DiscussionThe "Q" word?

submitted by ImPiqued1111111 from self.LGBDropTheT

Hello, first a disclaimer that I'm a straight woman and I hope it's ok that I'm here. I was a long-time lurker on reddit as well as a contributer on GC. I finally got myself a login here. I've read the rules and I think this post is allowed, but if not please delete.

I was wondering what thoughts and opinions are on the word "queer"?

I'm Gen X and when I was growing up in the 90s learning about the LGB community, it was pretty much a given that it was an offensive slur. I once took a college course in LGB philosophy taught by a gay gentleman who was around for Stonewall and he emphasized this.

I know about reclaiming slurs, but it seems to me that it is the younger set who have tended to take on "queer" as an identity, and clearly its use extends well beyond LGB. There also doesn't seem to be any consideration for older LGB who were targeted with that word. None of that sits right with me, but I also recognize it's not for me to really opine one way or the other.

I realize this isn't an "Ask" sub, but I don't want to ask about this on one of the Ask subs on reddit for obvious reasons.

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[–]haveanicedaytoo💗💜💙 30 insightful - 5 fun30 insightful - 4 fun31 insightful - 5 fun -  (8 children)

Reclaiming the "Q" word first got popularized by Queer Nation back in the 90's and they have an.... interesting past that I'm not going to be able to do justice to, so you might as well just Google them. I just want to say that back then the definition of queer was just supposed to be an aggressive fuck-you style synonym for LGBT directed at the homophobes. Like, you calling me this word won't hurt me anymore, because I call myself this word.

From there the word got stolen by academics and re-appropriated to mean............ I'm not even sure what. But you've heard of "Queer Studies" so that's what I'm talking about.

From there it got re-appropriated by...... Attention-seeking edgy college kids who wanted to be part of the cool-kid club (LGBT) but..... didn't want to actually eat puss (as a female) or suck dick (as a male) but being an Ally was lame, and for how long can you be "Q"uestioning until someone says "make up your mind already?" and claiming Bi/Pan just opened you up to having to suck dick/eat vag, so hiding behind the label of Queer became the thing to do. If anyone tried to ask you WTF you actually mean by "I am queer" you could scream "OMG HOW DAAARE YOU??? REEEEEE!!!" and everyone would rush over to your defense, because everyone knows it's poor etiquette to question someone about their orientation.

From there, Queer got re-appropriated to mean gender stuff. Like all the non-binary, a-gender, I'm a girl on Tuesdays, and a boy on Fridays stuff. And that's where we're at now. We are in a timeline where Queer doesn't even mean LGBT anymore, it means a completely different thing.

I have hated this word through every different version it's gone through, except for the original version which just meant weird. If you ever read The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, which is the queerest book I know, IIRC the word is used in that book over 40 times. They managed to fuck that damned word beyond any kind of meaning it ever actually had.

(And because I never get to share this fact, Pollyanna, which is the book with the most ejaculations that I know of, has over 20 ejaculate/d's.)

[–][deleted] 13 insightful - 2 fun13 insightful - 1 fun14 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

Queer was RAD for exactly 10 years and then all the non-queers started using it because they had blue hair and liked spankings. It jumped the gay shark after that.

[–]ImPiqued1111111[S] 8 insightful - 1 fun8 insightful - 0 fun9 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Most of what you describe has been my impression of things, but I wasn't aware of Queer Nation. I will look that up.

I also didn't know that about Pollyanna, lol!

Thanks so much for your response.

[–]indeepshadowsBi woman 7 insightful - 1 fun7 insightful - 0 fun8 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Great explanation!

Also, Pollyanna and The Secret Garden are both absolutely wonderful.

[–]wicklesnarf 6 insightful - 1 fun6 insightful - 0 fun7 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

There is an awful lot of ejaculation in the Sherlock Holmes books as well ;)

[–]MarkJeffersonTight defenses and we draw the line 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

As a big fan of the series, I can attest to that.

