What does queer mean?

Answer 1

its a derogatory word that is supposed to mean gay but like ****** is assigned to african americans, it makes no goddamn sense.

Answer 2

"Ah, do we really have to use that word? It's trouble. Every gay person has his or her own take on it. For some it means strange and eccentric and kind of mysterious. That's okay; we like that. But some gay girls and boys don't. They think they're more normal than strange. And for others "queer" conjures up those awful memories of adolescent suffering. Queer. It's forcibly bittersweet and quaint at best - weakening and painful at worst. Couldn't we just use "gay" instead? It's a much brighter word. And isn't it synonymous with "happy"? When will you militants grow up and get over the novelty of being different?

Why Queer ...

Well, yes, "gay" is great. It has its place. But when a lot of lesbians and gay men wake up in the morning we feel angry and disgusted, not gay. So we've chosen to call ourselves queer. 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. We use queer as gay men loving lesbians and lesbians loving being queer. Queer, unlike gay, doesn't mean male.

And when spoken to other gays and lesbians it's a way of suggesting we close ranks, and forget (temporarily) our individual differences because we face a more insidious common enemy. 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." - Queer Nation manifesto





I find it useful for referring to things that are more broadly about GLBT, instead of something specific to any one of them. Like, most "Gay Straight Alliances" that exist would also cover issues about bisexuality and trans folk; they would be a club for queer issues in general, instead of just gay issues.

Answer 3

Queer has traditionally meant 'strange' or 'unusual'.

Queer is currently often used in reference to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex communities. Its usage is controversial and underwent substantial changes over the course of the 20th century. The term is still considered by some to be offensive and derisive, and by others simply as a re-appropriated term used to describe a sexual orientation and/or gender identity or gender expression that does not conform to heteronormative society.

Queer is still used to mean 'strange' or 'unusual' in many contexts, and in some areas its modern usage must clearly be indicated by the context for it to be understood with its newer meaning.

Answer 4

Queer has traditionally meant 'strange' or 'unusual'. Queer is currently often used in reference to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex communities. Queer is still used to mean 'strange' or 'unusual' in many contexts, and in some areas its modern usage must clearly be indicated by the context for it to be understood with its newer meaning

Answer 5

Queer actually means unusual or weird.

The Gay community (at large) has adopted it and use it frequently to refer to themselves, in kind of an affectionate way. It should not be interpreted as derogatory at all, just another word.

Answer 6

"Queer" is an umbrella term used to describe someone who's not straight, but not completely gay, either. The best-known celebrity example is Anthony Rapp, who's been in a homosexual relationship for four years but is also attracted to women - just less than men. He himself uses the term "queer" because he doesn't consider himself exactly bisexual.

It can, however, be used in a derogatory manner, so watch your usage.

Answer 7

Queer's dictionary definition is weird or odd. However people use it to refer to homosexuals.

Answer 8

Queer means unusual, out of the ordinary. It was once slang for homosexual. Today, it is often used to describe the universe of sexual orientations that are not straight: gay, lesbian, bisexual, transsexual, transgendered, and whatever else we have.

Answer 9

queer is just a slang word uneducated people use to describe someone different than them

Answer 10

well now its just another word usually used to refer to homosexuals though i think the old term just meant something weird or uneasy. Just like "gay" really means "happy".

Answer 11

It originally meant something out of the ordinary.