DrMatthew Mitchell

Dr Matthew Mitchell is a Lecturer in Criminology in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Deakin University.

Matthew works across queer and trans studies, socio-legal studies, critical theory, and queer and cultural criminology. His research examines how law and public institutions regulate gender and sexuality, how LGBTQ people experience violence, how anti-queer violence is represented in media, and how technologies can be used to facilitate abuse and other forms of harm.

His forthcoming book, Governing Gender (2026), examines growing international efforts to restrict young people’s access to gender-affirming care. Drawing on an analysis of 124 Australian court judgments handed down over 20 years, the book shows that these interventions have not been concerned primarily with safeguarding young people’s welfare or with regulating particular forms of ‘medical treatment’, but with controlling the nature of gender itself.

Matthew’s research has had a tangible impact on law and public policy in Australia and internationally. His work has been cited in parliamentary debates on trans-inclusive law reform and in sentencing decisions concerning the incarceration of trans and gender-diverse people. It has also been cited in the Australian Human Rights Commission’s review of the experiences of trans and gender-diverse people in Australia and in a national framework for preventing violence against LGBTIQA+ people. His research has informed international policy documents on LGBTQ+ mental health, criminal justice, technology-facilitated intimate partner violence, and digital sexual abuse.

Matthew is keen to collaborate with community organisations, government bodies, and industry partners. He has led award-winning, community-engaged research with organisations including Transgender Victoria, the International Commission of Jurists, the Judicial College of Victoria, Victoria Legal Aid, and the criminal defence firm Doogue + George. Matthew has also advised the Victorian Ombudsman on policies concerning the treatment of trans and gender-diverse people in custodial settings

Matthew welcomes enquiries from prospective Honours, Master’s, and PhD students. He has supervised projects on LGBTQ people’s and disabled people’s interactions with police, gender-based violence, LGBTQ people’s access to homelessness services, queer masculinities, the politics of protest, and online representations of transgender people. Matthew specialises in qualitative methods, including legal case analysis, policy and media analysis, qualitative interviewing, and discourse analysis. He also supports students using quantitative and mixed methods, particularly survey research. With a strong background in critical and social theory, he is especially keen to work with students interested in applying or developing theoretical approaches in their research.

Matthew is available for media commentary on LGBTQ people and the law, anti-queer violence and hate crime, and legal debates about access to gender-affirming care for transgender youth. His research has been featured in The Age, The Conversation, and the Geelong Advertiser. He has also been interviewed by ABC Radio National, 3CR Community Radio, and The Saturday Paper.