A minute with George Rallis Quintessentially Queer blogger

Where do you live?
I live in Limassol, with all the voices in my head and my multiple selves.

What did you have for breakfast?
Very boring but literally, every morning is oat bites, with lemon yoghurt, goji berries, chia seeds, fruit and coffee.

Describe your perfect day
That’s a tough one. I’d have to say April 25. Because it’s not too hot, and it’s not too cold. All you need is a light jacket. Jokes aside, sunny, but not too hot, with friends. Starts with a nice walk either in nature or vintage shopping, then a warm bath with a book, followed by a nice get-together with a friend to get ready while Diana Ross is playing in the background, then a sick party where we dance till morning, and hopefully going home with someone.

Best book ever read?
I mean I can’t really choose one so I’ll give you my top three:
Goodmorning Midnight by Jean Rhys, : it captures a woman’s decaying mental state in a perfect balance of melancholia but also nonchalance with the gravest undertone and realistic execution.
In Praise of Love by Alain Badiou and Nicolas Truong: one of those rare books where as soon as you think of something in the context of the information given, it completely shuts you down by saying exactly what you thought and then some.
Nausea by Jean Paul Sartre: I f you consider yourself a thinker and you have not read this book (regardless of how cliché it is to name it as one of your favourites) what are you even thinking about?

Best childhood memory?
Genuinely, I think my life and my aesthetic body started shaping when I saw Shakira’s videoclip for Whenever Wherever, and due to that, actually dancing to that song in a wig that I styled myself into dreads.

What is always in your fridge?
Hummus and coconut milk

What music are you listening to in the car at the moment?
As a Virgo I’m obsessed with making lists so to be honest, any one of my perfectly curated Spotify lists. Recently I listen to an indie rock one called Vegan Leather Jacket, so a lot of The Verve, Kasabian and Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats.

What’s your spirit animal?
A flamenguin.
A flamingo because it’s fabulous, pretty, pink and extremely social (thus quite community driven).
A penguin because it’s the most badass animal in terms of its non-gendered behavioural patterns (ex. the male taking care of the egg), they’re actually loners but quite nice when around others, and look fancy.
So I guess what this says about me is that I always try to look good and queer but my personality is an introvert masquerading as an extreme extrovert.

What are you most proud of?
The fundraiser I organize in Amsterdam to commemorate our fallen queer sibling Zackie Oh, who was murdered by the Greek state. And every small queer victory I win in Cyprus. Last one was this 17-year-old kid texting me on an app, telling me how grateful he is to see people like me doing stuff and being visible.

What movie scene has really stayed with you?
The scene where Edith Piaf (played by Marion Cotillard) in La Vie en Rose is sitting on a chair reminiscing about her life and all she’s been through while Je ne regrette rien is playing in the background.

If you could pick anyone at all (alive or dead) to go out for the evening with, who would it be?
I’ll choose a bunch because I don’t like rules. I’d organise a dinner party with: Kurt Cobain, Amy Winehouse, Derek Jarman, Edith Piaf, Freddie Mercury, Leigh Bowery, Alber Elbaz and Virginia Woolf.

If you could time travel when/where would you go?
Honestly, this also is a cliché but Woodstock and Goa in the 70s

What is your greatest fear?
Dying and not making any change.

What would you say to your 18-year-old self?
You’re allowed to be who you are, because you are beautiful, you are important and you are worthy. Things will get better and you will become a fierce bitch.

Name the one thing that would stop you dating someone
Ignorance on social issues. The Cypriot reality involves a lot of internalised homophobia and unwillingness to push boundaries, not just on a social level, but also on a personal one. I feel that our system, political and not, is so profited from colonialism that it has actually formed into this hybrid of pacifist Anglo-Saxon oligarchy. So long story short, I would never date someone that is not at least conscious of these issues and wants to push boundaries with me.

If the world is ending in 24 hours what would you do?
Hug and talk to every person that I love, tell them how much they mean to me, wear my favourite, sparkliest outfit, drive up to a mountain view with my favourite snacks and my favourite music and just watch time unfold.