[–]oyasuminasai50 6 insightful - 1 fun6 insightful - 0 fun7 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

I don't even mind the Queer Nation usage of the word as a synonym for LGBT. But what absolutely boggles my mind is people who "identify" as "queer" without elaborating further, especially when they're in a straight relationship and have a gender-confirming presentation. To me, that's nothing more than invading LGBT spaces as a run-of-the-mill straight person and thus having to adopt none of the discrimination or baggage that comes with being LGBT.

[–]MezozoicGayoldschool gay 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

"Queer" nowadays is everyone who is not perfectly following gender stereotypes. And there no such people on planet Earth who are following those stereotypes completely. This means everyone is queer, so word means nothing at all.

[–]CleverNickName 5 insightful - 1 fun5 insightful - 0 fun6 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

A scant few weeks ago, when we were still on reddit, I wondered "aloud" what the opposition to the word "queer" was all about.

I don't wonder anymore. I was stuck in the 90's at the "fuck you" point you mentioned. I had completely missed the warping of the word since then, and now I'm definitely on board. "Queer" means too many things now.

[–]LesbiSilly 15 insightful - 2 fun15 insightful - 1 fun16 insightful - 2 fun -  (3 children)

I don't see a problem with asking questions and allies are good to have in my opinion. Anyway, I have a thought on this. I never had Q used on me as an insult, but I learned it was a slur from reading coming out books and a 'so you're LGBT Harry" book. I still view it as rude and I don't like the common use of it. I have tried to make peace with it, but it's still unsettling to me, because it WAS a slur and used to hurt people. As for reclaiming, I still don't like people who use it reclaimed.

[–]Jamiethiel2018 13 insightful - 1 fun13 insightful - 0 fun14 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Exactly! How is it NOT offensive for demonstrably straight people to reclaim it on our behalf? Lesbian not queer! It also makes life far more difficult,for baby lesbians, to confront internalized fear and loathing. What media potrays as lesbian is predominately pornified characatures. We older L need to be more visible & not hide behind queer & wlw.

[–]ImPiqued1111111[S] 5 insightful - 1 fun5 insightful - 0 fun6 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

I don't see a problem with asking questions and allies are good to have in my opinion.

Thanks for this, I appreciate it.

The rest of what you've said is similar to the kneejerk reaction I have when I see/hear it. But, it doesn't directly affect me, so it feels a bit off to even have a reaction at all. It just looks offensive and I can't help but recoil. As someone with no stake in it though, it's good to learn how those affected feel about it. Thanks for sharing.

[–]LesbiSilly 6 insightful - 1 fun6 insightful - 0 fun7 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

You're super-welcome!

It does feel off and impolite. And of course I am happy to share. I appreciate people asking these kinds of questions.

[–][deleted] 13 insightful - 3 fun13 insightful - 2 fun14 insightful - 3 fun -  (5 children)

igen/gen z here, and I think it's a slur. I don't like how Millennials/Gen Y and iGens/Gen Z basically is dismissive of how the slur was thrown at Gen X and Boomers. Makes me cringe/grimace when I hear the word queer; exactly the same feeling about the words dyke and aspie.

[–]LesbiSilly 8 insightful - 1 fun8 insightful - 0 fun9 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I totally agree. I cringe, too.

[–]ImPiqued1111111[S] 5 insightful - 2 fun5 insightful - 1 fun6 insightful - 2 fun -  (2 children)

Thanks for answering! You're refreshing. :)

[–]LesbiSilly 4 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 0 fun5 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Of course! hugs

[–][deleted] 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

You're welcome! :)

[–]MezozoicGayoldschool gay 4 insightful - 3 fun4 insightful - 2 fun5 insightful - 3 fun -  (0 children)

Word "dyke" was same as word "gay", started as slur, but it was reclaimed and used not as slur for 50-60-70 years now. It is still depend on country, word "gay" was a slur here up to 20 years ago, nowadays it is not a slur here but there was created analogue with similar meaning that became slur instead.

While word queer was a slur and then was reclaimed (twice!) to have different meaning, which was still pretty much a slur. And even transgender/queer ideologists are using word "queer" as a word to erase everything but transgenders or to call sexuality "it is different and special", instead of "it is normal too". Queer nowadays it is "all LGB and allies", so in general this word means everyone, so it means nothing and using it is just makes any text to lose any meaning. When there is article about "queer people" - you never have an idea about what this topic will be, it is way too broad, way too general and the whole idea "queer people are not like normal people" sounds very slur to me, as LGB was always fighting to make humanity accept that "LGB people are just same people as everyone else".

