Blog


  • 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…

  • Assignment 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,…

  • The 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…

  • The Conversation: Queer representation in Aussie kids’ TV

    Peppa Pig has introduced a pair of lesbian polar bears, but Aussie kids’ TV has been leading the way in queer representation Channel 5 Damien O’Meara, Swinburne University of Technology and Liam Burke, Swinburne University of Technology Peppa Pig’s first same-sex couple, a pair of lesbian polar bears, were recently introduced after a petition to…

Search for a Topic