Drag queen Timberlina set to stage Newcastle's biggest LGBTQIA event on Friday

Born in Dubbo and raised in Gulgong before moving to Newcastle at 12, Mr Jackson fell for the events world at 16, about the time he came out.

"I was organising the Year 10 format at Kotara High and as weird as it sounds, simply seeing something from start to finish, I just loved it," the now 28-year-old says.

Quitting school, Mr Jackson obtained a Certificate 3 in Meetings and Management and tourism management and events diplomas.

After working in sales and project management roles in Newcastle, Mr Jackson gained qualifications as a marriage celebrant.

His celebrant business Married By Timothy was booming when, three years ago, he unwittingly gained inspiration for a new business while visiting his sister in the US.

"We went to New Orleans at Mardi Gras, and I got pulled on stage for a dance off. I did the splits three times and people started throwing cash at me," he says.

Back in Newcastle, Mr Jackson created his alter ego, drag queen Timberlina, and a concept for "drag bingo".

"There's nothing to do in Newcastle, so I sent out a few emails and a month later I had my first drag bingo event at Central 145 [now Babylon]," he says.

"We call it naughty bingo because each call has a naughty rhyme and there are performances between each game," he says.

As for the name Timberlina: "I was living next to a bar and I asked them to name a drink after me and they came back with 'Timberlina' for a dirty chai espresso martini."

Mr Jackson has spent the past two and a half years touring rural NSW and the East Coast as Timberlina, saying his shows "are sold out with waiting lists".

He is now gearing up for Blush, which he labels Newcastle's biggest LGBTQIA event, run by his events company Timber Productions.

His motivation to create Blush - a drag performance show which allows the LGBTQIA community to get on stage in a safe place - was twofold. First, to "give back" to his community in allowing people with a desire to perform to have a platform; and second, to create a space for them that he says did not exist previously.

Blush 2020 kicks off at The Cambridge on February 7. "There will be 12 performers. We got 450 through the doors last time. It's growing, with a mixed crowd," he says.

Mr Jackson, who is finalising sponsorship proposals for Blush, says businesses can benefit from embracing events like Blush: "We are here and staying. The more venues that put on queer events will get that business and support as long as they keep it safe."

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