[–]Sco0by 11 insightful - 2 fun11 insightful - 1 fun12 insightful - 2 fun -  (1 child)

I personally don’t like it, queer was always a venomous barb that was used to mock and ridicule and make me the target of harassment.

The people that are trying to use it for positivity, are the ones that insist they get treated special because they are “so quirky and unique”.

Whereas LGB people (Most/some - I don’t have the latest survey results) don’t want to be seen as different, we want Homosexuality to be seen as normal and mundane as having Different hair colour or body build.

[–]ImPiqued1111111[S] 8 insightful - 1 fun8 insightful - 0 fun9 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Yes, I remember the LGB movement as wanting to gain acceptance. Sure, there were individuals who preferred to stand out more than others, but still it was about living their lives as they are. Nothing like what I see happening nowadays. Where the QT seems to be almost purposely trying to be abrasive and confrontational (do they realize they're doing this?) and steamroll other groups. I wonder if that phenomenon is related to taking on a slur as an encompassing identifier.

[–]notdelusionalbased faggot 10 insightful - 2 fun10 insightful - 1 fun11 insightful - 2 fun -  (1 child)

The more straight people asking genuine questions here, the better.

I remember growing up as a boy, the word queer being used as an insult. "ya fuckin' queer!" But the reason I don't like it is because it just sounds silly like it can't be taken seriously. It's also an odd sounding word in a guttural sense. I don't like being referred to as gay either for pretty much the same reasons. Both of those words started out as insults. Queer = misfit; gay = prancy, light in the loafers.

I like homosexual. It's dry but it leaves no room for confusion.

[–]ImPiqued1111111[S] 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

The more straight people asking genuine questions here, the better.

I appreciate this! Learning different perspectives is really helpful. Thanks for your reply. :)

[–]indeepshadowsBi woman 9 insightful - 2 fun9 insightful - 1 fun10 insightful - 2 fun -  (1 child)

Millennial from a non-English-speaking country here. I've never been insulted with the word; we have our own slurs in my country. All the people I've known who've used 'queer' to describe themselves have been verifiably same-sex attracted people. So, these are the reasons I've never found the word offensive when it's been directed at me. HOWEVER. I've learnt that the word means different things to different people, and many find it crude for very good reasons, so I never use it anymore.

[–]ImPiqued1111111[S] 5 insightful - 1 fun5 insightful - 0 fun6 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Thanks for your perspective!

[–]OPPRESSED_REPTILIANIntersex male | GNC | Don't call me "a gay", "twink" or "queen" 7 insightful - 2 fun7 insightful - 1 fun8 insightful - 2 fun -  (9 children)

I don't believe it's a slur but it's pretty disrespectful, and saying "The queer community" is really no better than "The fag community" or "The sissy butt boy community"

[–]ImPiqued1111111[S] 9 insightful - 3 fun9 insightful - 2 fun10 insightful - 3 fun -  (8 children)

You know, another thing I thought of after posting this...a FB friend of mine recently mentioned that she is "queer". This doesn't really provide any meaningful information. She's female and presents as stereotypically feminine. So she could be a lesbian, or bi, or identify as non-binary, or a pre-transition trans man even? (Shes relatively young.) Or maybe even one of these yahoos that thinks being poly means they are part of the LGBTQ+++ community. I, of course, am not entitled to that information about her. But then what's the point of mentioning it?

Beyond my original question of whether or not it's offensive, or in poor taste, it just seems like a meaningless term in today's climate.

I might also be misinformed.

[–]OPPRESSED_REPTILIANIntersex male | GNC | Don't call me "a gay", "twink" or "queen" 11 insightful - 4 fun11 insightful - 3 fun12 insightful - 4 fun -  (1 child)

Well I just saw someone advertising "queer porn comics" that were literally just drawings of straight sex (but the woman was "nonbinary" so that suddenly makes it not heterosexual, somehow) so I think that gives me some idea of what "queer" means - a meaningless label people of privilege use to try and make themselves sound ostracized and/or special, when they aren't.

