The Conquering Queer Child

Queer topics are still taboo in cultural products for young people despite increasing representation of LGBTQ+ stories in popular culture and the recent legalization of same-sex marriage in the United States. This book explores ways in which theatre artists and creators could represent queer topics to young people without facing controversy. Using Kathryn Bond Stockton¿s theory of the queer child, this book establishes that all children are queer and that this queerness should be reflected within their cultural products. Stockton¿s theory joins those of theatre scholar Matthew Reason who claims that theatre for young audiences (by adults) is impossible. This impossibility leads to the conclusion that theatre for young audiences cannot reflect the queer child without facing resistance from heteronormative thought within schools defined by Foucault's heterotopic relational space. Barrel of Monkey's ensemble in Chicago, IL circumnavigates this rejection by allowing the queer child to create their own stories, paving the way for other mediums to truly reflect the queer child, by positioning the child as both creator and spectators.