Queer Children, Representations of

Children have historically been seen as innocent and asexual beings, who are expected to grow up to be heterosexual members of society. Queer children break these norms about gender, sexuality, and typical stages of development. For most of the 20th century, in the Western world, queer children were mostly invisible, ignored, or seen as impossible. In the last few decades, queer children have become more visible, as more and more children have come out as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender, and identity categories that previously were reserved for adults are now being applied to children. Children who are gender nonconforming (meaning they do not fit the typical gender roles and expectations for their sex assigned at birth) have also become more accepted and visible in ...