[–]ImPiqued1111111[S] 7 insightful - 1 fun7 insightful - 0 fun8 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Yes, I've also gotten the impression it gives people an avenue to horn their way into your community, in this nebulous way. That must be so frustrating. It's colonization. And especially after so much history of oppression and having to fight against it just to be accepted, now having people treating the community like a party to be crashed, must be...I don't know. Bizarre.

[–]haveanicedaytoo💗💜💙 11 insightful - 2 fun11 insightful - 1 fun12 insightful - 2 fun -  (1 child)

In the olden days, the words Straight, Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual served a function. It advertised whether a certain sex had a chance with you or not. I'm not sure what function Queer is supposed to serve. (Except when I hear "I am queer" it immediately lets me know I want nothing to do with this person, but I think that's an unintended function...)

[–]ImPiqued1111111[S] 7 insightful - 1 fun7 insightful - 0 fun8 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Agreed with both points!

[–]KCStuffedAnimal 4 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 0 fun5 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

No, you're not misinformed. You're right on the money, honey.

[–]ImPiqued1111111[S] 4 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 0 fun5 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Thanks. :) The people in this sub are so lovely.

[–]MezozoicGayoldschool gay 3 insightful - 3 fun3 insightful - 2 fun4 insightful - 3 fun -  (1 child)

it just seems like a meaningless term in today's climate.

It is, and in big media this therm is actively used to remove gay, lesbian and bisexuals from mentioning. It is often said instead of "gay" in articles, almost completely replacing "bisexual" and "lesbian" words in articles. My lesbian friend showed me recently few articles about lesbian games on a few big sites, and word "lesbian" was used zero times in all of them, there were only "queer women" or even worse "queer people" (and queer people can be men, so it is not even clear that article about homosexual women at all). So mainstream audience would not even be sure about what kind of people those games are. And LGB people who not yet realized themselves or who afraid of their sexuality would not see those games as games for them and would not see that being LGB is normal and would try to go non-binary way instead.

And I am speaking that from personal experience. I was born in USSR, I was liking boys and was afraid of that and did not knew what is wrong with me. I only learned about gay men from "Voice of America" illegal radiostation, where they said that men can love another men and it is called "gay man". Imagine if they were just saying "one queer person can love other queer person, they are queer people"? I would be still struggling with my sexuality, and maybe even ended up with mental health issues or suiciding. This "queer" word is very harmful for LGB folks, even if it is not used as slur.

[–]ImPiqued1111111[S] 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

and in big media this therm is actively used to remove gay, lesbian and bisexuals from mentioning

No kidding. This is something I was completely unaware of. Thank you for bringing it to my attention, and I will keep an eye out for this.

[–]oyasuminasai50 5 insightful - 1 fun5 insightful - 0 fun6 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

Getting offended by words only hurts me, nobody else. I couldn't care less about the word queer. I may not like that straight people without gender dysphoria have taken on this word to feel quirky and unique, so they can say look at me i'm oppressed too uwu and join traditionally LGBT spaces. But it doesn't offend me or upset me or make me cringe.

[–]ImPiqued1111111[S] 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Ok thanks! I'm definitely open to being wrong on this, so I'm interested in different perspectives.

[–][deleted] 4 insightful - 3 fun4 insightful - 2 fun5 insightful - 3 fun -  (1 child)

In my experience it's short for, "I date the opposite sex but I'm also willing to consider ones that have funky hair."

[–]ImPiqued1111111[S] 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Ha!

[–]Twilight_Zone 4 insightful - 2 fun4 insightful - 1 fun5 insightful - 2 fun -  (1 child)

Gen X here. I've had that word used on me in a not nice way, quite a few times. I can't stand that slur being tacked onto the LGB/TQ. I've been referred to as "Queer" and I promptly corrected the user.

[–]ImPiqued1111111[S] 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Thanks for answering, this is what I would have guessed. It really sucks this has happened. I'm so sorry.

[–]Jamiethiel2018 4 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 0 fun5 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

Also one who welcomes your questions.

