Curious about the queer identity....

[[deleted user]]

Since starting this refreshing group and working our blog that features a similar theme it's had me curious more and more about the queer identity. Growing up the word "queer" was always a bad word in my house so I've been wondering why is that word socially acceptable now and when did this whole movement start?

I still have a stigma attached to the word and if anyone could proudly explain it to me I'd really love to hear about it :)

[[deleted user]]

Living in the same house , I have to second that. The word queer sounds iffy, and to be quite frank, I cringe a bit saying it.

It sounds offensive , but then again the N word sounds offensive to most people. Yet people still use it. I hate referring to it as the N word, but it's much safer to, to avoid a heated argument.

Is "queer" becoming just an umbrella term for anything bi, gay, transgender, transsexual , or lesbian?

[Crystal]

Guinevere wrote: "Living in the same house , I have to second that. The word queer sounds iffy, and to be quite frank, I cringe a bit saying it.

It sounds offensive , but then again the N word sounds offensive to m..."

Here is an interview with someone who self-identifies as queer. She doesn't really give the definition, but you can see that it is not a perjorative word to her.

http://www.diversifya.com/diversifya-...

[Crystal]

Guinevere wrote: "Living in the same house , I have to second that. The word queer sounds iffy, and to be quite frank, I cringe a bit saying it.

It sounds offensive , but then again the N word sounds offensive to m..."

And yes, it does seem to be an umbrella term. :)

Here is a definition: http://community.pflag.org/page.aspx?...

[[deleted user]]

Thanks for that Crystal!!! It cleared some things up for me :)

[Ramsey]

I'm not a fan of "queer" myself, and it's certainly not a word that younger people in the LGBT community identify with (at least not here in California). I wouldn't say it's an offensive term, but it's not met with a whole lot of love either :)