LGBT: Difference between revisions

LGBT (edit)

Revision as of 05:38, 23 May 2019

555 bytes removed , 4 years ago

→‎Queer: removed section advising euphemistic use, as is off subject. Expanded on postitive historical use on queer, and modern use. Replaced "the q slur" with queer, as the section is titled "queer"

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 ==Queer==
-Queer is a reclaimed slur. Some people choose not to use an acronym, and instead use the word "[[queer]]" as a collective term for all these LGBT+ identities. It is used as a concise way of referring to all parts of the LGBT+ community. It's also used for all the more difficult-to-define identities that are not [[heterosexuality|heterosexual]] and/or not [[cisgender]].
+Queer is a word with a complex history. Some people choose not to use an acronym, and instead use the word "[[queer]]" as a collective term for all these LGBT identities. It is used as a concise way of referring to all parts of the LGBT community. It's also used for all the more difficult-to-define identities that are not [[heterosexuality|heterosexual]] and/or not [[cisgender]].
-There is no question that the q-slur was well-established in many countries a pejorative against gay men, lesbian women, and other LGBT+ people for the past hundred years (since at least 1914),<ref>''Cassell's Dictionary of Slang,'' 2nd ed (2005), p. 1161.</ref><ref>''The Routledge Dictionary of Modern American Slang and Unconventional English'' (2008), p. 792-793.</ref> and that it is still used that way in many countries. The degree to which the q-slur is an offensive word varies by region and by generation. In the early 1990s, the academic discipline of [[queer theory]] emerged. As a result, the q-slur has been reclaimed to such an extent that people in some academic settings aren't aware that the word is offensive at all. They use it in casual and polite conversation with no discomfort.
+Beginning in around the 1980s the word "queer" began to become a political reclamation. Flyers like one circulated in the 1990 New York Pride Parade proclaimed queer as a word indicative of a rejection of heteronormative standards <ref>http://www.qrd.org/qrd/misc/text/queers.read.this</ref>. For many people even today, "queer" represents a rejection of assimilation and respectability politics.
-However, in other settings, whether rural or urban, the q-slur is one of the strongest slurs against LGBT people. In hate crime, the word is used along with or instead of strong slurs such as "fag" or "tranny". As with other hate speech, it is very common among LGBT+ people for the word to be a trigger for post-traumatic flashbacks of memories of violence, harassment, and abuse. As explained by [[non-gendered]] activist Christie Elan-Cane, LGBT people who are used to hearing it used as a slur don't want academics and psychologists apply it to them, and they don't like the word [[genderqueer]].<ref>Christie Elan-Cane. November 5, 2011. [http://elancane.livejournal.com/9367.html http://elancane.livejournal.com/9367.html]</ref><ref>Mac. November 7, 2011. [http://nonbinary.tumblr.com/post/12475693948/when-umbrella-terms-cause-offence-christie http://nonbinary.tumblr.com/post/12475693948/when-umbrella-terms-cause-offence-christie]</ref>
+However, "queer" has, and remains in some places, a slur used towards LGBT people<ref>''Cassell's Dictionary of Slang,'' 2nd ed (2005), p. 1161.</ref><ref>''The Routledge Dictionary of Modern American Slang and Unconventional English'' (2008), p. 792-793.</ref. The degree to which queer is an offensive word varies by region and by generation. In the early 1990s, the academic discipline of [[queer theory]] emerged. This comes from the use of "queer" as a political statement and a gender stance, which places the queerness as being against assimilation. The field of queer theory not only looks into LGBT history, but the ramifications of queer theory itself<ref>https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=PNYlUuvPOQ8C&pg=PA1&source=gbs_toc_r&cad=3#v=onepage&q&f=false</ref>.
-LGBT+ people are entitled to call themselves queer, because that is how reclaiming a slur works. However, LGBT+ and non-LGBT+ people alike should take caution about using the word for other people. Because the word is so strongly linked with violence against LGBT+ people, people would be considerate to avoid using the word around survivors. Out of respect, use alternative phrases. If possible, replace the phrases "queer community" with "LGBT+ community," and "queer literature" with "LGBT+ literature," for example. Unless it is specifically one's intention to talk about "genderqueer people," instead say "[[nonbinary]] people" or "[[gender variant]] people". In some contexts, it may be suitable to refer to the word euphemistically as the "q-slur." It is important to understand that this is still a painful word to many people in many countries, and to speak with that understanding.
+However, in other settings, whether rural or urban, queer is a strong slurs against LGBT people. In hate crimes, the word is used along with or instead of strong slurs. As with other hate speech, it is very common among LGBT+ people for the word to be a trigger for post-traumatic flashbacks of memories of violence, harassment, and abuse. As explained by [[non-gendered]] activist Christie Elan-Cane, LGBT people who are used to hearing it used as a slur don't want academics and psychologists apply it to them, and they don't like the word [[genderqueer]].<ref>Christie Elan-Cane. November 5, 2011. [http://elancane.livejournal.com/9367.html http://elancane.livejournal.com/9367.html]</ref><ref>Mac. November 7, 2011. [http://nonbinary.tumblr.com/post/12475693948/when-umbrella-terms-cause-offence-christie http://nonbinary.tumblr.com/post/12475693948/when-umbrella-terms-cause-offence-christie]</ref>
 ==See also==