Behind Straight Curtains “presents theatrical queer feminist interpretations of architecture staged within a series of architectural scenes” including Eileen Gray's E.1027, Natalie Barney's literary salon, and Selma Lagerlöf’s former home and memorial estate Mårbacka... Interpreted as queer performative acts, or enactments of architecture, these cases bring into play the interconnectedness of material container, the setting, the deeds and the actors. A broad aim of the thesis is to explore the role played by architecture in the social and cultural constructions of bodies, in particular in relation to gender and sexuality. Architecture is investigated as one of the subjectivating norms that constitute gender performativity... With this exploration into the queerness and the theatricality of architecture, Behind Straight Curtains seeks to affect both the analysis and enactment of architecture and contribute to an architectural shift towards a built environment that does not simply repeat repressive structures but attempts to resist discrimination and dismantle hierarchies.”