Defining “Queer” – It’s Not Simple
Queer. It’s a word with a history, some of it interesting, some of it funny, some of it insulting and derogatory, if not downright aggressive, even resulting in physical violence. And coming up with a single queer meaning is just about impossible. But we’ll give it a try here.
So buckle up – you’re about to learn all you ever wanted to know about the term queer.
Where It All Started
No one is exactly sure where the term queer came from, but it did show up in the English language at least by the 16th century. At the time, the label queer was used to refer to something or someone that was odd, weird, strange, or even suspicious. This has remained the common definition for a long time – almost 300 years. So, a simple example would be someone saying, “He’s a queer duck,” meaning he’s an odd person.
Over time, though, the term queer gathered some steam in terms of meanings and also came to refer to those of the gay community (gay being used in the larger sense, i.e., “gay pride”). And still today, in England, the word queer can refer to being unwell (“My stomach feels queer”) or to being in financial trouble (He is on “queer street”).
The Evolution of Term Queer Through the 19th Century
The Victorian Age in England brought lots of modernization, although public attitudes toward sex remained prudish. Men had sex out of a need for pleasure; women had sex to reproduce. Behind the scenes, though, things were very different. Prostitution was rampant, and women enjoyed sex. Extramarital and homosexual activity flourished.
And enter the era of the word queer being used to refer to homosexual men. Probably the most famous and public exposure was the trial of Irish playwright and poet Oscar Wilde, who had an affair with the son of British nobleman Lord Alfred Douglas. He used the term “snob queers” to refer to these two, and the word queer stuck. Oscar Wilde was convicted of gross indecency and sodomy and sentenced to two years of hard labor in prison.
The trial of Oscar Wilde did make the news in the US, and American newspaper journalists co-opted the word queer in a disparaging way when they wrote articles about gay men. And so, the word queer stuck.
So, by the end of the 19th century, the pejorative use of the word queer was common to refer to anyone involved in same-sex relationships – gay, lesbian, or bisexual specifically. And, of course, being in any of these relationships was against the law in both the UK and the US, meaning that members of these communities operated underground, were harassed by the cops, and were subject to violence by certain people who took delight in humiliating and beating them up.
The 20th Century Gets More Complicated.
In the early 20th century, there was a stereotype of the queer man – swishy, flamboyant, and effeminate. Thus, the addition of the words fairy and faggot. This demonstrated the utter misunderstanding of the meaning of male homosexuality.
Within the gay community are subcultures – the effeminate male, the masculine man, the bisexual, and even the transgender – any person with male genitals who has sexual activities with other men.
But as the LGBT community came out from the underground bars and began to move more into the open during the 60s and 70s, the word gay evolved, too. It became an umbrella term that referred to anyone in that community – lesbians, gay males, bisexuals, trans, etc. – those with a sexual orientation or gender identity that differs from the old-fashioned notion that there are only two sexes and that romantic and sexual relationships and marriage are only between men and women.
Early 20th Century
As the shift from “underground” to more open occurred, social groups within the male gay population became more strictly defined. Queer was a derogatory label for effeminate males who engaged in passive or receptive sex (anal or oral) along with those who had abnormal gender identities. The more masculine members of the population kept the label gay. There was also the Trade population, a straight guy who engaged in same-sex encounters while still claiming to be straight (Straight men like this are still around today but would never self-reference as bisexual).
In “normal” society, LGBTQ people on the broad spectrum of any gender and sexuality were referred to as degenerates, inverts, and perverts, especially by doctors and cops.
Mid-1900s
Queer as a descriptive word fell out of use during this time because younger generations began to use their individual gender identity and sexual orientation to refer to themselves, although gay did not refer to solely male genders. It was still kind of an umbrella term like it is today. In the UK during this time, queer was still used to refer to any sexual or gender expressions that were not “normal.”
The Reclamation and Queer Politics – Late 90s Forward
In March 1990, a group of LGBT folks with gay identity met and formed Queer Nation, an organization devoted to activism in promoting all LGBTQ people of any gender and sexuality. It was time to reclaim queer as their identity. No longer would they be relegated to gay bars and social events. It was time to make some noise. And make noise they did.
Their first outing was at Flutie’s Bar, a hangout for straights. They marched right on in and began to parody straight activity, making it known that public places were theirs, too. This began a series of such outings called “Queer Nights Out.”
Their other very visible activity was using banners at public rallies and gatherings to protest the mistreatment of and discrimination against LGBTQ people. Some of those banners read, “Dykes and Fags Bash Back” and “We’re Here! We’re Queer! Get Used to It!”
The Queer Nation segment of the queer movement was in direct contrast to those in the gay and lesbian community who favored assimilation into normal societal institutions – marriage, serving in the military, etc., and being accepted into those institutions. In other words, obtaining privileges in a straight society rather than challenging its power over everything.
In politics, queer activists side with the left, while the assimilationists remain neutral or in the middle.
This schism is still apparent and pretty clear today. Queer activists rejoice in the “Q” added to the end of the LGBT acronym, making sure that those who want to call themselves queer are recognized. Of course, others see the “Q” as referring to “questioning.”
So, Just Who is a Queer?
The short and simple answer is anyone whose gender identity and/or sexuality is other than completely hetero-gay men, lesbian females, bisexuals, non-binaries, intersex, trans folks, and anyone else whose gender identity or sexual orientation “normal” society would describe as strange or abnormal.
