So, my mom asked me what I'm identifying as, and I said "queer" she then proceeded to lecture me and basically told me not to call myself that... According to her "queer" used to be derogatory... So any advice on how to explain it to her?
I'm sorry but I tend to agree with your mum.. I wouldn't call myself queer cause I see it as am offensive term as well.. I have no issues with others who wanna identify as that.. But myself, I don't like that word at all. I guess you need to think about why it is that you would be rather identified as queer vs gay or lesbian and why you might not necessarily like the word gay and lesbian and just tell her from your heart as to why.
I don't see anything wrong with queer these days. I call myself queer all the time. It used to be derogatory but now it just means anything LGBT related. I've never cared for the word 'lesbian' and even then it feels dishonest since I lean toward being asexual as well (but not fully). So It's just an easy way to say you're part of the LGBT community.
Doesn't it just mean "not straight", now? Can you tell her that? Language evolves over time. I believe "nice" used to mean "silly", for example. You could explain that it's ok to call yourself something even before it's ok for others to. But that it's starting to be ok for others to say it as long as they're not using it as an insult.
You might have a look at this: http://emptyclosets.com/forum/anony...rientation/150854-what-does-queer-mean.html#4
