Hear what Damien has to say about life, universities, and the world
I post with some regularity about my research, teaching and other interests.
Why I chose to examine the Green Guide letters
Why research the Green Guide letters? While interviewing Australian television creatives and executives about how they negotiated queer stories in Aussie TV drama, I found a common theme: networks were worried audiences would switch off if they saw these themes. But what informed this view? I remember the Green Guide letters as a place where…
Keep reading![We’re going on an adventure! [2025 edition]](https://djomeara.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/pexels-photo-29996961.jpeg?w=800&h=600&crop=1)
We’re going on an adventure! [2025 edition]
Sharing my reflections on 2024 and plans for 2025.
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Angst, Sex and Normativity: Trends in Queer Representation in Australian scripted television over the 2000s and 2010s
Our new study reveals trends in lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and nonbinary representation on Australian scripted television in the 2000s and 2010s.
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HASSCast EpIsode 4: Veterans, PTSD and medical care from 1960s Australia to the Royal Commission with Dr Effie Karageorgos
In this episode of the HASSCast Dr Effie Karageorgos talks through her recent publication, Medical fears of the malingering soldier: ‘phony cronies’ and the Repat in 1960s Australia in the journal Medical History. Dr Effie Karageorgos is Lecturer in History at the University of Newcastle, Australia and Deputy Convenor of the UON Future of Madness Network. Her…
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The Conversation: Queer Intimacy in Red, White & Royal Blue
‘Gay guys can do missionary?’ – how Red, White & Royal Blue brings queer intimacy to mainstream audiences Prime Video Damien O’Meara, Swinburne University of Technology The hit romantic comedy Red, White & Royal Blue, an adaptation of Casey McQuiston’s book of the same name, quickly became the number one movie on Prime. The film…
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Meet Cute in the Margins: Establishing Gay Community Contexts in the Gay Romcom Genre
This essay argues that the gay romcom is a genre that modifies the generic conventions of the mainstream (‘heterosexual’) romcom.
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Year in review: Year 2 of my PhD on queer representation in Australian scripted television
I won’t bury the lede, the second year of my PhD has ended with me being awarded a scholarship for my final 12 months. I’m chuffed. Funding and scholarships in the humanities is sparse in Australia. Funding for research into television is also sparse, not to mention funding to research queer representations in television. But…
Keep readingAssignment exemplars are ruining your university experience, here’s how you should use them
In a unit I taught for many years, the course convenor had included an assignment exemplar for students to see what a High Distinction looks like. This exemplar was mostly excellent, however it included a glaring issue that proved to be quite frustrating. The example assignment recommended a six-month retainer for a public relations client,…
Keep readingThe Conversation: Bros, queer romcoms and mainstream audiences
Queer romcom Bros struggled at the box-office. Are mainstream audiences still not ready? Universal Pictures Damien O’Meara, Swinburne University of Technology When Bros creator, Billy Eichner made an impassioned plea for people to see his queer-centred romantic comedy, he shared concerns on Twitter that straight people “just didn’t show up.” The subsequent “flop” discourse surrounding Bros…
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Damien J O'Meara 