I have exactly the same question. I could no more say the Q word than I could the F (and I don't mean f----, that one I can easily say!) word. I thought it was me because I'm old but you aren't. But I do wonder if it's the kind of word that's ok for gay people to use but not straight? I feel like I would think it to be a slur if I heard someone straight say it.
My friend whose partner is transitioning to female states that he is queer and proud - he is slightly miffed that now when he walks with his partner, he appears het. He really claims 'queer' as his. Since he is about 6'5 weighing around 350, I agree with him.
I am not even sure when the "Q" was added, but for a long time, most everyone (at least that I heard) just used LGBT - in fact the domain extension is .lgbt, however, when I first heard of Q, I thought is was "Questioning" as well. Queer never crossed my mind as it was considered so derogatory.
The AIDS activist group ACT UP adopted the word queer into usage—primarily in the slogan, “We’re Here, We’re Queer, Get Used to It… Fight Back, Act Up.”—in the late 80s and early 90s. The effort was to take back the word, and neuter the derogatory intent. As a gay man on the earlier cusp of Gen-X, I never had a problem with it, and welcomed it.
I think it has gone the way of the N-word. Some in the group use it, at least partly to weaken its power. As someone who belongs to neither community, I refrain from using them. There are members of both groups of folks who do not feel comfortable using them.
I believe "Queer" is also used to refer to anybody in any of the various flavors of LGBTQIA folks - it does save a lot of syllables.
I usually say I'm Queer, partly to reclaim the word from the bigots, and partly because it's shorter than saying "trans, pan, enby, polyam, and kink". Note that those last two don't really fall under the alphabet Mafia, another term I like to use
Meh, there's always people from minority groups who are happy to pull the ladder up after them. A disturbing number of LGB people are open transphobes. Where else are they and the White Feminists gonna go?
I think God is trying to tell us s/he does not exist.
two times zero is still zero.
I have exactly the same question. I could no more say the Q word than I could the F (and I don't mean f----, that one I can easily say!) word. I thought it was me because I'm old but you aren't. But I do wonder if it's the kind of word that's ok for gay people to use but not straight? I feel like I would think it to be a slur if I heard someone straight say it.
My friend whose partner is transitioning to female states that he is queer and proud - he is slightly miffed that now when he walks with his partner, he appears het. He really claims 'queer' as his. Since he is about 6'5 weighing around 350, I agree with him.
It essentially says 'including all those who are not covered by the first 4 letters'
Republicans suck, and not in a good sexytimes way.
As a B, I've always understood the Q in lgbtq = Questioning.
Most cosmopolitan people in there 70's don't eat fast food 24/7
I am not even sure when the "Q" was added, but for a long time, most everyone (at least that I heard) just used LGBT - in fact the domain extension is .lgbt, however, when I first heard of Q, I thought is was "Questioning" as well. Queer never crossed my mind as it was considered so derogatory.
you beat me to it
The AIDS activist group ACT UP adopted the word queer into usage—primarily in the slogan, “We’re Here, We’re Queer, Get Used to It… Fight Back, Act Up.”—in the late 80s and early 90s. The effort was to take back the word, and neuter the derogatory intent. As a gay man on the earlier cusp of Gen-X, I never had a problem with it, and welcomed it.
I think it has gone the way of the N-word. Some in the group use it, at least partly to weaken its power. As someone who belongs to neither community, I refrain from using them. There are members of both groups of folks who do not feel comfortable using them.
I believe "Queer" is also used to refer to anybody in any of the various flavors of LGBTQIA folks - it does save a lot of syllables.
I usually say I'm Queer, partly to reclaim the word from the bigots, and partly because it's shorter than saying "trans, pan, enby, polyam, and kink". Note that those last two don't really fall under the alphabet Mafia, another term I like to use
Ah, yes...
https://uploads.disquscdn.c...
Honey I got the full scholarship, we'll show them!
https://uploads.disquscdn.c...
Meh, there's always people from minority groups who are happy to pull the ladder up after them. A disturbing number of LGB people are open transphobes. Where else are they and the White Feminists gonna go?