Maria Pallotta-Chiarolli

Senior Lecturer in the School of Health and Social Development at Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia, Dr Maria Pallotta-Chiarolli writes and researches on social justice, diversity and equity issues in education and health. Her primary areas of interest are cultural diversity, gender diversity and sexual diversity.

Maria is also an External Faculty Member of Saybrook Graduate Centre, San Francisco, the Honorary Patron of PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) Victoria in Australia, and Founding Member of AGMC Inc (Australian GLBTIQ Multicultural Council), which is a member of FECCA (Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Council of Australia).

Apart from academic chapters, research monographs and journal articles, her publications include: Someone You Know, Australia’s first AIDS biography; Girls Talk: Young Women Speak Their Hearts And Minds, which involved researching with culturally and sexually diverse girls and young women; Tapestry, a biographical narrative on five generations of her Italian family. Tapestry was short-listed for the NSW Premier’s Award in the Ethnic Affairs Commission category and in the Children’s Book Council Non-Fiction Award; ; When Our Children Come Out: how to support gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered young people which is being translated into Spanish; and the following three books co-researched and written with Dr Wayne Martino: Boys’ Stuff: Boys Talking About What Matters, which was shortlisted for four awards: a Western Australian Premier’s Award; the Australian Book Design Award; a Human Rights Award; and was Highly Commended in The Australian Award for Excellence in Educational Publishing; So What’s A Boy? Issues of Masculinity and Schooling which has been translated into Spanish and "Being Normal is the Only Thing To Be": Young People’s Perspectives on Gender in Schools.