Queerbaiting is a complicated topic. There are nuances to discussions around queerbaiting which take some significant space to grapple with in detail. There are concerns around linking shipping with LGBTQ+ activism, complexities around drawing a distinction between queerbaiting and homoerotic subtext, discourse around why certain pairings become such fandom behemoths and arguments which suggest investment in shipping 'straight' characters leads to the neglect of LGBTQ+ characters or shows with plenty of LGBTQ+ visibility. Then of course there's ace erasure and a desire for more nuanced male intimacy in pop culture in general and many of these issues would require independent articles to address the complexities in full.

However, I try to reframe the debate in this short piece for The Mary Sue, with reference to a simple bugbear of mine. Why does a desire to see same sex twosomes get endgame romance on television get side-eyed, when the same is never true of hoping for a romantic culmination to the story arcs of an opposite sex pairing? What does assumed heterosexuality of mainstream television characters and arguments which insist a character is 'straight' tell us about a general lack of LGBTQ+ diversity in television, bierasure and heteronormativity in the mainstream?

​The article can be found HERE

I’ve just binge-watched the available Riverdale episodes on Netflix and it’s a pretty unequivocal thumbs up from me so far. There’s a dark, gothic undercurrent bubbling beneath the surface and the characters are interesting, fresh and engaging. Music is incorporated in a manner which makes me think of Julee Cruise in Twin Peaks with the dreamy, electronic pop from Josie and The Pussycats and introspective acoustic ballads from Archie. The set is lush and colourful with strange old houses and graveyards, dark institutions, a river which holds a multitude of secrets and characters who all seem to be hiding something. This televised take on the Archie comics holds plenty of promise and I’m excited to see where the story goes.  A number of issues such as white privilege, misogyny and slut shaming are all packaged up in the dialogue in a slick, entertaining package. 
​
BUT. I want to talk about the kissing.

​Continue reading my thoughts WITH SEASON 1 SPOILERS HERE

Well, it's been a much busier December than anticipated. With the holidays, a LOT of overdue fanfiction to write, a PhD proposal to submit, funding considerations, a chapter for a Harry Potter book to submit and two assessed essays to work on, I haven't found as much time for my book reviews as I had hoped. I'm hoping to continue those into January and hope you will find them of interest as and when they go up. Thank you for your patience. New Year, new uptick in blog activity, or that's the hope.

I did have the pleasure of recently having a pitch accepted for The Mary Sue which went live today. The piece is on Cosplay, Drag and the Transformative Nature of Living Out Your Fandom. I thought it might be of interest, so follow the link if you wish and I hope you enjoy the article. Do feel free to comment here if you have any thoughts.

​A very happy 2017 to you all.

I kick off my December blogging challenge which will focus on reviewing some of my favourite queer YA fiction with a review of David Levithan's 2013 'Two Boys Kissing.'

I wanted to start with this, both as 1 December marks World AIDS Day and also because this book remains one of my favourite pieces of YA fiction with its unique narrative voice, its roots in politics and oppression of the past and the way it brings two different generations together in a poetic, powerful and poignant way.

Review can be found HERE

Neil Armfield directs Holding the Man which tells the story of Timothy Conigrave and John Caleo’s 15 year romance through the 1970s and into the 1980s, when AIDS tore them apart.  The film is based on a novel of the same name, penned by Connigrave (a writer, actor and activist) which was first published in 1995 shortly after his death.  

Holding the Man remains one of the most important and well-known works of Australian LGBT fiction and it later became a successful play directed by Tommy Murphy, first shown in 2006.  Murphy also wrote the script for the film, which was released in 2015. 

Read the full review HERE 

Review of documentary The Mask You Live In which considers the issues created by instilling a culture of hyper masculinity in America's young boys.

An excellent, thought-provoking watch.  Review can be found ​HERE

A review of the documentary She's Beautiful When She's Angry which charts the rise of the Women's Lib movement and focuses on the era of second wave feminism, featuring a number of dIverse voices from feminist, civil rights and gay liberation movements of the 1960s - 1970s.

READ THE REVIEW HERE

A queer reading of Netflix original series Stranger Things.  

The article contains MULTIPLE SPOILERS FOR SEASON ONE.

Strangest of the Strange: Queering Stranger Things can be found HERE

Over the last couple of months when I wasn't tearing my hair out over the state of British politics or getting ready for my move to Yorkshire in early June, I was working on a number of panels and a paper for Leviosa 2016. For those of you who don't live and breathe Harry Potter fandom like I do, Leviosa is a fan convention with lots of academic and fannish content which took place in Las Vegas this July.  Together with focusing on Harry Potter canon, the programming schedule also included plenty of fannish content, talks by YA authors and discussions about the contemporary YA market. The schedule featured a number of multi-fandom panels and meet-ups - Marvel, Sherlock, Inception were all popular alternatives. I was fortunate enough to have a number of proposals accepted as part of the programming. So, on 5 July I flew into LA and on 6 July I embarked on the four plus hour drive to Las Vegas and The Green Valley Ranch, where the convention was held.