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Australian comedian, performer, and unapologetic glitter bomb of unfiltered ADHD energy Em Rusciano has always known where she belongs, surrounded by queer people, a little chaos, and a lot of sparkle.

Her new book, Blood, Sweat and Glitter, is a love letter to anyone who鈥檚 ever felt like too much or not enough and, in true Em fashion, it鈥檚 as heartfelt as it is hilarious.

鈥淚鈥檝e, since I was a very little girl, sought refuge with gay men, especially because they enjoyed me, whereas everyone else seemed to endure me,鈥� she laughs as she reflects of the role the queer community has played in her life.

鈥淲hen I would get around straight people, there鈥檇 be a lot of eye rolling and, 鈥極h, you鈥檙e a bit much, aren鈥檛 you?鈥� But when I got around the gays, they were like, more. And I was like, oh, these are my people.鈥�

 

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Raised on Love and Lesbians

Em鈥檚 affection for the LGBTQIA+ community goes back to her childhood. 鈥淢y mum worked at the AIDS hospital when I was little, and I would hang out with the men at the hospice waiting for her to finish work. We spoke about Disney and Madonna and Whitney, and I would put on little musicals for them,鈥� she recalls fondly. 鈥淢y mum was friends with a lot of the lesbian nurses, of course they were, back in the day.鈥�

That sense of belonging became a foundation for Em鈥檚 life and work. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know where I would be without the queer community, in all honesty,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hey鈥檝e saved me on more than one occasion.鈥�

Her love for queer folk extends to her own home. Both of her older children identify as queer, something that, for Em, was never a 鈥渂ig reveal鈥� moment. 鈥淭heir generation don鈥檛 really label themselves,鈥� she explains. 鈥淭here wasn鈥檛 a coming out or anything. They don鈥檛 need to with me, obviously. It鈥檚 just them. It鈥檚 not a big deal.鈥�

Her household has always been one of love and acceptance,鈥淭hey went to drag shows when they were kids, and all my friends are gay men. There鈥檚 just a lot of lesbians in my life because I need a lot of organising,鈥� she says with a grin. 鈥淚t was never presented to my kids as something that is this scary life choice. They鈥檝e always been encouraged to love whoever they love as long as they鈥檙e a good person.鈥�

Blood, Sweat and Glitter 鈥� for the Outsiders

Em鈥檚 new book Blood, Sweat and Glitter is as loud, emotional, and unapologetically queer coded as its title suggests. The cover alone is a camp masterpiece. 鈥淚f this front cover isn鈥檛 for gay men, I don鈥檛 know what else I can do for you,鈥� she says of her leopard print outfit adorning the cover.

Inside, the book sparkles with sincerity and self awareness. 鈥淭he whole book isn鈥檛 just for women of a certain age,鈥� Em explains. 鈥淚t鈥檚 for anybody who has felt othered in life and likes to go on little side quests and likes random plays and scenes shoved into their books.鈥�

Accessibility was a big focus for her. 鈥淲e used a special font for people with dyslexia,鈥� she says. 鈥淧eople have told me, 鈥業 haven鈥檛 read a book since I was 12, but I read yours in two days.鈥� I made sure the way I wrote it was with my brain cadence, it had to work for people who think like me.鈥�

And in pure Em Rusciano style, it鈥檚 not just memoir, it鈥檚 therapy, comedy, and chaos all rolled into one. 鈥淚 wrote it for Em when she was in crisis, hoping that other people would see themselves in my stories,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 want it to be on your bedside table to reassure you if you鈥檙e having a bad night. I give you the problem and the solution every time. I want you to feel found. I want you to feel like you鈥檙e not alone.鈥�

The Neurodivergent and the Fabulous

Em has become an unexpected beacon for the neurodivergent community a connection that, again, overlaps beautifully with her queer audience. 鈥淥bviously, a high proportion of the queer community are neurodivergent,鈥� she points out. 鈥淎nd they鈥檝e found me through my advocacy for the neurodivergent community as well.鈥�

鈥淚鈥檓 a staunch ally of the queer community and the neurodivergent community, and the Venn diagram of that is obviously me in the middle,鈥� she laughs. 鈥淢y shows are always gay men and straight women and gay women also, and a lot of non-binies. No straight men” she says of her music and comedy shows.

The Unfiltered Star We Chose

Despite her stints on Australian Idol and The Masked Singer, Em doesn鈥檛 see herself as a traditional celebrity. 鈥淚 think I鈥檓 that new generation of online. People choose me,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 buried myself away off mainstream media because I didn鈥檛 exactly fit in. If you know me, you love me but I can walk around fine if you don鈥檛, and I prefer that.鈥�

Her relationship with social media is refreshingly real. 鈥淚 forget to film constantly because I鈥檓 experiencing life, not documenting it,鈥� she admits. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just much easier to put up what鈥檚 actually happening. I don鈥檛 have time to create a false narrative. I have ADHD, I鈥檓 perimenopausal, I don鈥檛 know how my frontal lobe鈥檚 doing, I鈥檓 concerned for her!鈥�

But what she鈥檚 built online, a community of queer, neurodivergent, and gloriously weird people is her proudest achievement. 鈥淚 love social media. It鈥檚 given me a career and enabled me to find my own community. All of us who are othered for being whatever, we all found each other online,鈥� she says.

Finding Joy and Glitter in Every Chapter

Her life now is a whirl of podcasts, performances, and pinch-me moments. She recently lent her voice to the upcoming Disney Pixar film Elio, a surreal, full circle moment for the self-confessed 鈥淒isney adult.鈥� 鈥淚t was such an incredible experience,鈥� she says. 鈥淔or my son to hear my voice in a movie with his name in it, it鈥檚 just lovely and so full circle.鈥� Her interview with Wicked stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande saw her go viral, even landing Erivo as a one on one guest on her podcast, Emsolation.

 

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And while television producers keep calling, she knows exactly what she wants. 鈥淚鈥檇 love a shiny floor variety show where I have a band and I sing an opening number and then the guest comes out and we chat,鈥� she muses. 鈥淏ut it would have to be on a streamer. My days of bowing to those people are behind me. I鈥檓 the boss now. I make stuff for people I like, with people I like. It鈥檚 the dream.鈥�

 

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Em Rusciano鈥檚 Blood, Sweat and Glitter is out now online and in stores. Catch her on tour across the country as she launches the book, including a .

Bring your glitter, your gays, and your good energy, she鈥檒l provide the rest.