Faggots are the Future: A Research Through Design Qu𝘦ery (rtDq)

The following thesis is positioned as a personal and reflexive research through design journey. In this journey, I explore ways which gender and sexual identity are influential constituents in my design and the design field at large. Through the use of queer and feminist points of view I invite the reader to engage in a critical reimagining of the city, of myself, and of the white hetero cis man's design world. Premised on using a queer lens to reimagine Christopher Frayling's notion of research through Design (rtD)–I aspire to find and experiment with strategies that aim at creating space for explorations outside of personal and societal margins, borders, and binaries. The following work outlines my methods as a communication designer, and grounds these methods with queer and feminist underpinnings that encourage the implementation of identity into our design processes. I position the following body of research as a queery or a research through design queery (rtDq); A self-reflexive research journey that emphasizes and uncovers opportunities for design interventions that address elements of ‘other’-ness present in one's identity.