Outrageous: The Queer History of Australian TV
Description
To celebrate the release of the book Outrageous: The Queer History of Australian TV, join us for the first screening of the documentary short film on which it is based since it premiered at Queer Screen during World Pride 2023. Since then, it has won Best Feature at the LGBTQ+ Toronto Film Festival.
Starring Shane 'Courtney Act' Jenek, Benjamin Law, Sarah Walker, Carlotta, Keiynan Lonsdale and The Hon Michael Kirby AC CMG.
‘How amazing that Australia once led the world in LGBT representation on TV.’ – Courtney Act
Hosted by the author, TV Historian Andrew Mercado, who will introduce the screening. Louise Crawford, councillor and former mayor of the City of Port Phillip, will officially launch the book at the start of the Q&A, she is in Outrageous for playing two lesbians on TV. The Q&A will be moderated by Robbie Molinaro from JOY FM.
Lineup
Andrew Mercado
Andrew Mercado is a writer/producer/presenter who specialises in Film and TV, particularly with soaps and queer content. Andrew is the co-host of the TV Gold podcast with James Manning and has a weekly spot on several ABC radio stations. He writes a monthly TV column for DNA magazine and hosts his own YouTube channel called TV Icons. Andrew was one of the first openly gay people to be seen on Australian TV when he began appearing on music network Channel [V] from 1999. He became the first VJ on Max, was a regular on Australian Story, Mornings With Kerrie-Anne, Studio 10, A Current Affair and SBS World Movies, and hosted The Buzz, The Know, The Playlist and Foxtel Movie Show. As a TV Historian, he curates and produces material for Umbrella Entertainment/Brollie and Australia’s National Film and Sound Archive. As a writer, he has been published in The Australian Women’s Weekly, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Guardian and has written regular columns for Sydney Star Observer, The Sunday Telegraph, TV Week and TV Soap. His first book Super Aussie Soaps, a history of Australian TV dramas, was published in 2004. Since then he has contributed chapters to the books The 100 Greatest Films of Australian Cinema, and Very Special Episodes: When TV Sitcoms Sometimes Got Serious. Andrew also owned and operated the South West Roxy Cinema in Northern NSW. He now hosts Trivia every Wednesday and Music bingo every Thursday at Newcastle’s iconic Lowlands Bowling Club.
The Book
Outrageous - The Queer History of Australian TV
First lesbian onscreen kiss. First gay and bisexual characters. First gay teenagers. First transgender actress. Outrageous is a queer history of Australian TV when homosexuality was illegal and just four broadcast channels dictated what could be seen. During the 1970s, LGBT people dominated the biggest shows on TV down under, and this is the definitive guide of how the queer and broader communities responded (plot spoiler - they loved it!). Acclaimed TV Historian Andrew Mercado recounts how Australian TV was the first in the world to positively portray queer people on classic TV shows such as Prisoner, Number 96, The Box, A Country Practice, The Flying Doctors, Sons and Daughters, Heartbreak High, Homicide, Blue Heelers, Water Rats, Sweat, Fast Forward and Four Corners.
Tickets for good, not greed Humanitix dedicates 100% of profits from booking fees to charity
