Salem is a high school English teacher, who is also completing a communications degree at the University of Newcastle. She is a Wonarua woman, who also has Lebanese heritage and identifies as bi-sexual. She vlogs, writes and is passionate about pop-culture. 

Salem will be on the panel for a session titled Tropes and Tribulations, a three way exploration of media representations of LGBTIQ. 

Salem acknowledges the media has improved in the way it represents the LGBTIQ community, but change has been “slow”. 

“In the last few years, people have become aware of issues regarding representation,” Salem said. “And when I say representation I mean in front of cameras, behind cameras, writers, everything.

“We are living in politically charged times and that has helped people become more aware of how media supports certain narratives, knowingly or unknowingly.”

Salem gave the example of the best friend character who is also gay. 

“They are still afraid to make these characters the forefront of the narrative,” she said. “There is still a very real thing of LGBT characters being side-characters.

“There is also the very real issue that we still have a lot of sad stories that are the popular narrative. You don’t see a lot of LGBT stories that are happy.”

The other common portrayal was the LGBTIQ villain. Salem pointed to the bi-sexual, assassin and psychopath character Villanelle, from the television series Killing Eve. 

Tropes and Tribulations is on September 30, 3-4pm, Newcastle City Library.

Other sessions Salem will participate in are: Women and Femmes to the Front, September 27, 9-10.30pm, Newcastle City Library. 

Nothing About Us Without Us, September 28, 9-10.20pm, Newcastle City Library.  A Space of One’s Own, September 29, 3-3.50pm, Newcastle City Library. 

TiNA is held across locations in the CBD, between September 27-30, thisisnotart.org