Tracey Wigginton

Tracey Wigginton

From Bad Gays by Huw Lemmey & Ben Miller

December 16, 2025 · 51 min · Season 9 · Episode 127

About this episode

This episode discusses the case of Tracey Wigginton, a woman from Queensland, Australia, who committed a crime amidst the societal backdrop of the late Eighties and the AIDS epidemic.

Subscribe to Extra Bad Gays on Apple Podcasts or Patreon to support our work, get monthly bonus episodes, and join our community of listeners! The place: Queensland, Australia; a state just recovering from decades of rule by "hillbilly dictator" Joh Bjelke-Petersen, a petty authoritarian with a reputation for brutal homophobia and the even more brutal repression of street protest. The time: the late Eighties, at the height of the AIDS epidemic and public fear about queers and blood. The woman: Tracey Wigginton, a deeply disturbed woman from an abusive background who committed a horrifying crime. The media saw a potential scandal, and created one: it was easier to believe lesbians are vampires than to believe in the endemic nature of family abuse and violence in our society. ----more---- SOURCES: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/265940376_Biting_the_hand_that_breeds_the_trials_of_Tracey_Wigginton https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/paroled-lesbian-vampire-killer-tracey-wigginton-will-get-away-with-lies/news-story/d7f1890bf3cb800c110a63d9afae6573…

Topics covered

  • crime
  • LGBTQ+ history
  • AIDS epidemic
  • media representation
  • family abuse

Keywords

  • Tracey Wigginton
  • Queensland
  • AIDS epidemic
  • lesbian vampire
  • family abuse
  • media scandal
  • homophobia
  • street protest

Mentioned in this episode

Products: Arpeggia Colorix

Books & works: Extra Bad Gays

Places: Queensland, Australia

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