Queer

Queer

(adjective | noun)

This term is intentionally hard to define, much as is its related term genderqueer. It can generally be understood as an attraction orientation that is definitely LGB+ and possibly fluid. It can also be used as a gender identity term meaning something other than cisgender and usually understood as non-binary and possibly fluid.

Queer has roots that go back through reclamation and is heavily used by those fighting for LGBTQIA+ rights. While it has gained relatively wide usage in the present, there are still many that maintain that in order to be queer, one must be invested in liberation beyond respectability and assimilation. “We’re here! We’re queer! Get over it!” and “Not gay as in happy, but queer as in fuck you,” are popular in the queer community precisely because they capture this spirit of radical liberation.

e.g. Tasha identified as a queer. He loves hanging out with other queer people.

Further reading to gain expanded context:

Queers Read This (pdf – 1990) | Queer Nation (hosted by ACT UP NY)

9 LGBTQ+ People Explain How They Understand the Word “Queer” | them.us

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