The English word “queer” can only be translated into German to a limited extent. The closest equivalent is perhaps the word “strange”.360 Queer theory is one of the most difficult areas of woke ideology to understand.
Queer theory is a critical theory with a new-left perspective on what is socially accepted (see Conflict): the deliberate mixing of “normal” in the descriptive sense (frequent) and “normal” in the moralising sense (acceptable) forms the basis.
Queer activists combat societal norms and clearly defined identities. Everything that can be considered socially normal is regarded as restrictive and thus problematic. The term “queer” does not refer to a specific object; queer is defined as an oppositional relationship with or in contradiction to what is legitimised.361 Queer has been described by some queer theorists as an “identity without essence”.362
This strange identity has per se nothing to do with sexuality. Although queer theorists primarily deal with gender, sex, and sexuality, almost any topic can be examined with queer theory.
Allegedly, society is based on a conflict between a dominant class— “the normal people”—and an oppressed class—“the abnormal people”. Normal people justify why their behaviour is considered “normal” with normative narratives (see Cis-Normativity). At the same time, people learn through socialisation that one should trust those who are considered “normal” in society.
The task of the disadvantaged class—the queer people—is to develop consciousness about normativities. Only through the abolition of normativities can all people return to their original nature, which was allegedly always already queer (see Transformation).363
For this utopia, so-called “queering” is obligatory. Queering means deconstructing categories, especially the dominant notions of “normal” and “natural”. For example, a heterosexual person can also be considered “queer” if they publicly deconstruct certain social norms (e.g. through polyamory), while a homosexual monogamous couple is not considered queer in this respect. Through queering, a culture is to emerge in which monogamy is no longer regarded as the normal category.
Queerness as a political attitude has per se nothing to do with homosexuality or bisexuality. Queer activists frequently claim to speak for all who are not heterosexual, as an autonomous homosexual identity is not accepted by them. A supposedly uniform LGBTQ+ community (lesbians, gays, bisexuals, trans, and queer persons) is often spoken of. Although L and G come before Q in the LGBTQ+ acronym, queer activists claim to be able to speak for all (see Identity Politics).364
In the first instance, queer activism is not primarily about promoting understanding for same-sex or non-classical relationships. Behind this positive goal, classical identities are deconstructed because they are considered part of the cis-heteronormative system (see Problematising). Both gender and biological sex are regarded as “performative”, with the ideas of the philosopher Judith Butler being decisive. According to Butler, biological sex is not relevant because biological sex is also socially constructed (see Social Constructivism).365
Queer theory is conveyed to minors in a transferred form as part of critical pedagogy. Children are to be taught that their biological sex was arbitrarily assigned to them at birth, that they can freely choose their gender, and that a euphemistically described “medical transition” works without problems. Boys are to learn that as men they possess privileges, girls are to learn that they are oppressed by the system (see Patriarchy). Girls and boys are to learn that any discomfort they perceive in and with their body can be a sign of trans identity.366