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Does 'queer' refer to ALL of us, l,g,b and t?

Discussion in 'Chit Chat' started by Damien, Jul 13, 2014.

  1. Damien

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    Or does it refer to a separate and distinct group within the lgbt spectrum? I tried looking this up online, but the answers I got were not very clear or comprehensive.

    thank you
     
  2. idream

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    I'm no expert, but queer means out of the norm, right? And that's basically what we are. I'm pretty sure its all encompassing
     
  3. Aussie792

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    It can mean both. Some people hate it and insist that it's a slur (mostly gay men, often older, and often British/other Commonwealth English speakers), whereas the meaning of those who are otherwise not represented as gender and sexual minorities by the main definitions is probably the most common. "Queer" as a term to refer to every gender and sexual minority (though it's sometimes questioned whether it should also include trans people) is not used as much, but it's generally understood.
     
  4. Fallingdown7

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    yes, it refers to all of us. I call myself a queer woman.
     
  5. stocking

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    I think it's use for all of us but I have seen some people using it to say in between bi and gay but the correct use for it as I learned from others is just not straight and referring to everyone that is lgbt
     
  6. GagasUnicorn

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    It has always came like that in my opinion.
     
  7. Damien

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    Thank you all for your replies. :slight_smile: I am trying to come up with a catchy title for a poetry topic I am trying to cultivate, and I thought that 'Queer Poets Society' has a better ring to it, than, say, 'LGBT Poets Society'. I just want to make sure it would be accurate, in the sense of being all-inclusive...what do you folks think?
     
  8. gravechild

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    I believe it can also include those who live "alternative lifestyles" - polyamorists, the bdsm community, and furries, for example. It depends on the context: in an academic setting, it is often used as a catch-all for LGBT, but as a modern term, it's used by a lot of radical activists hoping to reclaim the word.
     
  9. QueerTransEnby

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    I don't like the word because it was always a slur growing up. It sounds so harsh.
     
  10. Damien

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    In that case I'm not too keen on it. After all, lgbt stands specifically for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender, with no ambiguity; whereas 'queer' sounds rather ambiguous. Thank you for explaining that.
     
  11. Mogget

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    A lot of people who identify as queer do so as a desire to separate themselves from "mainstream" LGBT culture. Since mainstream LGBT culture is really LG culture, queer has become associated with bisexual and pansexual people and trans people, especially nonbinary trans people.
     
  12. Hexagon

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    All four, and more besides. That's the beauty of it, really. We don't have to keep adjusting it to be more inclusive.
     
  13. LiquidSwords

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    I think the term is most happily used by people who are some sort of genderqueer, which is demonstrated by the admittedly small sample of people who have responded in this thread but which I think holds true as a general rule. That and that it's simultaneously used as an adjective to mean way more than just sexuality ie "I'm pretty fucking queer" means I can't help feeling it's a much more loaded term than gay, which doesn't have anywhere near the same extra connotations. Hence I prefer LGBT.

    I think a big part of it also is that where I live I have never heard the word used in a positive or even matter of fact way when describing someone LGBT, only ever in a negative "fucking queer" sort of way. I don't think anyone really in the UK is familiar with concept of the word being used as a sort of synonym for lgbt.

    Eh, I don't want to keep repeating myself on this topic but it still bothers me so, not so much I'll call people out for using it here, but if there's a thread about it I'll comment, ha
     
  14. happydavid

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    That.
     
  15. Kat 5

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    Whatever you say captain. Its your choice of what it means for you.
     
  16. SohoDreamer

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    I believe it is all encompassing, yes. Some people still use the term as an insult though.
     
  17. Aussie792

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    Is it a Northern thing to use it as a slur nowadays? My friends from London use it in the sense that it's used in much of the US.
     
  18. SohoDreamer

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    Perhaps. I've been called a "fucking queer" and stuff like that before in high school, and I've heard it used in bars by older people too.
     
  19. CommanderMatt

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    I haven't really heard queer used in a negative connotation in the U.S. I guess it depends on where you live though.
     
  20. Hexagon

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    I'm in birmingham. Never heard it used that way here.