Literally, any person can use the word to describe themselves. Now, that’s a big umbrella. But it gives lots of people a sense of belonging to a community that accepts them as they are and rejoices in them being the person they want to be.
Academics Get in On the Act
There’s an entire field of academic research called “Queer Studies.” It focuses on issues related to gender identity and sexual orientation, the history of these issues, and how they play out in the lives of queer people around the globe and in other academic areas – biology, sociology, psychology, and such.
And then there is Queer Theory. It sees queer people as fluid rather than divided into specific “boxes,” like gay men. A specific label, according to this theory, is not necessary. Thus, there is a generalized queer theology, for example, rather than that of a gay man or a lesbian woman.
In short, queer theorists operate from the concept that traditional ideas about what is “normal” and what is “strange” in gender and sexuality have been and are controlled by hetero culture and give that culture all of the power and control. Anything else is considered offensive and just wrong.
Anyone interested in the details of queer theory can look into the writings of Judith Butler, one of its earliest proponents. This article is not for an academic pursuit of what queer means.
Queers Around the World
Persecution
There is a long history of queers around the world being in a horribly disadvantageous situation. There are countries in which anyone who might identify as queer or is suspected of being queer faces prison/hard labor for life or a pretty horrible death. This is especially true in Muslim and many African countries where any queer social movement must be fully underground.
Queer Migration
Speaking of “underground,” there is a movement among LGBTQ people to help those who identify as queer get out of their countries and relocate to places where their queer identity is accepted.
One of these organizations is the “Rainbow Railroad” in North America, formed in 2006; the name was obviously coined from the history of the Underground Railroad that helped slaves escape to free states. To date, with offices in Toronto and New York City, they have helped over 15,000 queer people relocate to safety in countries where the politics is progressive.
Queer Art and Culture
LGBTQ people have a rich history in the arts – literature, art, music, and film.
Literature – Michael Dillon
Probably the most well-known author was the transgender man, Michael Dillon – author of both fiction and non-fiction books. He grew up in Kent, England as a girl. After college, he went to work in a research lab and, according to his own accounts, became more and more uncomfortable with his birth gender.
He secretly began taking testosterone hormone treatments, something unheard of in his day. He was the first person in history to have gender-affirming surgery and then proceeded to change his birth certificate. Because of all the unwanted attention he drew, he moved to India, became a Buddhist, and lived there until he died in 1962.
After his death, his last book, Out of the Ordinary – A Life of Gender and Spiritual Transitions, was published in 2017.
Visual Art – Andy Warhol
What a character. He was born to Slovakian immigrants in 1928 and attended the Carnegie Institute of Technology, graduating with a degree in Pictorial Design in 1949. He moved to New York City to begin his career.
During the 1950s, he was solely involved in commercial art, winning plenty of awards for his photographs and drawings. He did some of this his whole life but also moved into the field of Pop Art in the early ’60s.
Probably his most well-known work is his series of Campbell’s Soup Cans, which made him a national celebrity. He also did a series on famous celebrities – Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe, and Elizabeth Taylor, to name a few. Another series, “Death and Disaster,” were canvases of electric chairs, deadly car accidents, and suicides.
Warhol was rather openly gay during a time when it was still against the law, but his famous identity kept him relatively safe from the authorities, and his sexuality was never an issue.
A couple of other interesting things: In 1968, he got shot in the chest by a woman who thought he had stolen a script she had written, and the recovery took a year. Later in his life, he began a collection he called “Time Capsules” – over 600 actual boxes of things from his everyday life. They are displayed in the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh.
Music – Elton John
Of course, there are any number of queer musicians we could cover here – Melissa Etheridge or Queen Latifa of lesbian identity, Freddie Mercury of Queen, Barry Manilow, or Ricky Martin. But Elton John is one with whom we all can identify – he’s an icon in the music world.
Elton John began his musical career in the 70s, and it has spanned 6 decades – 5 Grammys, 2 Academy Awards, 2 Golden Globes, and British knighthood for both his music and his projects in support of the LGBTQ population the world over.
We can all identify with many of his songs – he speaks a language everyone understands.
While he would originally describe himself as bisexual, he now states he is solely gay (and married).
Film and TV – A Big Box Store of Choices
Brokeback Mountain is by far one of the most famous films for the controversy it stirred. But there are far more films that depict the queer culture in all of its glory – comedies, dramas, documentaries. Check out Carol, a tale of two lesbians, or Mucho Mucho Amor, a biographical film about Walter Mercado, for starters.
As for TV, there is something for everyone. From Rue Paul’s Drag Show to Queer Eye (it’s hilarious), to Sex in the City, or English Teacher, there is just a huge array of choices.
Everyone should watch at least one episode of Queer Eye. It’s a reality show about five queer guys who do makeovers on straight guys to improve their images.
And Yes, There’s a Flag
All queer identities have a flag. But here’s one for the whole queer population.
It was designed in 2015 but is not particularly well-known. The blue and pink stripes are for those who identify as homosexuals (male and female); the orange and green refer to any non-binary person; the black and white honor asexual, agender, and aromantics; the remaining colors support other identities. The goal of the flag is to support every person within the LGBT community.
Social Media as a Queer Safe Haven(Opens in a new browser tab)
Are You Now an Expert?
If you have stuck with us, you now know everything there is to know about the meaning of queer and a whole bunch about the queer population. You may not be as expert as those who have studied the topic for many years, but you know enough to sound pretty well-schooled when the subject comes up.
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