What is “Queer” and is it a term the LGBTQ+ community should be reclaiming?
What does the term “queer” mean?
For some this question has a straight forward answer: Queer is an umbrella term that covers all non-straight and non-cisgendered identities. However, whilst some members of the LGBTQ+ community have embraced the reclaiming of queer, for others it is still laced with too many negative connotations to ever be a term that feels comfortable for them. This makes defining what queer means difficult.
It’s believed the term first originated in the 1800’s meaning anything “odd or peculiar”, but by the end of the 1800’s, and particularly by the time Oscar Wilde was trialed for Indecency in 1895, it was being used to describe homosexual men*. Yet even in these early recorded origins of queer referencing homosexuals, there are mixed definitions and evidence of it being used both as a slur and a self-identifying term. Put simply:
“It’s a word charged with as many meanings, emotions, and historical perspectives as there are shades of LGBTQ+ identity.”
Steven “Z” Patton (he/she/they)
(*it may also have been being used to describe homosexual women, but there is little recorded evidence of this because, you know, patriarchy…)
Is "queer" a term the LGBTQ+ community should be reclaiming?
We certainly think so (okay, our name may have given that away). For us, being Queer means being proud of who you are, even if who you are doesn't fit neatly into pre-defined boxes or labels. It means being free to explore your sexuality or gender identity, it means being kind to yourself and allowing yourself to be, well, just you.
We also believe that ‘Queer’ represents the growing need for an umbrella term that covers everything beyond being straight and/or cis-gendered, in a more inclusive & identifiable way than the ever growing LGBTQQIP2SAA+ acronym.
And we're not alone. The LGBT charity Stonewall defines Queer as: “a term used by those wanting to reject specific labels of romantic orientation, sexual orientation and/or gender identity. It can also be a way of rejecting the perceived norms of the LGBT community (racism, sizeism, ableism etc.)”
That being said, we also recognise that for some people this is too much of a “broad strokes” approach to the diverse identities within the acronym and can have the unintended consequence of squashing that diversity by trying to sum everything & everyone up as just “queer”. Like any identity, it should be used by those for whom it feels like the right fit and for all others, they can and should continue to use more specific terms within the LGBT+ acronym.
For some the term will always be a slur and so they reject its use as an umbrella term or a specific identity. Daniel Reynolds, Social Media Editor for The Advocate, notes that he "routinely observes a backlash to 'queer', when it's used in a headline for example, from older gay men who only know the word as a slur". Given the terms emotive history this is unsurprising, and yet the use of the term queer has "never been singular, simple or stable.”
We are all different and whilst we will always respect those that have come before us and paved the way for the rights many of us are now free to enjoy, we are also here to provide a space for the growing number of us who do identify as Queer and Proud.