Actress and activist Jameela Jamil has posted a statement on Twitter describing herself as ‘queer’ as part of a conversation about her appointment as a judge on an upcoming TV show. But what does being queer actually mean?
The History Of The Word Queer
Originally, queer was used as an insult or slur towards people who are gay. It has been reclaimed by many members of the LGBTQ+ community, however, and turned into a label rather than a slur. It is sometimes used interchangeably with ‘gay’ or ‘homosexual’.
It also means ‘strange or unusual’, but that usage is increasingly falling out of favour.
Some homophobic groups, such as the Westboro Baptist Church still use the expression as a slur, and it was still in offensive usage until the 1990s; as such there are still members of the LGBTQ+ community who struggle with its inclusion.
What does it mean?
In the modern sense, queer is used as an umbrella term for people who either have a non-straight sexual identity, a non-binary or trans gender identity, or a combination of any of those things. It is the ‘Q’ in LGBTQ+.
What is the queer community?
The queer community is the community of people who do not identify as cis and/or hetero.
Queer is a flexible term, which means different things to different people.
What does ‘queer studies’ mean?
Queer studies is a branch of academia where people study sexuality and gender identity.
Is it acceptable to use the word queer?
If someone self-identifies as queer then you can absolutely describe them as such. However you should not use it as a description for anyone unless they have used it to describe themself.
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