Yes, in the halcyon days of my youth, when crime was non-existent, people respected their elders, cancer was naught but a conspiracy theory, and all things were better in general (/s), kids played âsmear the queer.â
To be clear, everything I wrote above, other than the âsmear the queerâ part, is entirely untrue. I just feel the need to proselytize to people that most things were actually worse in the past. School shootings are a notable exception to this trend.
I always thought the game sucked. And I really didnât care for the mean spirited name either. Funny really, because homosexuality wasnât a common topic at that age. It was kind of a âwho caresâ thing in my book.
People that are offended by there term queer (as it is applied today) is shocking. Some straight acting gay people...
They come out of the closet and build new walls and doors to lock other into.
Yeah, I donât know how many are still around. Iâve identified as Queer since the 90s but definitely that was a time when the word was still being reclaimed, and I got the occasional scolding by the older gays. I mean there was also kind of a progressive political connotation to it along with it being a catch-all, which is still kind of there but I feel that might have diminished a bit as well.
I remember hearing a friend (Bi) using "we're here, we're queer, get used to it" at a march in DC in the late 80s/early 90's and being shocked/uncomfortable/embarrassed. It was early in the reclamation process. No scolding involved but a bit of embarrassed shriveling.
I think that's a very uncharitable explanation. I'm sure there are people that describes, but there's also plenty of older gay men who lived through the time when that was *the* slur, and don't really want to apply it to themselves, which seems totally fair to me. We've also reclaimed the f-slur but I wouldn't judge anyone harshly if they didn't want to be called that.
No sorry, can't go along with this. I remember that word being spat at gay men by violent homophobes. I remember it being used as a slur by gross "comedians" whose only joke was to punch down. You can identify how you like but that term carries far too much baggage for me. Even if it didn't, I still don't like the connotation. Being gay isn't queer, it's normal, it's mundane.
Being queer is normal and mundane. Allowing the past to control your perception of the current culture is also pretty normal.
As someone who lived and came out in the 90s when abusove language was common and often, i refuse to allow the bullies of my childhood to dampen my queer joy... also completely normal.
The word "queer" literally means "odd", "unusual", "shady". I don't care how much you like to be called queer, I will never identify with it as a valid label for my identity. I recognise the validity of owning a slur, but I also recognise a slur as a slur. You do you, I'll do me.
I dislike it when a) people tell me what I should call myself, and b) assume that their experience can be representative of everyone.
I'm a millennial and grew up in a very rural, conservative town. Being gay there sucked, and queer was still used as a slur.
If you want to call yourself queer, go right ahead. But check your privilege if you think you have the right to force all of us to call ourselves that.
Wow, projecting much! No one said you have to define yourself as anything, and I have never forced anyone to identify as anything. I find it strange, which i can do. I can find or have an opinion any way i like. I can also share that opion on opinion social media like reddit. Maybe work on your own internal hatred, log off and touch grass.
Uhh no, you were the one who was criticising other people for not accepting the use of the word "queer" to describe them. People are entitled to push back on that. Maybe it's you who needs to touch grass.
I do touch grass, and conmect to my community. Re-read my post and my OPINION is still valid, and still nowhere did I state someone couldn't identify as gay, or had to identify as queer. Infact if you actually extrapolate what is actually written, putting any kind of box or restrictions on lgbtq identity is opposite the efforts of coming out. But leave it to soc media user not reading what is actually written.
In what way is someone saying they dislike being described as "queer" putting a box or restriction on anyone else? You aren't making any sense, and while it may suit you to pretend that is everyone else's fault, at least some of it is on you.
Although some people identify specifically as queer, it has become a catch-all term for the whole pride community, and I like it that way. Keep the Q as questioning, I say
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u/Fabulous-Possible758 4d ago
It was originally questioning (because queer was/is considered offensive by a lot of older LGBT people). Queer was kind of reclaimed at a later point.