"Queer theory is the perspective that questions the perception that cisgender and heterosexual identities are in any sense 'standard.'"
The study of non-heterosexual identities and how they challenge traditional gender and sexuality norms.
Heteronormativity: A societal belief that heterosexuality is the default and superior sexual orientation, leading to the marginalization of non-heterosexual identities.
Queer Identity: An umbrella term for identities that challenge or subvert traditional notions of gender and sexuality, such as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, genderqueer, and more.
Gender performativity: The idea that gender is not biologically determined, but is rather a socially constructed performance that individuals enact in daily life.
Intersectionality: The recognition that multiple social identities, such as race, gender, and sexuality, intersect and interact to shape one's experiences and systemic oppression.
Theories of power and oppression: How power operates in society and how various systems of oppression, such as racism, sexism, and homophobia, intersect to produce and perpetuate hierarchies and inequalities.
History of queer activism and organizing: The history of queer resistance to systemic oppression, including the Stonewall riots, the AIDS crisis, and ongoing activism today.
Queer representation in media and culture: How mainstream media and cultural institutions historically and currently represent queer individuals, and the importance of queer representation in challenging heteronormativity and promoting acceptance and understanding.
Sexuality: Discussions about different sexual orientations, the experiences of queer people regarding sex, and also about sexual pleasures.
The social construction of sexuality: The historic shift in how human behavior and inclination were understood and the importance in the contemporary society.
Queer spaces: The existences of safe spaces for queer individuals to express and practice their identity in a society that is often hostile to non-heterosexual identities.
"It revisits such fields as literary analysis, philosophy, and politics with a 'queer' approach."
"Queer theory is a field of post-structuralist critical theory that emerged in the early 1990s."
"It emerged out of queer studies (often, formerly, gay and lesbian studies) and women's studies."
"The term 'queer theory' can have various meanings depending upon its usage."
"It has been broadly associated with the study and theorisation of gender and sexual practices that exist outside of heterosexuality."
"...which challenge the notion that heterosexual desire is 'normal'."
"Queer theorists are often critical of what they consider essentialist views of sexuality and gender."
"They study those concepts as social and cultural phenomena."
"They analyze the categories, binaries, and language in which they are said to be portrayed."
"...questions the perception that cisgender and heterosexual identities are in any sense 'standard'."
"It revisits such fields as literary analysis, philosophy, and politics with a 'queer' approach."
"It emerged out of queer studies (often, formerly, gay and lesbian studies) and women's studies."
"The term 'queer theory' can have various meanings depending upon its usage."
"...which challenge the notion that heterosexual desire is 'normal'."
"Queer theorists are often critical of what they consider essentialist views of sexuality and gender."
"They study those concepts as social and cultural phenomena."
"They analyze the categories, binaries, and language in which they are said to be portrayed."
"It questions the perception that cisgender and heterosexual identities are in any sense 'standard'."
"It revisits such fields as literary analysis, philosophy, and politics with a 'queer' approach."