It's an umbrella term for not straight in terms of sexual orientation and not cisgender in terms of gender. For me at least, I identify as gay/maybe bi or pan, asexual, and possibly panromantic, and to simplify that, I usually just say I am either gay or queer, but I would preferably use queer unless people wouldn't be that well receptive of it. For some older members of the community, it is still a derogatory term, but for many younger people and those in academia, queer has been reclaimed.
As the above posters have said, it just means "not straight" for sexuality and "not cis" for gender. It is more of an umbrella term. For me, it means gay/ace. I'm attracted to men, but not interested in sex or romance. Thus queer. It's kind of a "non-label" for me, so I don't have to feel restricted to something while I'm still figuring myself out.
I feel like it's a great way to say you're LGBTQ+ without having to say the whole acronym cuz it can sound pretty bulky to say mid conversation sometimes. It's also a good way to include yourself in the community without having to say your exact identity and possibly having to explain a ton of labels, or if you're not sure of your identity yet.
And all-encompassing term that does not preclude the sexual attraction to the opposite sex/gender, but that would at the very least involve non-heterosexual attractions.
Defining Queer Queer is a multi-faceted word that is used in different ways and means different things to different people. Here are some ways that queer is used today: Queer (adj.): attracted to people of many genders Although dominant culture tends to dictate that there are only two genders, gender is actually far more complex. Queer can be a label claimed by a person who is attracted to men, women, genderqueer people, and/or other gender nonconforming people. Queer (adj.): not fitting cultural norms around sexuality and/or gender identity/expression Similarly to the above, queer can be a label claimed by a person who feels that they personally don’t fit into dominant norms, due to their own gender identity/expression, their sexual practices, their relationship style, etc. Queer (adj.): non-heterosexual Queer is sometimes used as an umbrella term to refer to all people with non-heterosexual sexual orientations or all people who are marginalized on the basis of sexual orientation. Queer (adj.): transgressive, revolutionary, anti-assimilation, challenging of the status quo Many people claim the label queer as a badge of honor that has a radical, political edge. UU seminarian Elizabeth Nguyen has preached: “Queer, for many folks, is about resistance—resisting dominant culture’s ideas of ‘normal,’ rejoicing in transgression, celebrating the margins, reveling in difference, blessing ourselves.” Queer (n.): an epithet or slur for someone perceived to be gay or lesbian Queer is still sometimes used as a derogatory term. Many people who have had the word queer used against them are understandably very uncomfortable with the word. Queer 101: Identity, Inclusion, and Resources | UUA.org
Huh I always thought it was another word for gay/lesbian/homosexual/etc. I never knew it was pretty much LGBTQ+ in general.
Quite a few make that mistake. But yeah, in reality, homosexual people are queer, but queer people aren't necessarily homosexual.
