Queer - Revision history

LGBT-HP at 14:01, 21 June 2026

2026-06-21T14:01:53Z

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	[[File:Queerword2Dec2024copy2.jpg\|thumb\|left\|Letter in Dec 2024 rejecting the use of the word queer for gay men]]		[[File:Queerword2Dec2024copy2.jpg\|thumb\|left\|Letter in Dec 2024 rejecting the use of the word queer for gay men]]

	From the late 1980s, the word began to be deliberately reclaimed, initially by queer activists and academics, as a neutral or positive umbrella term for LGBT identities and a rejection of fixed categories of gender and sexuality. This reclamation does not erase the word's long history as a slur, and its use remains genuinely contested within the LGBT community: some embrace it as an inclusive, deliberately broad self-identifier, while others —		From the late 1980s, the word began to be deliberately reclaimed, initially by queer activists and academics, as a neutral or positive umbrella term for LGBT identities and a rejection of fixed categories of gender and sexuality. This reclamation does not erase the word's long history as a slur, and its use remains genuinely contested within the LGBT community: some embrace it as an inclusive, deliberately broad self-identifier, while others — including many who experienced it as an insult in earlier decades — continue to find it offensive or simply prefer not to use it of themselves.

			In 2005, the Chief Constable of [[North Wales]] apologised after calling homosexuals "queer".<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/north_west/4343017.stm</ref>

			[[File:Gaynotqueer.jpg\|thumb\|right\|Many people reject the term queer as abusive]]

	==Organisations and groups using the word Queer==		==Organisations and groups using the word Queer==

LGBT-HP at 14:00, 21 June 2026

2026-06-21T14:00:00Z

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	<ref>https://historicengland.org.uk/campaigns/visit/walking-tours/queer-soho-walking-tour/lyons-corner-house/</ref>.		<ref>https://historicengland.org.uk/campaigns/visit/walking-tours/queer-soho-walking-tour/lyons-corner-house/</ref>.

	~~==The word as pejorative and reclamation==~~
	==The word as pejorative and reclamation==		==The word as pejorative and reclamation==

LGBT-HP at 13:59, 21 June 2026

2026-06-21T13:59:36Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:59, 21 June 2026
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	==The word as pejorative and reclamation==		==The word as pejorative and reclamation==
	~~'''Queer''', came during most of the 20th century to be a general term for homosexuality,~~		==The word as pejorative and reclamation==
	~~and was generally used in a pejorative sense, especially after the~~ word ~~"gay" took over~~
	as ~~the term most used by gay people themselves~~ and ~~then the general public.~~

	~~[[File~~:~~Queerword2Dec2024copy2~~.~~jpg\|thumb\|left\|Letter~~ in ~~Dec 2024 rejecting the use of~~		'''Queer''' carried a double meaning from early in its use as a term for homosexuality: a 1914 slang dictionary noted it was already "derogatory from the outside, not from within"<ref>The Concise New Partridge Dictionary of Slang, cited in "The History & Reclamation of Queer", ajadedgay.com, accessed June 2026.</ref> — meaning it functioned simultaneously as a hostile term used by outsiders and a guarded, in-group term among some gay men.
	~~the word queer for~~ gay men]]

	~~Subsequently~~, as ~~with certain other terms for racial and other minorities~~, ~~it has been~~		By the 1920s, "gay" was emerging as an alternative in-group term, seen by many as carrying less of the word's negative baggage. By around 1940, "gay" had become the dominant term of self-reference for homosexual people in many English-speaking contexts, and "queer" was increasingly associated almost exclusively with its hostile, pejorative use. From the 1940s through to at least the 1980s, "queer" functioned predominantly as a slur, used interchangeably with other derogatory terms for gay people. For many gay people who lived through this period, the word carries lasting negative associations, and it continues to be rejected by some as offensive regardless of later attempts to reclaim it.
	~~to a certain extent reclaimed~~ by ~~some people who identify~~ as ~~lesbian~~, gay, ~~bisexual or~~
	~~trans~~, ~~and is sometimes used~~ to ~~cover~~ a ~~wide spectrum of LGBT~~ people, ~~or indeed anyone~~
	~~falling outside~~ the ~~heterosexual or gender-binary norm. Its use in this sense is however~~
	~~still controversial~~, and ~~many LGBT people may still regard its use~~ as offensive.