[–]ImPiqued1111111[S] 4 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 0 fun5 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Thank you! I'm delighted to be here.

[–]KCStuffedAnimal 3 insightful - 2 fun3 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 2 fun -  (1 child)

"How do I hate thee? Let me count the ways . . ."

I have so many objections to the word "queer", foremost:

  • The clique-ish way it's used. If you object, you're ostracized at best, bullied at worst
  • The use of it as an "umbrella term". Who said we wanted one? And why do we need one?
  • The false claims about the Q-word's definition, such as "it wasn't always a slur" and "LGBT people invented it" among others
  • The way it mashes Lesbians, Gay men, Bisexual folk, Transfolk, etcetera into a shapeless, flavorless gruel
  • The way it defines sex and gender diverse people as the opposite of heterosexual people
  • The way activists in the media are shoving it down our throats and running the word into the ground
  • The way it's become a grab bag for anybody who isn't heterosexual (except when someone is heterosexual and it's necessary to be "inclusive")
  • The lie that LGBT people never use it with derogatory intent
  • The lie that nobody uses it with derogatory intent anymore
  • The radical nature of the word, making it inappropriate for across-the-board use
  • homophobic statements by Queer activists such as: "Lesbian, that word just sounds ugly"
  • The enormous amount of hateful and stereotypical baggage the Q-word carries
  • The immaturity of those who use the Q-word, basically as a way to rebel against "straight" society
  • The way it has been teased and stretched beyond all comprehensible meaning
  • The willful ignorance of Queer activists about how hard we fought to make the words "Gay and "Lesbian" ours, and why those words' lack of inherent derogatory meaning was so important to us
  • The way it's used as a tool to take over the LesBiGay rights movement and turn it into a vehicle for Gender Woo Woo

[–]ImPiqued1111111[S] 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Wow, thanks so much for taking the time to lay all of this out. This all makes so much sense to me, and you've articulated some things I've sort of intuited, but wasn't really sure about, nor had I really been able to pinpoint exactly.

I especially appreciate your wording of "shapeless, flavorless gruel". So descriptive with so few words. And the notion of the word lesbian being "ugly", that's so insulting. You've made such great points.

[–]KCStuffedAnimal 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

Thanks for giving me the chance to unload. I simply don't believe in "reclaiming" slurs! It's a bogus theory that needs challenging.

Like those who chose to identify as Lesbian and Gay, we possess creativity that allows us to label ourselves in ways that are truly empowering and pride-inducing. Enough, already, with the profanity parade! We are not "btches", "cnts", "nggers", "trnnies", "mojados", "crips", "queers" or any of that bigoted trash. I mean, if you're going to be a trash collector at least be sensible and get paid for it!

What's the percentage in letting, no, encouraging others to feel comfortable insulting you? All you get with a "reclaimed" slur is a load of baggage: That which you yourself bring to it in addition to what's already there and isn't going to disappear. But embracing an insult is like adding zero to a whole number: The sum total doesn't change. "Queer" still means "bizarre". At this point in history, who could still believe that LGB or T identity is "bizarre"? Only an ignorant person.

An acquaintance of mine believes that the act of reclaiming slurs is a form of self-flagellation: That the would-be reclaimer has a shame-based, unconscious need to identify with her oppressor. She secretly wants to savor that feeling of putting someone in their place, both herself and others like her. If that's true, then it means throwing off oppression is incredibly difficult. Not only is your enemy trying to beat you down, you're doing it to yourself!

I don't know what it will take to raise consciousness around self-demeaning labels - they are so deeply entrenched - but Lesbian activists seem to be headed in the right direction.

I'm a Gay person of color, and the only time I ever longed to be heterosexual or White is when I wondered how it would be to not have people assume I'm OK with racial and sexual slurs. To just be able to go forth in the world as a human being sans caveat! There are times when I feel like an airplane overhead rack: Everybody wants to throw their shit on me! And if "reclaimed" slurs don't meet the definition of shit, I really don't know what does.

[–]ImPiqued1111111[S] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Thanks for giving me the chance to unload.

You're very welcome.

