Kaitlyn ODonnell

Draft 1 Project 2
ENGW 1111
10/19/16
MLA, 1133 words

Queer: An Extended Definition

Using the word queer today may be insulting to older members of the Lesbian, Gay,
Bisexual, Transgender, etc. (abbreviated as LGBT+) community. On Northeastern Universitys
(NU) LGBTQA Resource Centers website, they explain that younger generations are more
likely to use queer as a label because, older generations still associate it with its original
negative connotations (LGBTQA 101 Guide). But since the AIDs epidemic, LGBT+ people
are reclaiming the term, embracing being different from what society wants them to be
(Brontsema 4). It is also seen as an anti-label (LGBTQA 101 Guide). Thus, queer can be defined
as both a label for a singular person, and as an umbrella term for the diversity of the LGBT+
community.
Most readers of older books are familiar with the original meaning of queer being,
weird, odd or different; whimsical, (Wikionary). But before World War II, using queer to
reference homosexual men coexisted with the term fairy (Brontsema 2). By World War II, gay
took preference over queer because queer was seen as, "a pejorative label forced upon them that
defined their homosexual interest as deviant, abnormal, and perverse" (Brontsema 3).
The adverse opinion towards queer meaning gay continued until the AIDS epidemic in
the 1980s and 1990s (Brontsema 4). This is when the LGBT+ community began reclaiming the
word. The first public document arguing for queer to be an empowering word was in June of
1990. This was a flier distributed by an organization called Queer Nation, and, among other

strong arguments involving the AIDS epidemic, it discussed why queer is a great word to
represent LGBT+ people. Using queer is a way of reminding us how we are perceived by the
rest of the world. It's a way of telling ourselves we don't have to be witty and charming people
who keep our lives discreet and marginalized in the straight world (Queers Read This). In
addition to this, it points out that gay implies homosexual men, which completely excludes
women and non-binary people (Queers Read This). LGBT+ activism often has a strong
affiliation with feminism, or wanting equality for all genders. This makes sense considering the
fight for transgender rights and recognition of non-binary genders. Lastly, Queers Read This
addressed uncomfortable feelings surrounding the word, Yeah, QUEER can be a rough word
but it is also a sly and ironic weapon we can steal from the homophobe's hands and use against
him.
Today, many use queer as an umbrella term for the LGBT+ community. Its less of a
mouthful than the acronym. NUs LGBTQA Resource center says queer is, a description for
someone's sexual orientation. Sometimes people take this on for political reasons (to "trouble"
traditional views of sexual orientation, a more radical ideology), or because they don't find the
other labels fit them. (LGBTQA 101 Guide). In 2010, Madwin wrote about how she felt that
by choosing the queer label, she found, a purpose in life a cause to fight for. In 2015, blog
author Mskelizabeth wrote that she chose queer because, it does not prioritize one identity
over others and taking it back and wearing it proudly gives us [the lgbt+ community] power.
Both Madwin and Mskelizabeth use queer as an identifier and as a political statement, a
possibility mentioned by the NU LGBTQA Resource Center. This label is inherently political
because of its history. In the 2013 article Queer VS. Gay: What exactly is the difference

between the two terms? Fisher conducted a Facebook poll to determine what his friends thought
of the terms. The politics are described well with these comments:
But for many, the terms are vastly different, depending on their political or nonpolitical
nature. Gay is a lifestyle, Queer is a political idea, one commenter posted. Another
stated, Gay is specifically homosexualQueer implies something more countercultural
and politically radical.
Users of queer as an identifier are well aware of the political nature, even if they dont know the
specific flier that started the reclamation in June of 1990. Therefore, using the term is almost
always a political statement as well as an identity/umbrella term. As Madwin puts it in one of her
reasons to label oneself, [its] to protest against our homophobic society's attempts to dictate
who we can or cannot love.
In addition to political statements, labels are important to acknowledge because they
establish community. Mskelizabeth argues that gay is not a good umbrella term because, gay
and homosexual are pretty synonymous. And while homosexual people are part of the
community with no doubt, theyre not all of it [this] excludes people from their own
community through omission. This is similar to Queer Nations argument that gay means
male. Both say the word is excluding a large part of the community, and both wish to have a
word to unite it. Moreover, Fincke suggest that:
Naming the gender types, the sexual orientation types, the sexual interest types even, in
all their beautiful diversity helps us think better. It helps us acknowledge more realities
and account for them with better social practices so that the people who dont fit into one
or two current everyday categories are now taken into account.
Finckes article talks extensively about how labels are constructed to communicate who we are
more effectively. If someone feels queer describes them, then they should be able to use it to

describe themselves. We should not limit our ever expanding language, especially in the field of
gender and sexuality, where we are just starting to accept that nothing works in binary except
traditional computers.
By accepting a word used in a derogatory fashion as a positive, the power of the word is
taken away. As Brontsema says, At the heart of linguistic reclamation is the right of selfdefinition, of forging and naming ones own existence. This is why queer should be accepted to
mean what the LGBT+ community redefines it as. A pillar of LGBT+ activism includes
educating people about respect regarding pronouns and names. So it makes perfect sense that this
community would take a negatively connoted word and flip it to their advantage. We should
continue to expand our vocabulary in regards to LGBT+ issues. As Fincke says, Just as our
everyday language only skims the surface of the deep and complicated world that science
investigates, well so does it only skim the surface of a multifarious realm of possibilities in
sexuality and gender.

Works Cited
Brontsema, Robin. A Queer Revolution: Reconceptualizing the Debate Over Linguistic
Reclamation. Colorado Research in Linguistics 17.1 (2004): n. pag. Web. 14 Oct. 2016.
Fisher, Will. Queer Vs. Gay: What Exactly Is the Difference between the Two Terms? | Next
Magazine. Next Magazine. 6 Dec. 2013. Web. 17 Oct. 2016.
Madwin, Gayle. Reasons to Choose or Not Choose a Label. Queer by Choice. 12 June 2010. Web.
17 Oct. 2016.
Mskelizabeth. Thoughts on Gay as an Umbrella Term. This Feminist Is Queer. 26 Mar. 2015.
Web. 17 Oct. 2016.
LGBTQA 101 Guide. Northeastern University LGBTQA Resource Center. Web. 30 Oct. 2016.
Queers Read This. June 1990. Web. 14 Oct. 2016.
Wiktionary -Queer. Web. 11 Oct. 2016.

Special Thanks
Special thanks to my dear friend Katya Leidig for helping me decide where this essay was going.
Thanks to Dr. Cecelia Musselman for being patient with me regarding the first draft. And thanks
to Alejandro Curiel and Alexandra Berg for the peer reviews.