Wendy Peters

Dr. Wendy Peters is an Associate Professor in the Department of Gender Equality and Social Justice at Nipissing University’s Faculty of Arts and Science. She holds a PhD from the University of Toronto, following a BA (University of Winnipeg) and MA (University of Toronto). Her research focuses on critical media studies, particularly examining how media shapes understandings of sex, gender, race, class, and sexuality. She specializes in queer theory and representations of non-straight characters in television. Dr. Peters teaches courses like Gender and the Media, Queer Media, and Race and Gender in Popular Culture.

Research & Teaching: Her work critiques media’s role in perpetuating or challenging social hierarchies. Recent projects analyze neoliberalism in artist labor (CBC’s Crash Gallery) and Lil Nas X’s political economy. She has published widely on queer representation in media, including landmark analyses of Queer As Folk and teen TV homophobia.

Awards: She received the 2023 Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, reflecting her impactful pedagogy. Over 20 years, she has produced 15+ peer-reviewed articles and co-edited independent publications like Dis’n’tangle (queer disability zine).

Key Themes: Her scholarship bridges queer theory with critical race studies, interrogating post-feminist and post-racial discourses. Recent work explores the intersections of media, precarity, and neoliberalism through exhibitions and TV analysis.