“Do you want to form an alliance with me?”

Abstract

This chapter explores the queer world-making moves made by queer women and non-binary creators on TikTok. These creators are crafting cultural texts that disrupt heteronormative societal structures, as well as producing resources that can assist their queer digital neighbors in the pursuit of their needs and desires. In doing so, they are carving out a queer space on TikTok and opening up potentialities for “queer utopia,” a concept developed by José Esteban Muñoz (2009). Queer women and non-binary creators on TikTok are modeling the politic of queer utopia, as will be demonstrated via analysis of an emergent genre of TikToks in which creators discuss and theatricalize their own journey away from heteronormativity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Complementing this genre study is a case study of a genderqueer TikTok creator whose content recommending sex toys highlights how queer creators can utilize the affordances of the app to provide for queer livelihoods, but whose repeated censorship on the app reveals the precarious position of marginalized creators on TikTok. Whilst queer futures on TikTok are not certain, the lessons learned and communities that have been forged will nonetheless play a role in the directions we take toward a queer utopia.