	~~In 2005,~~ the ~~Chief Constable~~ of ~~[[North Wales~~]] ~~apologised after calling homosexuals~~		[[File:Queerword2Dec2024copy2.jpg\|thumb\|left\|Letter in Dec 2024 rejecting the use of the word queer for gay men]]
	~~"queer".<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/north_west/4343017.stm</ref>~~

	~~[[File:Gaynotqueer.jpg\|thumb\|right\|Many people reject~~ the ~~term~~ queer ~~as abusive]]~~		From the late 1980s, the word began to be deliberately reclaimed, initially by queer activists and academics, as a neutral or positive umbrella term for LGBT identities and a rejection of fixed categories of gender and sexuality. This reclamation does not erase the word's long history as a slur, and its use remains genuinely contested within the LGBT community: some embrace it as an inclusive, deliberately broad self-identifier, while others —

	~~==Queer Theory~~ and ~~Queer Studies==~~
	~~In academic circles~~, ~~'''Queer Studies''' is~~ a ~~general name~~ for ~~the study of issues~~
	~~relating to gender identity~~ and ~~sexual orientation. '''Queer Theory''' is~~ a ~~field~~ of
	~~critical theory that emerged in the early 1990s, drawing on feminist theory and~~
	~~post-structuralist thought. It challenges binary~~ categories of gender and sexuality —
	~~such~~ as ~~male/female and heterosexual/homosexual — and examines how these categories are~~
	~~socially and culturally constructed rather than fixed or natural.~~

	~~Queer Theory is associated with scholars including Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick~~, ~~Judith Butler~~
	and ~~Michel Foucault. It has been influential in literary studies~~, ~~cultural studies~~,
	~~sociology and legal theory. Like all academic fields it encompasses a range of~~
	~~perspectives and is subject to ongoing debate and critique.~~

	==Organisations and groups using the word Queer==		==Organisations and groups using the word Queer==
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	*[[Outburst Queer Arts Festival]]		*[[Outburst Queer Arts Festival]]
	*[[Foyle 'Queer' History Project]]		*[[Foyle 'Queer' History Project]]
			*[[Queer Up North]]

	==Books and resources==		==Books and resources==
	It has also appeared in the title		It has also appeared in the title

LGBT-HP at 20:15, 1 April 2026

2026-04-01T20:15:06Z

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	a form of coded language that could be used in public without attracting the attention		a form of coded language that could be used in public without attracting the attention
	of those unaware of its meaning, at a time when homosexual activity was a criminal		of those unaware of its meaning, at a time when homosexual activity was a criminal
	offence under the [Labouchere Amendment of 1885]. The [[Lyon's Corner House]] in		offence under the [[Labouchere Amendment of 1885]]. The [[Lyon's Corner House]] in
	Piccadilly Circus was among the social venues where gay men gathered, with a section		Piccadilly Circus was among the social venues where gay men gathered, with a section
	known as the "Lily Pond" becoming a recognised meeting place from around 1910		known as the "Lily Pond" becoming a recognised meeting place from around 1910

LGBT-HP at 20:14, 1 April 2026

2026-04-01T20:14:45Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:14, 1 April 2026
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	a form of coded language that could be used in public without attracting the attention		a form of coded language that could be used in public without attracting the attention
	of those unaware of its meaning, at a time when homosexual activity was a criminal		of those unaware of its meaning, at a time when homosexual activity was a criminal
	offence under the Labouchere Amendment of 1885. The [[Lyon's Corner House]] in		offence under the [Labouchere Amendment of 1885]. The [[Lyon's Corner House]] in
	Piccadilly Circus was among the social venues where gay men gathered, with a section		Piccadilly Circus was among the social venues where gay men gathered, with a section
	known as the "Lily Pond" becoming a recognised meeting place from around 1910		known as the "Lily Pond" becoming a recognised meeting place from around 1910

LGBT-HP at 19:54, 1 April 2026

2026-04-01T19:54:59Z

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-'''Queer''', originally meaning strange or unusual, came during the 19th century and most of the 20th century to be a general term for homosexuality, and was generally used in a pejorative sense, especially after the word "gay" took over as the term most used by gay people themselves and then the general public.
+==Origins and early use==
-[[File:Queerword2Dec2024copy2.jpg|thumb|left|Letter in Dec 2024 rejecting the use of the word queer for gay men]]
+The word '''queer''' entered the English language in the 16th century, originally
-Subsequently, as with certain other terms for racial and other minorities, it has been to a certain extent reclaimed by some people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or trans, and is sometimes used to cover a wide spectrum of LGBT people, or indeed anyone falling outside the heterosexual or gender-binary norm. Its use in this sense is however still controversial, and many LGBT people may still regard its use as offensive.
+meaning strange, odd or peculiar. By the late 19th century it was beginning to acquire
-In 2005, the Chief Constable of [[North Wales]] apologised after calling homosexuals "queer".<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/north_west/4343017.stm</ref> [[File:Gaynotqueer.jpg|thumb|right|Many people reject the term queer as abusive]]
+a connotation of sexual deviance in the UK, used to refer to men perceived as effeminate
-So called [[Queer Theory]] promotes belief that 'To be queer is inherently to exist on the margins; to be odd, peculiar, weird, queer, hated, oppressed, and in revolt and rebellion. To be queer is to be dedicated to subversion, to mock conventions, to deconstruct language, to dismantle the human body, to defy “nature” and, above all, to liberate humankind from the prison of gender' <ref> 'The Queers Versus The Homosexuals
+or thought to have engaged in same-sex relationships.
-Queer has figured in a positive sense in the names of a number of LGBT organisations, groups, or events, for instance:
+In early 20th century London, gay men adopted '''queer''' as a discreet in-group term —
 *[[Queer Goings On]]
 *[[Queer Youth Network]]
@@ Line 18: / Line 59: @@
 *[[Foyle 'Queer' History Project]]
-It has also appeared in the titles of books and other resources about the LGBT community, for instance:
+==Books and resources==
-*''[[Queer UK]]'' (now ''[[OutNation]]'')
+It has also appeared in the title

