Since I've been out in my community/town for 6 months, I've heard so many terms and labels. LGBTQA...and many more labels, but I have not wanted to call myself one until recently. I fall under the Gay label, but I am not very comfortable saying that yet. I know it takes time to accept ones sexuality, and it will take a while for me. Another thing I think about is the word Queer. The definition of the word is "strange". Queer, for me, has a negative connotation. When I was growing up, the only time someone would say queer would be for labeling someone negatively. For example, there are games like "Smear the queer". The object of this game is the "queer" has the football, and the other people attack him/her. It seems like the word queer has never been used positively in my lifetime. Is that changing now? Idk, but I still feel like it's a negative word. I don't see very many people saying I'm a queer. And do you think the word queer can be ubiquitously termed as LGBTQA?
Personally, I'd stick with vanilla LGBT. And you're right about the negative connotation of "queer". For me, though, the word reminds me of gay pride parades, which I think are way too sexual and make us look insane...
I agree that there are strong negative connotations with the word queer, more so than many other more common terms, it's not been entirely reclaimed. I even feel kind of old-fashioned using it. But it's important for theoretical and political reasons for me. It's a definition that resists definition, that refuses to be boxed in. It's open-ended, and that has the potential to be empowering. It's the same as, if someone were to ask me my orientation, and I say it's complicated. Because it is fantastically complicated.
I think it's used for people who don't like vanilla labels like gay lesbian or bisexual and straight although there are much more labels out there . I think maybe because some people might not fully know what they are or their label it's self is confusing because they don't fit the vanilla ones or they know they are the vanilla label but don't want to use the vanilla label
Any other comments on this? I think it's a good conversation thread, and there is a lot to be talked about.
It wasn't until the last year or so that I encountered queer as an LGBT term. For me growing up, "queer" was an adjective, not a noun (which I think it was originally anyway...) so I always knew it as "that's a queer looking ______" cat, hat, house, you get the picture. It was like a combo between cute and strange. Like that pink house in my neighborhood with white trim that could have been a doll house if seen in a picture. It was strange, but in a cute way, making it a queer little house. Obviously my understanding of the word has evolved, but to me queer always had a bit of an old-fashioned but good connotation. Something my grandma would use to say "odd, but likable." I don't think most people use or think of queer this way though.
Well I was actually wondering why some people were putting the Q at the end of LGBT, lol. But queer as a orientation is difficult, I believe it more describes those of us who are spectacular enough to "flame", I myself don't get to have the luxury of calling myself queer. I wish i were that magnificent.
