“Queer King Arthur in Space”: Problematizing Gender Binaries, Heteronormativity, and Medieval(ist) Heroic Ideals in Once & Future

This article discusses Amy Rose Capetta and Cory McCarthy’s Arthurian adaptation for adolescents, Once & Future (2019), which portrays a diverse cast of characters living in a future society that has moved past the need to regulate gender expression and sexual orientation. The novel queers the Arthurian legend by presenting a gender-full utopia that disrupts binarist views on gender and sexuality, and challenges medieval(ist) and contemporary heteronormative notions of heroism. As such, Once & Future reflects emerging discourses surrounding inclusivity that shape contemporary Western constructions of and debates about gender and sexual identity, while problematizing the values and ideologies that have defined the Arthurian tradition.