After
reading Donald Hall’s first three chapters of Queer Theories, I believe that LGBT people should adopt the word
queer for them and the rest of the world to use in the struggle for LGBT justice.
I would like to begin by sharing that I am a straight girl who has lived most
of my life not even noticing that I was enjoying heterosexual privilege. What I
mean to say is that I am not a part of the LGBT community and am not advocating
to reclaim the word “queer” in a positive way for myself but only in support of
others. In this way I feel as though I don’t have much credibility on the
subject because I am not connected with it personally, but the way Hall
questioned and discussed the term “queer” I came to believe it is a powerful
way to show the public that the LGBT community is not afraid of challenging
norms that have existed and oppressed a group of people for too long.
I
have always thought of the term queer as something that is strange and I had
also heard it described as a derogatory word for gay people. As I grew up
though, I began to hear classmates or friends of a friend refer to themselves
as queer when they were bi or gay. I had just assumed that the word’s connotation
had changed and didn’t think much abut it until I read Hall’s chapters. Hall discusses
how the AIDS epidemic was the time when the gay community began to reclaim the
word queer. He explained how slogans like, “we’re here and we’re queer,” used by
groups like, ACT UP, to protest the lack of conversation happening about so
many gay men dying is what gave a positive power to using the term queer. In an
article on the internet I read, called “Why ‘Queer’ Is Still An Important Term For
The LGBTQI+ Community” by Patrick Lenton, it explains that the AIDS epidemic
made it so “’the former insult was worn like a badge of honour; not only did it
become a definitive symbol of anarchy and rebellion, it became the ultimate
linguistic “fuck you” to homophobia.” (http://junkee.com/queer-term/155824
) In Although this quote uses some harsh language I think it describes just how
brave and powerful of a move reclaiming the word queer was. Because of this I think
that the word queer should continue to be used in the struggle for LGBT justice.
What could possibly be a better term to use than one reclaimed at a time when
LGBT people had to fight for their lives. Queer not only reminds the public of the
injustice the LBGT community had to face but also of their bravery when they
fought this injustice.
Hall’s Introduction
he describes queer as an adjective, verb, and noun, but it’s the adjective part
that stuck out to me. He says the adjective part of queer means to not fit into
one certain category and says “in this way, we are all queer.” (13) This description
of queer is kind and inclusive to me but it also raised the question just how
inclusive should the term queer be? I read another article called “Gay Man Says
The Millennial Term ‘Queer’ Is Like The ‘N’ Word” by Susan Donaldson James explains
that the formerly derogatory term has been used by the public in a way that has
left a gay man feeling uncomfortable. The man explains that when he is asked to
identify as straight or queer on questionnaires that he feels as though this
question is just a way to negatively single out gay or bisexual people. I can
see how asking if you are straight or queer may feel like they’re asking if you
are regular or strange. I can see how this doesn’t feel very inclusive and like
it is furthering LGBT oppression. (https://www.google.com/amp/s/abcnews.go.com/amp/Health/gay-man-millennial-term-queer-word/story%3fid=20855582)
I feel as thought this is my limitation when talking about queer issues. I feel
as though I can say that the LGBT community should continue to reclaim queer in
a new and positive way, but as a straight person I don’t think I should be able
to say that I should be able to use queer when describing the LGBT people. I would
understand if a LGBT person told me that I shouldn’t use queer to describe them
because it has more of a negative connotation when I say it as a straight person.
I overall, feel as though the LGBT community should have the say so to decide
if I should be allowed to use queer or not.
Hi Mollie, this is a great post! You really posed a conflict that I hadn't thought about before, which I appreciate. Reclaiming the word queer, changing it from being a derogatory word to a message of disobedience and rebellion truly shows how powerful language can be. It goes right back to Hall's segment on language. Although it is sometimes limited, it is significant in the way we identify.
ReplyDeleteA question that you're post brings out to me is: how do we, as people that don't identify being in the community, remain in a position of investment but not to a point where we begin to appropriate or distort these conversations? Is there a fine line; until what extent are we validated and recognized to participate in these kinds of conversations?
You both are raising important points, and I just want to affirm that as important as insider positions are with regard to this discussion, it is also important for outsiders to care about and be invested in these debates, even if they impact us differently. When informed and grounded in community knowledge, I do think you're entitled to think critically about these debates. And with all knowledge (and especially knowledge that emerges from communities and experience) to maintain a sense of cultural humility so that you don't overstep your authority.
DeleteThank you, Mollie, for your post. I really appreciate how you're navigating this discussion as a non-queer person, and I think your careful embrace of the term works well and reflects both your thoughtful engagement with the course reading and our discussions, as well as a nuance understanding of the queer community and the voices who might not feel as good about this term.
ReplyDelete