Politics, Leadership and International Representation: Queer Experiences Representing Australia

Abstract:  This seminar presents research on LGBTIQ+ people's experience in politics, leadership and international representation, drawing on three studies conducted over 2017-2024 led by Dr Elise Stephenson and/or the Global Institute for Women's Leadership. Firstly, it shares key findings from a study of almost 100 young gender and sexuality diverse people's paths to politics, including how concerns for workplace and public safety inform their engagement with politics. Secondly, the seminar shares research conducted on 16 queer and non-queer political candidates who ran in the 2022 Federal election, analysing over 100,000 tweets on Twitter/X to find that whilst queer candidates do not receive significantly more online harassment, it is more vitriolic and personal (sexist, homophobic, transphobic, etc.) than non-queer candidates. Thirdly, the seminar shares research on queer women who represent Australia overseas - diplomats, defence attaches, police, and government representatives - to find that despite deep exclusion and difficulty navigating LGBTIQ+ criminalisation internationally, women with wives might actually be best placed to fulfill the 'dual roles' required of international diplomacy. The seminar reflects on the similar barriers across these three studies, and explores what the implications might mean for individuals, as well as for Australian representation and democracy.

Bio: Dr Elise Stephenson is an award-winning political scientist and the Deputy Director of the Global Institute for Women's Leadership at the ANU, founded and chaired by former prime minister Julia Gillard. She researches gender, sexuality and all manner of policy frontiers, including outer space to AI, climate action, and international affairs. Elise's book, The Face of the Nation: Gendered Institutions in International Affairs, is published by Oxford University Press and was recently launched by Australia's first female foreign minister, Julie Bishop, in April 2024.