Whither queer suburbanisms? Beyond heterosuburbia and queer metronormativities

Abstract

Despite renewed interest in suburban studies and a decentring of geographies of sexualities, the queer suburban remains a neglected arena of inquiry. This article argues for greater attention to ‘queer’ suburbanisms to deconstruct suburbia as implicitly heterosexualized. It critiques the persistent heteronormativity of key concepts – suburbanization, suburban diversification and suburbanisms – in Anglo-American-Australian suburban studies. It then remaps the lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer (LGBTQ+) urban by highlighting inconsistencies in queer metronormativities critiques and evaluating census studies and gay ethnographies to decentre the queer metropolis. The article concludes by complicating how queer metronormativities conceive of their margins and destabilizing the sexual contours of heterosuburbia.