Queer theory is a field of critical inquiry that emerged in the early 1990s out of the fields of queer studies and women's studies. Queer theory is a critical examination of the ways in which society constructs and enforces ideas about sexuality and gender. Queer theory challenges the idea that there are two fixed and stable genders, male and female. Queer theorists argue that gender is a fluid and ever-changing category, and that it is not always aligned with biological sex. Queer theory also challenges the idea that there are two fixed and stable sexualities, straight and gay. Queer theorists argue that sexuality is a complex and multifaceted category, and that it is not always aligned with one's gender identity.
Queer theory is a powerful tool for understanding the ways in which society constructs and enforces ideas about sexuality and gender. It is a valuable tool for challenging the status quo and for creating a more just and equitable society.
Here are some of the key concepts in queer theory:
Queer: Queer can be used as an umbrella term to refer to LGBTQ+ people, or it can be used to describe anyone who challenges the binary categories of gender and sexuality.
Heteronormativity: This is the idea that heterosexuality is the norm and that all other sexualities are deviations from the norm. Heteronormativity is enforced through a variety of social institutions, including the family, the media, and the law.
Cisgender: This is the term used to describe someone whose gender identity aligns with their biological sex. For example, a cisgender man is someone who was assigned male at birth and who identifies as a man.
Transgender: This is the term used to describe someone whose gender identity does not align with their biological sex. For example, a transgender woman is someone who was assigned male at birth but who identifies as a woman.
Gender performativity: This is the idea that gender is not something that we are, but is something that we do. We perform gender through our everyday actions, words, and gestures.
Intersectionality: This is the idea that different forms of oppression, such as racism, sexism, and homophobia, intersect and overlap. Intersectionality is a valuable tool for understanding the ways in which different forms of oppression can compound each other.
Queer theory can appear to be quite a critical theoretical perspective by focusing so heavily on oppression and the systems of power which minoritise queer identities. However, queer theory is also celebratory as it attempts to understand and celebrate the ways that queer people forge their own places in societies. For example, José Esteban Muñoz coined the term disidentification to describe a strategy of queer performance that refuses to assimilate to dominant culture. Disidentification is a way of negotiating with dominant culture without fully capitulating to it. It is a way of finding pleasure and agency in the midst of oppression. Muñoz identified many ways that queer minorities would forge their own spaces within majority cultures rather than always positioning themselves as being outside.
In terms of critical theory, queer theory is still relatively young and as such is still establishing its place within academia in new and interesting ways. Certainly, the advent of a number of highly debated and discussed events have recently brought the topics of gender, sex ID, and sexuality into the fore. Yet, for many ideas that challenge the norm can be difficult to understand. Queer theory is one of the tools we can use to articulate why diversity is important and why we need to continue to discuss and debate these ideas within academia.
Some graphic design themes that could be explored through queer theory are:
What role has graphic design and visual communication played in establishing and sustaining heteronormativity? How has this changed in contemporary graphic design?
What can queer theory say about how queer and non-queer identities are represented in popular culture?
How can graphic design be used to celebrate queer identities within specific contexts?
Muñoz talks about how queer culture has appropriated symbols of heteronormativity. Can graphic design culture be understood as heteronormative or queer and in what ways? Are there ways of "queering" heteronormativity within graphic design culture?