Relationships July 12, 2017
The Q in LGBTQ is just as important as every other letter.
Within the LGBTQ community, members have a wide range of terms to describe their diverse identities, but they use “queer” as an umbrella term.
From pansexual to bisexual, the community is comprised of many layers, but all these people are still queer.
And though the word queer was used as a derogatory term towards the LGBTQ community in the ’50s, it has since been reclaimed. Now it’s being used to signifying someone’s pride and place in the community.
As previously stated, the word “queer” is a general term to describe anyone who falls on the LGBTQ identity spectrum. Since some people don’t identify as 100 percent lesbian or 100 percent gay, the term is an all-inclusive term.
Interested, yet? Here’s some background information about “queer.”
Using the word queer over lesbian, gay, bisexual, etc. raises awareness for the idea that sexual orientation and gender identity is fluid and placed on a very wide spectrum.
This way, mainstream society isn’t labeling individuals as solely lesbian or gay. We all know sexuality is more complicated than that.
The answer is simple: treat them like human beings.
Queer people are people, too. You don’t have the right to label them as anything they don’t label themselves. By respecting their labels, you respect them.
Also, by understanding the history of queer folk, you understand the differences between various sexual orientations and gender identities. Thus, it’ll become easier to treat each person according to their chosen identities. If, for example, they request you call them by a gender-neutral pronoun, you won’t continuously mistaking them as “she” or “he.”
Lastly, discretion is important. If you know someone identifies as queer, it’s important to ask for their consent to talk about their sexuality to other people. You could be outing them before they’re ready to come out, and that could be damaging to a person’s mental, physical and emotional health.
When it comes to the word gay, gender is a factor. The term “gay” is used to describe a man attracted to another man. But if someone doesn’t identify with a gender (aka gender-neutral), it’s hard for them to define themselves as being sexually attracted to the opposite or same gender.
The beauty of the word queer, then, is that it encompasses everyone. It doesn’t force people to subscribe to a label.
The word queer can also be a political statement. By using the word queer, people break the traditional binaries placed on sexual orientation and gender identity. It recognizes that sexual orientation isn’t just gay or straight and gender identity isn’t just female and male. It acknowledges that our identities are fluid and dimensional.
Identifying as queer means different things to different people.
“Being queer means confronting all forms of oppression and bringing as many unheard, minority experiences and stories to light,” Nadia Cho from The Huffington Post wrote. “[It] means addressing and understanding the intersectionality between race, gender, sexuality and class and how it affects each person’s experience and identity differently.”
“Being queer means embracing a free and open-ended identity by casting off all other identities that categorize us, and defining ourselves simply as human beings,” Cho added.
Basically, the word queer is an all-encompassing term to help create inclusivity in a normally oppressed community.
