Some updates from my adventures…
A Stigma-Informed Approach to Regional LGBTQ+ Inclusion
Recently I was invited by ACON to speak at the NSW Regional Rainbow Forum about my research on LGBTQ+ inclusion in rural/regional Australia. LGBTQ+ people living in rural and regional Australia experience unique, and often significant, forms of prejudice compared to those in our capital cities. It’s perhaps unsurprising, then, that they also report lower…
Free to be – Queer Screen Albury
In The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994), Bernadette reflects in reference to rural Australia: “It’s funny. We all sit around mindlessly slagging off that vile stink-hole of a city. But in its own strange way, it takes care of us. I don’t know if that ugly wall of suburbia’s been put there…
The meritocracy paradox
I was invited to take part in the University of Canterbury Business School’s Thought Leadership Series, joining a panel discussion on the paradox of meritocracy with Prof. Mikki Hebl and Associate Prof. Remi Trudel . I situated my argument on three points: Who determines what is merit? Sometimes it is argued that Australian First Nations…
Launching the Empowerment Scholarship
I am excited to champion the launch of The Honourable Michael Kirby Empowerment Scholarship, an initiative designed to uplift and support LGBTQIA+ students on their academic and personal journeys. Research conducted in 2024 by myself and Professor Suzanne McLaren through the Australian Regional Rainbow Survey confirms that LGBTQIA+ people living in rural areas experience significantly…
Clifford Lewis 