Abstract
<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title> <jats:p> This article first introduces the epistemological development of queer theory/theories before focusing on key works that apply a queer approach to applied linguistics and language education. The queer approach to critical applied linguistics contributes to the field of queer applied linguistics that analyzes linguistic features of LGBT communities, challenges discourses that assume heterosexuality and heteronormativity, and investigates the formation of <jats:italic>all</jats:italic> identities and normativities beyond sex and gender. The remainder of this article covers a selection of representative scholarly works that examine cisgenderism and heteronormativity in language teaching materials, address challenges to including queer learners and teachers in language classrooms, and highlight the importance of modeling queer pedagogies in teacher education. It concludes with a call for educators, scholars, and professional bodies to form closer ties to challenge all forms of discrimination based on sex, gender, desire, and other categories in this socio‐politically turbulent time of the 21st century. </jats:p>