Queer Theory
Queer theory is a set of ideas based around the idea that identities are not fixed and do not determine who we are. In this particular theory, the word "queer" is not necessarily a synonym for "gay", but rather a position that rejects conventions or mainstream expressions of all types of behaviour including sexuality and gender. Queer theory looks at any kind of identity or behaviour that would fall outside of the "typical mainstream" or might be considered "other" or deviant, as well as suggesting that it is meaningless to talk in general about "women" or any other group, instead proposing that we deliberately challenge all notions of fixed identity, in varied and unpredictable ways.
Queer theory is based, in part, on the work of Judith Butler (and in particular her book "Gender Trouble", published in 1990). It is wrong to believe that queer theory is just another name for lesbian and gay studies, when they are so different from each other: queer theory has something to say to lesbian and gay studies, as well as several other areas of sociology and cultural theory.
In "Gender Trouble", Butler argued that feminism had made a mistake by trying to assert that "women" were a group with common characteristics and interests. This approach performed "an unwitting regulation and reification of gender relations" - reinforcing a binary view of gender relations in which human beings are divided into two clear cut groups (men and women). As a result, rather than opening up possibilities for a person to form and choose their own individual identity, feminism had closed these options down.
Queer Theory, overall, rejects the essentialist nature of theories of identity expressed through binary oppositions (i.e. male/female, gay/straight). Theorists argue that people do not simply categorise themselves in this binary format, meaning there is another spectrum outside of these oppositions, and it is this space which is seen as "queer". Essentially, queer theorists do not agree with the black and white version of the world presented by the binary view: they believe there are more grey areas that aren't as simple as gay/straight, or male/female.
According to theorists who follow and research this theory, queer texts are those that deal with explicitly queer themes and characters, or that can be read as queer ("accumulated queer readings") through identification of subtext, etc. It is important to remember that it's not just gay characters who are encompassed in this definition. Queer Theory can encompass anyone on the margins of society (an outsider) in terms of race, sexuality, religion and disability, to name just a few ideas. People who do not conform to the conventions of society are seen as queer, and Queer Theory argues that representations of "queer" people should not be about assimilation or attempting to get the mainstream audience to accept these people; where "queerness" is represented it should be positive, BUT not pandering to "normal" society or conventions.
Butler (pictured above) notes that feminists rejected the idea that biology is destiny, but then proceeded to develop an account of patriarchal culture which assumed that masculine and feminine genders would inevitably be built, by culture, upon "male" and "female" bodies, making the same destiny just as inescapable. She prefers "those historical and anthropological positions that understand gender as a relation among socially constituted subjects in specifiable contexts". In other words, rather than being a fixed attribute in a person, gender should be seen as a fluid variable that can shift and change in different context and at different times. The very fact that men and women can say that they feel more or less "manly" or "feminine" shows that "the experience of a gendered...cultural identity is considered an achievement".
Butler argues that sex (male, female) is seen to cause gender (masculine, feminine) which is seen to cause desire (towards the other gender). Butler's approach (inspired in part by Foucault) is basically to smash the supposed links between these, so that gender and desire are flexible, free-floating, and not "caused" by other stable factors.
Queer Theory explores and challenges the way in which heterosexuality is constructed as normal, and the way in which the media has limited representations of gay men and women, suggesting sexual identity is more fluid than fixed. A celebrity example of this idea is Noel Fielding, a British comedian known for The Mighty Boosh (2004 - 2007) and Noel Fielding's Luxury Comedy (2012 - 2014). Fielding is best known for his long hair and use of face paint and makeup products, as shown not only in the theme song below for "Luxury Comedy", but also in the video of him dancing to Kate Bush's "Wuthering Heights" for the 2011 charity show "Let's Dance For Comic Relief".
