Queer labour: the decades of work that helped bring LGBTQIA+ stories to Australian TV

A new study examines the motivations, barriers and labour behind the queer stories that appear on Australian screens.
Nandini Rajagopal, Evie Macdonald and Elena Liu, in First Day S2. Image: Matt Byrne courtesy Epic Films. QUeer labour

Damien O’Meara, RMIT University

When the Seven Network’s Bevan Lee created the story of James Bligh, a gay man living in 1950s Australia, in A Place to Call Home (2013–18), it was the culmination of a lifetime of work in commercial TV.

Lee’s success shows the importance of queer labour in getting queer stories in Australian television.

Unlock Padlock Icon

Unlock this content?

Access this content and more