Historically queer was a word that referred to something as odd or strange. As the verb form of queer, queering can refer to the act of taking something and looking at it through a lens that makes it strange or troubles it in some way.

Is queer a verb or adjective?

It can be used as an adjective, a pejorative, a noun, an identity, a sexual orientation, and as a gender identity (as in genderqueer). But there's one use that we don't hear as much anymore: queer is also a verb. ... There was a time when that phrase meant “to mess it up,” as in queering a business deal.

What are queer readings?

Queer readings of texts allow audiences, queer or not, to see the possibility for queerness in media that does not explicitly name LGBTQ identities.