What is the Difference Between Gay and Queer?

Think of it this way. All gay people are queer. But not all queer people are gay. Queer can basically just mean you're not straight. A lot of people call themselves queer if they feel their sexuality isn't easily described by one label.

 

First off, never trust someone who actually publishes an article where they misspell friends as freinds. That's just...awkward.

But the author does raise a good point. A lot of people use queer as a political term. It's a way of saying that they're part of the LGBT community and aren't straight (or cis). As you might have noticed, a lot of people use queer to talk about gender too. And what they're basically saying is that they identify as non-binary or not really as either make or female.

 

Queer is an umbrella term for non-heterosexual and non-cisgender individuals as far as I'm aware

 

Queer is starting to more and more stand in as a more inclusive, and easier way to say LGBTQUIAAA+ because that's too long and lengthy and full of issues and whatnot. Of course, queer has historically been used to refer to gay people, as it does now, but there's not so much distinction other than to be an umbrella term nowadays.

 

Some people use queer as an umbrella term or personal identity, but it's really derogatory from most places outside the U.S. (and some places in it). Personally, I'm really uncomfortable being called queer because that's the word I was called when I was bullied for being a really masculine girl (as people thought I was a lesbian, before I knew I was trans or that I liked girls).

I'd really recommend that you don't use queer as an umbrella term or for anyone you're not sure is comfortable with it.

 

This is a very good point. While queer CAN function as an umbrella term, it's important to remember those negative connotations and realize we haven't completely reclaimed the term yet. Using queer as an umbrella term for other people is just playing back into the dominant meaning of queer as a slur.

 

It's only how you label yourself. Semantics only folks.......no big suprise.

 

Queer is a slur that non-straight and non-cis people are able to reclaim. People often use it to label their sexuality if they do not want to be too specific (e.g. they don't quite fit any of the standard sexuality labels). It is not an umbrella term for the LGBT community because it isn't a word you should use to describe anyone without their explicit permission.

Gay is often used casually to just mean "not straight", but as a label means exclusively attracted to the opposite gender. Someone who is gay could choose to call themselves queer, but someone who calls themselves queer but is not homosexual (e.g. is bisexual) isn't technically gay.