The queering of monuments: Hauntological remembrance in Vienna.

This article explores the concept of "queering monuments" by analyzing the ARCUS – Shadow of a Rainbow – Memorial for Homosexuals Persecuted during the Nazi Era in Vienna, Austria (2023). It distinguishes between queer monuments, which may impose fixed representations of queer history, and the queering of monuments, understood as an ongoing, ambivalent process that challenges normative historical narratives and embraces the complexity, contradictions, and ghostly temporalities of queer memory. The ARCUS monument, featuring six grey metal arches referencing the rainbow symbol of queer identity, exemplifies tensions around visibility, representation, and the commercialization of queer heritage within urban public space. The article argues that queering monuments involves a reflexive, collaborative, and conflict-sensitive approach that resists closure or essentializing narratives, highlighting the impossibility of fully capturing queer histories and futures in static memorial forms.