There’s a lot about Melbourne TikToker Wil Stracke that makes certain people angry.

For starters, she’s a trade union official, an ex-lawyer, a lesbian and a feminist. But what really sets off the trolls and brings out their worst impulses is the way she looks and presents herself.

The online hate first became ferocious during the ‘Yes’ campaign for marriage equality and continues today on whatever platform she uses her voice to advocate for others.

As she says, it’s designed to put her back in her box and stop her from talking about issues that matter, such as inequality, domestic violence and suicide.

These days, Wil turns the hate into fuel, addressing her critics head-on with humorous clap-backs as she continues to make engaging and relatable content – everything from the history of worker’s rights to finding a way to belong in the world. Always delivered with heart to an ever-growing fandom.

But rising above the insults hasn’t always been easy and she’s had to overcome some dark times.

In today’s “10 questions with …” column, Wil tells us why she speaks out publicly, despite the hurtful backlash, and how she keeps on going.

1. Why did you join TikTok?

The person who runs the comms at my work said we all needed to get onto TikTok because it was a growing social media platform and we need to be where people are. So I got an account, went in and thought ‘this is NOT for me!’. I stuck to the things I knew, mainly Instagram and Twitter, as it was then. One day, I did a tweet that got quite a bit of love and the comms person said, you know what, just record yourself saying that tweet to camera and we’ll put that up on our organisational TikTok. That sounded easy, so I did it. And it got some love there too. At that point, she told me I needed to start doing it on my own account, so I just kept doing what I’d done in that first video – talking to camera about things I cared about.

2. As a Gen Xer, how have you been received on the platform?

I’m as surprised as anyone that a lesbian, feminist, trade unionist, Gen Xer found a following on a platform that skews younger. I think it’s something to do with me explaining things in ways that seem to make sense to people. I decided a while ago that trying to post things to ‘appeal’ to people was a surefire way to do my head in. You can’t know what people want. So I focus on talking about things that are important to me – politics, feminism, being queer, having mental illness, being a runner, hiking, whatever – in the same way that I’d talk to my mates about it. Whatever I’m thinking about at the time in whatever way I’m thinking about it.

3. Do you have a “real job”? If so, what is it and how long have you been in the field?

I’m a trade union official (Assistant Secretary of the Victorian Trades Hall Council). I’ve been doing that for about 20 years. Before that I was a lawyer. I’ve also been a valet driver, bartender and a performer. So a varied work history!

4. Your TikToks talk about big topics – inequality, domestic violence, child abuse, suicide. Why did you feel compelled to add your voice to these discussions?

I believe, and this sounds very trite, but I believe it’s our job to try and make the world a little bit better for those who follow. I’m a survivor of child sexual abuse who has grappled with mental illness and has lived experience of suicide. I’m also a migrant and a lesbian. All of those things mean I have experienced what it’s like to not fit in. To be outside societal norms and expectations. My life has been a lot about finding and creating places to belong and about giving other people the confidence to do the same.

5. You’ve been open about your mental health struggles and suicide ideation. You’ve also been open about your brother’s death by suicide. Is it hard to go there?

I do it when it’s not hard, if that makes sense. If I’m in a darker place where I’m struggling, my thinking isn’t helpful. Mental illness means that my mind isn’t always being honest with me and it can strip away hope. When I’m there, I work hard on the things I know help get me through. Then when I’m in a better place, I can reflect from a place of being able to honestly say that things can be hard, but they can and will also get better.

6. What are some of the worst things that have been said to you online and how do you deal with it?

When I was coordinating the ‘Yes’ campaign for the postal survey on marriage equality, I did a short video for the campaign about how important it was to post your ballot in. That got put out on social media and ended up being shared in some of the worst ‘No’ pages. The video got inundated with comments about me being ‘a disgusting thing’ and about how repulsive I am. As fast as the moderators were taking the comments down, it was being deluged with more. I mostly ignored it, but one night it all got a bit much. I dealt with it by focusing on the people in my life who matter – my family, my friends, my work colleagues. The people whose opinions of me are based on who I am, what I do, how I live, how I interact with them. The people who love me. And since we won that campaign, those things honestly don’t bother me at all. Now I reckon that if they are trolling you, it’s a sign that you are being effective.

7. You just ran your first marathon. That’s huge, congratulations. But also, why a whole marathon and not a 10km fun run?

I started running in August 2021 when I was in a really dark place. I decided I didn’t want to be here any more. I was also really unfit and I felt stuck. A mate got me running and while I didn’t love it, I felt better when I did it. Less stuck. So I just kept pushing myself to do a bit more. I did my first 10km fun run in early 2022 and I felt amazing. So I did a few more of those and then decided I wanted to have a crack at a half marathon. So I signed up for my first half in October 2023 and as soon as I crossed the line, I decided I wanted to sign up for a marathon. I’ve never been athletic and I’ve always felt disconnected from my body – it’s one of the symptoms of my mental illness, to feel dissociated. Running helps me come back to the here and now, it helps me feel connected. And pushing myself physically helps me get through the times when the darkness comes back. Having that goal to work towards means I always have something to get up for. A marathon felt like I was testing myself to my limits. Turns out, it was – it was a huge effort. But I’m so stoked I did it.

8. Do you have any more running ambitions or big items to tick off your list?

I want to have another crack at a marathon, but first I want to build up my speed so I’m not out there slogging it out for so long! And I have a big bucket list of hikes I want to do. I love the thing about just putting one foot in front of the other. There’s something about hiking and camping that makes my world smaller but much bigger all at the same time. The endlessness of the horizon – nothing like it!

9. If you could change one thing in the world, what would it be?

More kindness, less greed. I know that sounds like one of those stupid inspirational posters, but kindness is vastly underrated, I reckon.

10. And lastly, are you a cat or dog person?

Both. I grew up in a cat household and had cats of my own when I moved out of home. I got a dog by default. I was living with someone who had two dogs and one of them got very, very attached to me and when that housemate moved out, the dog stayed. Now I have dogs. Partly because they force me to get out and walk every day, even when things get hard with my mental health. And partly because they’re easier to manage with allergies!