The Q in GLBTQ

[Willie Boy]

I know a "professional" person - mid 20's - who does much work with gay teens and he has mentioned, on several occasions, LGBTQI -- adding Queer and Intersexed......

i don't get the whole "queer" thing - despite all the explanations -- my only association with the word is negative --- because it gets very tiresome (in the seventh grade) to be called a fat-fucking-four-eyed-queer !! <<<<this because I was a lousy basketball player, and worse baseball player, IDK !

So what if you wore glasses and were only attracted to fatties?

 

[chrisrobin]

We don't have time for this kind of silliness.

 

[Willie Boy]

Are you calling Q silly? Why? Just because of its cute little tail? That's just cute, not silly.

 

[bankside]

"Queer" was "reclaimed" in the 90s by gay socialists. They reasoning went something like this:

• Homosexuality is a medical diagnosis that I don't relate to.
• I don't feel empowered by the word gay because it speaks to white privilege and excludes visible minorities and disabled poor lesbians. (Or actually they would have said Womyn™ who self-identify as dykes, fem-dykes, or butch-dykes who are Economically Excluded™ and who are Persons with a Disability™ (this is before we invented the term Persons who are racialized™ so please excuse the oppressive "visible minorities" language). Also note that in the 90's we found a way to "speak to" abstract concepts, like "white privilege" or "patriarchy." It was some kind of microphone thing, and you'd sit the abstract concept down in front of the speaker system and then talk to it directly. Fascinating technology. But I digest.
• And last but not least "I feel like feeling empowered by the term Queer™, therefore i'm going to shred the dignity of anyone else who still recognizes it as an insult. They are obviously capitalist white-privileged male white racist patriarchal heterosexist male oppressors!!!!!!!! Ugh! I need to escape their paradigm!!! Hey, was that shirt on sale at the Gap?"

So the "Q" was for queer, at least initially. Then that wasn't inclusive enough. So it became LGBTQQ. (Queer & Questioning). Then we rebelled against the oppressors who were excluding straight people. LGBTQQS. But what about the people from Aboriginal communities who were two-spirited? Thus LGBTQQSTS. (yes i have actually seen this.)

At this point, I go back to the 80's and call everybody, including all the black puerto rican/ojibwe immigrant disabled poor transgender lesbian feminists part of the gay community.

 

[Willie Boy]

Queer still has a negative connotation to it. Unless one wants to call it the Queer Continuum (QC for short), at which point it sounds reasonable.

 

[StationToStation]

thanks for all the varied responses

 

[Ram]

I thought Q in LGBTQ meant queen. Thought they fuck differently or something.

Frankly, we drop the whole LGBTQ thing before it become LGBTQFGHVAIUYRBMOPHFVSASERGVCXZGHJKIYRTEVNMKJ. Sooner or later, suddenly everyone's a sexual minority.

 

[SLOPPYSECONDS]

So at school, we are sponsoring a booth at the Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender Queer convention. I have signed up and will be at the booth recruiting future cosmetologist to sign up for our school. Of course also i'll be there in support in our community. I can't wait till the gays see the cute me at the booth, but i diverge lol

So I guess the straight people and some gay people, the two, are wondering why Queer is in our letterhead. They think queer is offensive. Even an asshole at school was like, "isn't queer bad, like fucking queer." I'm a patient person but I wanted to throw my fists at him, but I just got a manicure and Chanel polish. Then a young gay guy piped up and agreed. I had to leave the room.

IMO queer is not a bad word, I take it as someone who doesnt want labels, perhaps is genderfuck. I like the word queer, sometimes i feel more comfortable with that word than homosexual. Homosexual is so clinical. Queer is at your own opinion, what makes you different.

Should the Q be there? Is it offensive? Your thoughts???

why no make da Your thoughts convention fa USA requirement fa everythang

 

[HoodedRat]

The 'Q' stands for Quagga...

an astonishly beautiful animal, now sadly extinct at the murderous hand of man ... but nonetheless it should never be forgotten.

 

[Nomenclature]

As far as I understand, "queer" means someone who breaks gender stereotypes, or refuses to identify within the "gender binary" of man or woman. "Queers" are usually into stuff like androgyny, crossdressing. etc. Q

 

[NineOfClubs]

As a one time member of Queer Nation, I can recall around 1990 chanting "we're here, we're queer, get used to it".

Queer, to me, means anything at all unorthodox or not mainstream.

Not an offensive word at all...

 

[rareboy]

I thought Q in LGBTQ meant queen. Thought they fuck differently or something.

Frankly, we drop the whole LGBTQ thing before it become LGBTQFGHVAIUYRBMOPHFVSASERGVCXZGHJKIYRTEVNMKJ. Sooner or later, suddenly everyone's a sexual minority.

It all is starting to look like Welsh to me.

 

[mbamike]

I find all these labels a bit confusing. I understand the desire to be all inclusive of all sexual orientations, but I think the impact is diminished when we go from LGBT to LGBTQQIA.

I think it would be better to pick a word that means all inclusive sexually, then use that word to market our cause. The best I could think of is "omnisexual." The message sent here is regardless what your sexual orientation is, you are welcomed to join us.

 

[winterknight]

The most extreme one I've seen used in a serious context is "QUILTBAGPIPE".

No joke.

 

[StationToStation]

To our convention q stands for queer I heard from the school. Meaning our school is queer friendly, let mean what it may be to you.

 

[herry1]

The most extreme one I've seen used in a serious context is "QUILTBAGPIPE".

No joke.

I'd support that

A quilt that wakes you up in the morning, will be a sure fire winner.

 

[HoodedRat]

A quilt that wakes you up in the morning, will be a sure fire winner.

 

[hylas]

'queer' can be used as a slur, just like 'gay' can be used as one.
but id say that mostly, 'queer' has been reclaimed by our community.

however, i add my voice to those who were under the impression that 'q' stood for 'questioning'. queer, for me, is synonymous for lgbtq, meaning 'not heterosexual'.

personally, i use 'lgbt'. doesnt that already include everybody?