You have an outstanding way with words, and I'm going to read your post multiple times. You have made such great points, I don't even know how to sufficiently respond. This is so astute:

But embracing an insult is like adding zero to a whole number: The sum total doesn't change.

I've also once read a comment that there is so much conflicting logic within the trans community that it doesn't compute, like trying to divide by zero.

Your acquaintance also frames this question in a way I had never considered, thank you for that.

Thanks so much for giving me a lot to think about!

[–]KCStuffedAnimal 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

One argument against the Q-word that I forgot to list: That it is used a closeting device for people who really don't want to declare their sexual orientation or gender identity. But others here have raised that criticism and done it more thoroughly.

[–]KCStuffedAnimal 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

RE your comment about conflicting logic: I sense that the Trans community is traumatized, confused and desperate. I can only imagine how stressful transgender identity must be; realizing that I was a Gay man wasn't traumatic at all. What ended up being a problem was other people's reaction to my sexuality. My guess is that Transfolk have to deal with internal trauma plus hostile responses from society; I don't envy them one bit. Elsewhere there's discussion of how wrongheaded their current agenda is, and I concur with that; but I also feel empathy. Transfolk are where LesBiGay people were decades ago: Filled with shame, pathologized, and at the mercy of a medical establishment that really couldn't have cared less about us. I suspect that some of them ARE Gay, not Trans, and can't cope with that fact; it's easier for them to try to drug and/or cut away a painful reality. And there are so many "born in the wrong body" enablers! It's a tragic situation. At this point, there's not much we can do to help Transfolk except try to be voices of reason, refuse to buy into sex and gender erasure and continue to emphasize that we are NOT anti-Trans!

[–]midnight305 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

It's still a slur to me and I refuse to use it. Just like cis.

Though if I am to be called by a slur I rather just be called cunt or bitch .lol

[–]ImPiqued1111111[S] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

Haha. It's a tossup for me these days (hate "cis").

[–]midnight305 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Right .

[–]KCStuffedAnimal 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (3 children)

So . . . what if there were an organized propaganda effort to replace the terms "Lesbian", "Gay" and "Bisexual" with "Queer"? And what if the motive wasn't convenience of reference as we've been told, but rank hostility to those terms? And what if the term "Transgender" was not targeted with similar aggressiveness? (Noting, however, that "Transgender" has almost completely supplanted the once-common "Transsexual".)

As I've watched more and more media outlets add the "Q" to "LGBT", when they're not embracing the Q-word outright, I'm struck by the eerie consistency of talking points employed to justify it: "It's inclusive." Never mind that many people either don't want to be "included" in a slur or object to their distinct identities being engulfed by an "umbrella" term. "The community has reclaimed it." Never mind that only a radical element of the liberation movement did this, and that many of us don't buy into the "reclaiming slurs" trope. "It's empowering". Never mind that many people find it anything but! "Words can change." Overlooking the fact that this particular word is hate speech with a history that's stigmatizing at best and bloody at worst! And "only older people object", a brazen appeal to ageism that turns out to be inaccurate.

Propaganda? An organized effort? I can't prove it, of course. I'm just saying . . .

[–]ImPiqued1111111[S] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

These are all really good points, and much to digest and think about. I'm going to keep these things in mind as I see these references in the media, and take note.

As to your question about propaganda, or an organized effort, have you read this article? It's not specific to the word "queer", but it goes into detail about some of the moneyed sources behind the current "LGBTQ", and specifically, trans movement. It is a very long article, but well worth a read. And I think touches on what you're getting at.

https://medium.com/@sue.donym1984/inauthentic-selves-the-modern-lgbtq-movement-is-run-by-philanthropic-astroturf-and-based-on-junk-d08eb6aa1a4b

[–]KCStuffedAnimal 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

Yes, it does. And it confirms what I've long believed: That vulnerable people experiencing gender dysphoria are being mercilessly exploited by unscrupulous doctors and drug manufacturers. And entrenched gender stereotyping is at the root of it all. Thank you for linking me to Sue Donym's research. I've shared it with LGB Alliance, although I suspect they're already familiar with it.

[–]ImPiqued1111111[S] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

You're very welcome.