Queer Tourism Geographies and Placemaking: Beyond Homonormativity

Date
2024-10-31
Authors
Beeth, Friederike
Schänzel, Heike
Supervisor
Item type
Journal Article
Degree name
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Taylor and Francis Group
Abstract

Queer spaces emerge as a response to the restrictive nature of homonormativity, which compels queer individuals to conform to dominant cis-heteronormativities. This underscores the need for in-depth knowledge about queer spaces, particularly those that extend beyond the experiences of gay men. This study explores how lesbian and queer women as mobile transnationals create space for themselves in Copenhagen, a city recognised as the world's most gay-friendly place. It employs an interpretivist research paradigm utilising a critical feminist and queer geography lens. Findings from observations and interviews reveal the absence of a specific lesbian space in Copenhagen; instead, numerous queer spaces are characterised by fluidity, safety, community, and a welcoming approach towards LGBTQIA+ travellers. Lesbian and queer women do not become visible through physical spaces, but through the strong networks, they have created for themselves. A queer space offers a sense of safety within a public setting for the community that gathers there. Additionally, lesbian and queer women actively reshape and conquer existing cis-heteronormative spaces through material and immaterial practices such as exclusive online community spaces or through hosting queer events in spaces such as churches. The study addresses the absence of feminist and queer perspectives in a discourse on sustainable tourism geographies. It provides policymakers with insights and recommendations for creating inclusive, queer-friendly spaces.

Description
Keywords
Homonormativity; queer spaces; LGBTQIA travel; queer geographies, queer tourism geographies, queer placemaking , 1506 Tourism , 1604 Human Geography , Sport, Leisure & Tourism , 3508 Tourism , 4406 Human geography
Source
Tourism Geographies, ISSN: 1461-6688 (Print); 1470-1340 (Online), Taylor and Francis Group.
Rights statement
© 2024 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent.