Blog.
The ALP and its disdain for the general public
I have been thinking a lot about the behaviour of the ALP in recent weeks.
Facing attacks, humanties academics should embrace a debate about the value of our work
The humanities in Australia seem to be under attack. Last week it was revealed that the former education Minister Simon Birmingham had blocked approximately $4 million dollars of funding for humanities projects that had been approved by the Australian Research Council (ARC).
Mardi Gras and the politics of inclusion
Late last week I got a letter from a group of Mardi Gras volunteers titled “SYDNEY GAY AND LESBIAN MARDI GRAS IS UNDER THREAT AND NEEDS YOUR HELP”.
On Richard Flanagan's article that he didn't want to write
Over the weekend Richard Flanagan wrote an article he didn’t want to write about the nature of debate in our society, particularly following the canning of Germaine Greer and Bob Carr from the Brisbane Writer’s Festival. It has caused quite a stir!
Trevor Noah, James Gunn, and the problem with outrage culture
The outrage cycle has struck again this week — this time targeting two big stars in Hollywood and the late night circuit.
Why do men join far right groups, and how can we get them out?
Last night I went to an excellent lecture from Professor Michael Kimmel, hosted by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. Kimmel researches why men are attracted to far right groups and spoke about how to get them out in this talk.
The troubles with challenging identity
Last week I shared a very controversial article from Rebecca Reilly Cooper about gender identity. To summarise the article Reilly Cooper argues that making gender a ‘spectrum’ (with all the new identities that come with it) ends up just creating more restrictive gendered boxes, when what we need to be doing is tear down the idea of gender itself.
How the left has facilitated moral panic about Barnaby's affair
Over the past couple of days the Barnaby Joyce affair-with-his-staffer saga has dramatically shifted. Most importantly the discussion has moved somewhat away from discourse about allegations of potential corruption, and well into the arena of a discourse about the character and judgement of a man who would cheat on his wife and family in this way.
Three Billboards, I, Tonya, and the value of a complex narrative
In the past few weeks I saw two of the best movies I’ve probably seen in many years. Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri, and I, Tonya (both movies with commas in their names) are both frontrunners for a number of Oscars and have been big hits this summer.
Sport builds strong communities. Why therefore do so many on the left scoff at its importance?
The Summer of Tennis in Australia is once again over. This weekend brought us two epic grand finals – with Caroline Wozniacki taking out Simona Halep in a three set cliff hanger, while Roger Federer beat Marin Cilic in a surprisingly competitive five-setter.
This is a huge win: let's celebrate it
It’s official. Australians have voted in favour of marriage equality!
Growing up Queer
This is a talk I did as part of ACT Fair Day, in conjunction with Noted Festival. The topic from the event was ‘growing up queer’, and in doing so I spoke about the process of learning about what it’s like to be queer before coming out.
Queer Stories: Poly Love and Great Sex
This talk was presented at Queer Stories in August. Queer Stories is a monthly queer story-telling event held at Giant Dwarf in Redfern, Sydney every month.
Do some queers subconsciously want to lose the marriage equality vote?
Earlier this week the vote yes campaign received some amazing news. New polling from Essential Research highlighted a significant enthusiasm gap between yes and no voters.
Is our response to the plebiscite making us more vulnerable than the existence of the plebiscite itself?
This week, many of the direst predictions of those opposing the marriage equality plebiscite came true, as an awful anti-equality poster appeared in parts of Melbourne.
The Handmaid's Tale is a relatively accurate depiction of modern sexual relationships - just not in the way you think
Last week the TV adaptation of The Handmaid’s Tale was released on SBS. In doing so the show has revilatised Margaret Atwood’s classic 1985 novel, being considered in many ways a prescient story to tell in our current political climate.
Freedom and the injured subject
Over recent times, particularly since the plebiscite and Safe Schools debates within Australia, I have noticed a strong narrative of ‘suffering’ and ‘vulnerability’ within large parts of the queer community. Mainstream queer discourse has increasingly turned towards defining queer people as ‘vulnerable’, ones who have ‘suffered’ a great ‘injury’, and whose main quest is for those injuries to be fixed in some way.
Marriage equality, capitalism, and gay identity
This lecture was given to the GEND1001 class at the Australian National University in May 2017.
Gay Sex is Fun
It’s been a couple of months, so it feels like time for another newsletter on everything that’s been happening in my world of writing and research.
Medicine, the breakdown of its authority, and its consequences
Earlier this week I was lucky enough to be able to attend a Masterclass by Professor Nikolas Rose titled ‘Social Sciences and the Self in the Age of the Brain’. Professor Rose has a long history in sociology, with a particular interest in the intersection between conceptions of the self and subjectivity with biomedicine.