Whether or not to include queer theory in this exhibition was a complex decision. On the one hand, it has been a focus of constant attack by the global reactionary movement against the advances of feminism in general, and of trans feminism in particular. Including the main texts here seems to prove the reactionary forces right, insofar as it seems to say that trans and non-binary people would not exist without Butler, Lauretis or Foucault.

On the other hand, queer theory makes very interesting contributions for understanding the contemporary complexity of gender, and it is explicitly committed to self-determination and ending diversity phobia. Its inclusion is certainly an attempt to combat the growing misinformation of the far-right media and trans-exclusionary political movements. But it also reflects the richness of sharing their proposals, including the importance of LGBTQIA+ feminisms, the social construction of gender through performativity, and the critique of biological determinism, among so many other things.

Here, we propose a journey from Michel Foucault’s first sketches, through classic works by Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick, Teresa de Lauretis and, of course, Judith Butler, to conclude with several more recent titles that analyse their contributions.