Bart,
I think it's ok to say. Gay culture has
ingeniously co-opted the word.
My favorite and first experience with its
co-option was a good friend's gay brother
with an Absolut (bottle) Queer t-shirt.
I was shocked and then smiled. I think it's awesome.
Do you remember the Simpsons episode with
John Waters? Homer says something like,
"and that's another thing. That's OUR word
to make fun of YOU guys. We neeeeeed iiiit!"
Whirling Dervich
Hey, Bart--
It's like the "N" word. Gay guys are
allowed to call themselves queers -- and have been
doing so for years and years and years
-- but straight people better not. Dave maybe can
just barely get away with it, but he couldn't
have prior to "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy."
Jane
Bart,
Queer used to be a 50's era derogatory term
that has been co-opted by the gay and lesbian
community as a self identifier and through
its frequent use within our community throughout
the last forty years has lost almost all
the negative connotations.
(Think of the lyrics to "Johnny are you queer?" as an example)
In fact, when the word "queer" is uttered
by an individual attempting to be insulting, the usual
response by the "insultee" is to laugh
at the speaker as if to say "go back home to your
granddaddy and tell him to stop teaching
you those dirty words"
Now the word "fag" is not. Much like the
"N" word, which can be spoken with impunity within
black America, the word "fag" is still
considered the exclusive property of the gay and lesbian
community. (Or as I like to think of my
little subculture, "Fun loving sodomites.")
Bart, use "queer" all you want. Queer is
O.K
Which could have a whole different meaning
since you live in OK. (sorry....couldn't resist)
ha ha
All the best, and keep swinging that hammer
Chris
Hey there Bart,
This is the queer history guy from Amsterdam again. (Sorry I couldn't grant your HTML request).
Everybody hears or reads every word through
their own brain filters, and individuals will take the
word -'queer' as friendly or derogatory,
depending on their mind-set. Personally, after reading your
site for nearly six months, I would not
take offense if you used it in the right context. Someone who
didn't know your views, or someone who
has been queer bashed severely in the past might be more sensitive.
Like black folks use the word -'nigger',
gay people have been using 'queer' amongst ourselves for many decades.
It's very similar to using the pink triangle
as our symbol. This originated, horrifically enough, in the Nazi concentration
camps.
While Jews were made to wear the Star of
David, homosexuals were made to wear pink triangles.
A handful of gays today find it offensive
to use such a symbol. Many, unfortunately, are not even aware of it's origins,
but most of us see it as empowerment. We
have taken something which was used against us, taken control of it,
and now wear it proudly, gaining strength
from it.
This idea was used again in the 1980's when
a radical gay activist group in San Francisco called themselves Queer Nation.
It was shocking to many gays in the 80's,
but they were basically saying - we're queer and in your face.
Last I heard, they had chapters all over
the country. My favorite response to people who me ask if I'm gay is
"Queer as a three dollar bill. You got
a problem with that?"
I would agree that Queer Eye on the Straight
Guy has made it more acceptable. (from what I've read about the
American show, anyway. The Dutch actually
started this idea last year with a show called the Gay Team).
I think Briton, and then the U.S. broke
much of the ice with the series Queer As Folk several years ago as well.
I could go on about stereotypes and rolls
and how they change through history and society to society (as I did in
the last correspondence). It wasn't
long ago that queer meant - anything odd. Then it became not just homosexual
men,
but very effeminate homosexual men. I remember
when some gay men, trying to be macho, often used queer as a
derogatory way to put down effeminate
gays and drag queens. Want to get even weirder and more complicated?
(Oh, the humanity!). Up until the
1800's, the more flamboyant and effeminate you were, the more of a playboy
womanizer you were. After all, the male
is always the most colorful creature in the entire animal kingdom (ever
seen a
female peacock? They're ugly). Are all
men really drag queens by nature and has a hyper 'macho' society forced
us to be dull?
Being sensitive to other peoples feelings
is the best way to avoid offending.
For homosexuals, take everything they throw
at you and use it to your advantage.
You have the power within.
Cheers
Bob
Subject: Very queer
I've always liked all the gay slurs, they're so happy and innocent.
A fudge packer is a person who works in
a chocolate factory.
A gay person is light-of-heart.
Queer is odd, strange, exotic - a good
thing.
A fag is a bundle of sticks, the only non-sequitor
in English slurs.
Ass rammer brings good memories of Beavis
and Butthead.
And homo merely means "same", a perfect
illustration of the mental prowess of our
slack-jawed foes who can't even make a
mockingword as well as school-children.
