As defined by different theorists, queer theory calls into question the existing norms that society ascribes to various socially important concepts and processes. First of all, these concepts are sex, gender, and the nature of human sexuality in general. Personally, I perceive queer theory as a foundation for discussing concepts that dominate the field of LGBTQ+ studies, as well as a base for developing arguments for the transgenderism issue. All concepts relating to human sexuality are a social construct, and because of this, a person has to fit into the standards of their biological sex, thereby neglecting their unique personal characteristics, preferences, and interests. Spurlin (2019) adds that “one of the most politically contested axes of social subjectivity in contemporary culture is that of sexuality” (8). Queer theory says that sexual identity is not established by biological sex, can change throughout life. and take on forms that differ from the “classical” male and female.
In general, the concept of “queer” does not have a precise definition. In my understanding, this term means at once a social phenomenon, a political position, and an identity, which is why I empathize with the concept so much. Initially, the word “queer: was used as a slur, but in the late eighties, as civic activism grew, the LGBTQ+ community rethought and appropriated it. Instead of being “strange” and “different,” queer has come to mean a conscious belonging to LGBTQ+. A little later, all the same people who walked the streets with banners and protests brought the word “queer” to academic audiences and began to engage in gender studies. The most common use of the word “queer” in the modern environment is a synonym for everything related to LGBTQ+. Not an “LGBTQ+ festival” but a “queer festival,” not a “lesbian movie” but a “queer movie.” LGBTQ+ groups are still discriminated against by the state, people around react sharply to words like “gay,” “lesbian,” “transgender”. The word “queer” – incomprehensible and unknown to anyone – has become a kind of shield, a magical pass to the world of permitted festivals, exhibitions, and lectures.
The second meaning of the word “queer” to me is identity, as it can be used to describe both gender and sexual identity. If someone does not want or is not sure how to call themselves, they can say “queer.” Queer can also be a conscious strategy for gender exploration, as queer people can play different gender roles. In this sense, queer is closer to the concepts of non-binary (that is, moving away from defining oneself only as women or as men) and non-conformity. Finally, the radical meaning of the word “queer” as I see it is a political statement. It involves breaking away from existing norms and regulations, abandoning the need to identify ourselves, deliberately criticizing the way we are using to defining ourselves. Schotten (2018) even states that “queer politics is and can surely become decolonial praxis, just as decolonization has a clear affinity with dissident queer resistance” (66). Queer provides an opportunity to secure some groups and at the same time politicize other groups, which is why queer is the most dangerous word we have.
One of the key concepts of the queer theory is gender performativity. Its author, American researcher Judith Butler, denies the influence of innate sex on a person’s social behavior. Instead, each of us assumes the role of a man and a woman in order to meet social expectations. In Western society, the influence of queer theory has helped ease the pressure on people who do not fit in, but in most countries gay people have to adjust their behavior to avoid backlash. The dangers the queer people face every day in more conservative and traditional society bring the importance of further developing queer theory and all its iterations on a new level.
It is also crucial to understand that healthy sexual behavior cannot be divided into “normal” and “abnormal”. In this regard, heterosexual and homosexual relationships do not differ from each other, as queer theory tries to prove, and there is no “standard” when it comes to human sexual relations. A negative example of standardisation is heteronormativity, when society tries to make the relationship between a man and a woman healthy and normal, while all other forms of unions are denied or ignored. Moreover, sexuality and, above all, gender cannot be described in a binary way. The categorization of people in terms of the opposites “male-female” and “heterosexuality-homosexuality” distorts our understanding of people. We should not oppose invented categories, but accept the whole spectrum of manifestations of human relations. Queer theory and all its iterations offer a framework to approach such subjects from a non-judgmental, more open point of view, which matters a lot in our still conservative society.
While queer theory focuses on sexuality, it considers anything that can be normalized by society. Among them are religion, ethnicity, nationality, age, social class, and so on. Thus, queer theory can be extrapolated on other topics in which controversy still exists. For example, Judith Butler has an interesting point that gender as a system and our gender identity as part of that system is a performance, a constant theatrical practice of creating “us.” If we want other people to accept us, understand us, and not apply sanctions against us, we play our identity according to the norms of this system. When we participate in conversations about marriage and pregnancy, we condemn other women for their figure, makeup, clothing style.
That same discourse can be applied to religion, social class, or any other category: social norms and expectations exist for them too, and thus can be discussed in the boundaries of queer theory. Haber (2019), for example, even uses queer theory to “complicate the normative dimensions of the privacy discourses that popularly frame digital ephemerality” (1069). If we feel that the socially accepted representation of our gender, religion, or race does not correspond to our perception of ourselves, we can build our performance differently. We can make small interventions: where it is necessary to remain silent on a sexist joke, interrupt the joker; where one needs to emotionally serve someone, refuse to do it. Most importantly, apart from that, we can radicalize our performance and deny playing by unjust social standards. This is queerness – and it can take many different forms and be applied to a wide variety of topics.
I believe that with further development of queer theory, it can and will expand into many areas of social discourse. Feminism, transgender rights, social justice, racism, inequality, and other topics are all within the scope of queer theory, as they all intersect and interrelate with each other. Cuklanz and Erol (2020) add that “emphasizing a diversity of human experience related to gender at the intersection of race, sexuality, and other categories of identity aligns with the premises and assumptions of queer theory” (211). Another good example is presented by Ramirez and Sterzing (2017), as they utilize a queer theory framework to discuss the issues LGBT people experience in the military environment. As the field of queer studies expands, I am sure more new issues will arise and demand discussion, and the queer theory can provide more tailored, objective lens for it.
Works Cited
Cuklanz, Lisa, and Ali Erol. “Queer Theory and Feminist Methods: A Review.”Investigaciones Feministas, vol. 11, no. 2, 2020, pp. 211–220.
Haber, Benjamin. “The Digital Ephemeral Turn: Queer Theory, Privacy, and the Temporality of Risk.”Media, Culture & Society, vol. 41, no. 8, 2019, pp. 1069–1087.
Ramirez, M. Heliana, and Paul R. Sterzing. “Coming out in Camouflage: A Queer Theory Perspective on the Strength, Resilience, and Resistance of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Service Members and Veterans.”Journal of Gay & Lesbian Social Services, vol. 29, no. 1, 2017, pp. 68–86.
Schotten, C. Heike. “To Exist Is to Resist: Palestine and the Question of Queer Theory.”Journal of Palestine Studies, vol. 47, no. 3, 2018, pp. 13–28.
Spurlin, William J. “Queer Theory and Biomedical Practice: The Biomedicalization of Sexuality/the Cultural Politics of Biomedicine.”Journal of Medical Humanities, vol. 40, no. 1, 2018, pp. 7–20.