Jason sits down with writer and broadcaster Benjamin Law to explore what happens when good intentions collide with human complexity. Together they unpack the tension between advocacy and ego, outrage and empathy, and what it means to keep your humanity intact in the middle of cultural storms.
Benjamin shares stories from his own journey — from telling hard truths in public to navigating disagreement with care — reminding us that change isn’t just about being right; it’s about staying connected.
This is a conversation about nuance, accountability, and the kind of courage it takes to keep listening.
Benjamin Law is an Australian writer and broadcaster. He’s the author of The Family Law (2010), Gaysia (2013), the Quarterly Essay Moral Panic 101 (2017) and editor of Growing Up Queer in Australia (2019).
Benjamin is also a playwright and AWGIE Award-winning screenwriter. His forthcoming play for Melbourne Theatre Company is Dying: A Memoir (Oct–Nov 2025). He is the co-executive producer, co-creator and co-writer of the Netflix comedy-drama Wellmania (2023), playwright of Melbourne Theatre Company’s sold-out play Torch the Place (2020) and creator and co-writer of three seasons of the award-winning SBS/Hulu/Comedy Central Asia TV series The Family Law (2016–2019).
One of Australia’s most prolific interviewers, Benjamin has deep-dived with Jennifer Coolidge to a crowd of 8000, Fran Lebowitz at the Sydney Opera House, Martha Stewart to an audience of 3500, and interviewed the likes of Bernie Sanders, Gloria Steinem, David Suzuki, Michelle Yeoh, Matthew McConaughey, Roxane Gay, David Sedaris and Brian Cox – both the English physicist and Scottish actor – for his weekly column in Good Weekend.
Benjamin has a PhD in creative writing and cultural studies from the Queensland University of Technology (QUT). In 2019, he was voted one of the 40 Most Influential Asian-Australians, winning the Arts & Culture category of the Asian-Australian Leadership Awards.
He works and lives on Gadigal Country, part of the Eora Nation (Sydney, Australia).