Where most denominations' slurs are vile
or dull, gay slurs are a... a... rainbow!
They're very fitting.
Burton
thanks for all the effort you put into your
page.
now, the usage of the word "queer" doesn't
bother most of us much anymore.
And "fag" and "gay" are used quite frequently
by younger people who don't care
about homosexuality anymore. it's in their
everyday conversation. sometimes some
straight friend will use one of these words
and glance at me to see if i'm offended.
shucks.
sometimes it still hurts to be called these
names, but it's not the words, it's the tone
of voice and the hate behind them. but
the way i figure, the more the words are used,
the less they hurt. they lose their power.
one time during lunch break with about ten
other people around one guy asked me,
"do you mind if i call you a fag?" i said,
"not if i can call you a redneck asshole".
everyone in the room just broke up laughing.
actually over the eight years i worked at
this restaurant lots of people, when we were alone,
asked me questions about being gay. they
were curious and i dispelled alot of myths and fears.
it was enlightening for me, too.
terry
Bart,
I'm no expert, but as a gay man in his 30's maybe I can shed some light.
'Homosexual' is a fairly clinical adjective but
ultimately an accurate and clear term to be used to describe behaviour
or a person.
'Gay' is a more casual, slangy term; gay men,
gay community (men and women), ect...
'Queer' has had a more radical connotation but
only very recently (possibly 10 years or so) appear to be coming into more
casual use like 'gay'. It's also
something a younger, more out person would call themselves because it is
possibly more shocking.
But like so many things that start out as
radical they eventually become more commonly accepted.
I prefer using these words as adjectives
rather than nouns, because that is what they are, and I am personally
just fine being described a 'gay'.
'Lesbian' is commonly used as a noun as in ' Lesbians and gay men...' or
'I am a lesbian trapped in a gay mans body!',
but can be used as a adjective as in 'She is lesbian'.
Hope this helps. Keep up the good work.
Adam D.
Subject: Queer Guys
Hi Bart.
As long as we are getting good press for a change, who cares what we are called.....
Queer Scott
Hey, BC--
I'm a Lezzbyterian (I hate the term "Lesbian"
and would much prefer "Sapphist") with an opinion
about the use of the Q word. I think
it should be used much like the N word--only by people to whom it applies.
It's still used to denigrate us, so that
means it's not ok for the general population to use. I remember reading
something years ago by a gay writer who
used the term "queer" because it meant all of us (boys AND girls;
"gay" is actually technically only boys,
but lots of us women prefer it to Lezzbian) and would take an epithet
and normalize it. But I believe this
is still a touchy subject, and, when in doubt, don't use it. Stick
to "gay," and no one's offended.
I just wrote a note to a friend of mine
about your column and how I loved it because you're so inclusive--a quality
that can be very hard to find when someone's
butt's on the line and they're facing criticism for standing up for us
queers.
(Heh heh heh--just thought I'd sneak that
word in. . . .)
Your hueueueueueuge fan,
Sofie
Don't call them "Gay"!
Call them what they are--homosexurals! I
know, it takes time to type all them letters, but as True
Christians, we must help folks keep thoughts
of them sinful, vile so-called "people" in a sexural context!
Saying "Homosexural" keeps things in a
clinical context, and keeps the SEXural aspect of their vile demoncrat
lives in focus.
"Queer" is a word they apparently want to "take
back." Don't let them! Notice how they run from "sodomite,"
God's word for them. Run, faggot, run!
Jesus is gonna get you, no matter how fast you run, homo!
I can't wait to watch you burn!
As True Christians, it's our duty to make
these disgusting, evil, filthy, sinful, diseased, nasty queers' lives on
Earth
as miserable as possible, so they'll come
to see that we True Christians love them and offer them the Unconditional
Love of Jesus (as long as they do EXACTLY
what He says!). How could anyone resist our Christian Love™?
Stop Anti-Christian Persecution!
According to the
dictionary, the word "cretin" originally meant "Christian." These
libruls who run the dictionary companies
are lying like the libruls they are! I
call upon all True Christians to go to your local school libarry and BURN
all these so-called
"dictionaries" the libruls love so much.
Burn them! Jesus commands it!
"New" words are always invented by the Devil.
True Christian Friends, we need your help
in this effort!
Send $25, $50, $100, $1000, or $100,000
today!
Without your help, Satan will win, and it
will be YOUR fault!!
Send that money in now, or next time I'll
expose your bedroom habits in public!
Don't mess with Jesus, child.
Eating the Flesh and Drinking the Blood,
Judy O' Christian,
bartcop.com culture and ethics czar