Wessexman: added image

2024-12-03T17:05:04Z

added image

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:05, 3 December 2024
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	'''Queer''', originally meaning strange or unusual, came during the 19th century and most of the 20th century to be a general term for homosexuality, and was generally used in a pejorative sense, especially after the word "gay" took over as the term most used by gay people themselves and then the general public.		'''Queer''', originally meaning strange or unusual, came during the 19th century and most of the 20th century to be a general term for homosexuality, and was generally used in a pejorative sense, especially after the word "gay" took over as the term most used by gay people themselves and then the general public.
			[[File:Queerword2Dec2024copy2.jpg\|thumb\|left\|Letter in Dec 2024 rejecting the use of the word queer for gay men]]
	Subsequently, as with certain other terms for racial and other minorities, it has been to a certain extent reclaimed by some people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or trans, and is sometimes used to cover a wide spectrum of LGBT people, or indeed anyone falling outside the heterosexual or gender-binary norm. Its use in this sense is however still controversial, and many LGBT people may still regard its use as offensive.		Subsequently, as with certain other terms for racial and other minorities, it has been to a certain extent reclaimed by some people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or trans, and is sometimes used to cover a wide spectrum of LGBT people, or indeed anyone falling outside the heterosexual or gender-binary norm. Its use in this sense is however still controversial, and many LGBT people may still regard its use as offensive.
	In 2005, the Chief Constable of [[North Wales]] apologised after calling homosexuals "queer".<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/north_west/4343017.stm</ref> [[File:Gaynotqueer.jpg\|thumb\|right\|Many people reject the term queer as abusive]]		In 2005, the Chief Constable of [[North Wales]] apologised after calling homosexuals "queer".<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/north_west/4343017.stm</ref> [[File:Gaynotqueer.jpg\|thumb\|right\|Many people reject the term queer as abusive]]

Wessexman at 07:49, 29 September 2024

2024-09-29T07:49:31Z

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	[[Category:Terminology]]		[[Category:Terminology]]
	~~[[Category:Articles with no pictures]]~~

Wessexman: added photo

2024-09-29T07:49:03Z

added photo

← Older revision		Revision as of 07:49, 29 September 2024
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	Subsequently, as with certain other terms for racial and other minorities, it has been to a certain extent reclaimed by some people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or trans, and is sometimes used to cover a wide spectrum of LGBT people, or indeed anyone falling outside the heterosexual or gender-binary norm. Its use in this sense is however still controversial, and many LGBT people may still regard its use as offensive.		Subsequently, as with certain other terms for racial and other minorities, it has been to a certain extent reclaimed by some people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or trans, and is sometimes used to cover a wide spectrum of LGBT people, or indeed anyone falling outside the heterosexual or gender-binary norm. Its use in this sense is however still controversial, and many LGBT people may still regard its use as offensive.
	In 2005, the Chief Constable of [[North Wales]] apologised after calling homosexuals "queer".<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/north_west/4343017.stm</ref>		In 2005, the Chief Constable of [[North Wales]] apologised after calling homosexuals "queer".<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/north_west/4343017.stm</ref> [[File:Gaynotqueer.jpg\|thumb\|right\|Many people reject the term queer as abusive]]
	So called [[Queer Theory]] promotes belief that 'To be queer is inherently to exist on the margins; to be odd, peculiar, weird, queer, hated, oppressed, and in revolt and rebellion. To be queer is to be dedicated to subversion, to mock conventions, to deconstruct language, to dismantle the human body, to defy “nature” and, above all, to liberate humankind from the prison of gender' <ref> 'The Queers Versus The Homosexuals		So called [[Queer Theory]] promotes belief that 'To be queer is inherently to exist on the margins; to be odd, peculiar, weird, queer, hated, oppressed, and in revolt and rebellion. To be queer is to be dedicated to subversion, to mock conventions, to deconstruct language, to dismantle the human body, to defy “nature” and, above all, to liberate humankind from the prison of gender' <ref> 'The Queers Versus The Homosexuals
	We are in a new era. And the erasure of gay men and lesbians is intensifying'.Blog by Andrew Sullivan (accessed 18 July 2023) </ref>.		We are in a new era. And the erasure of gay men and lesbians is intensifying'.Blog by Andrew Sullivan (accessed 18 July 2023) </ref>.

Wessexman at 05:42, 18 July 2023

2023-07-18T05:42:44Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 05:42, 18 July 2023
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	Subsequently, as with certain other terms for racial and other minorities, it has been to a certain extent reclaimed by some people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or trans, and is sometimes used to cover a wide spectrum of LGBT people, or indeed anyone falling outside the heterosexual or gender-binary norm. Its use in this sense is however still controversial, and many LGBT people may still regard its use as offensive.		Subsequently, as with certain other terms for racial and other minorities, it has been to a certain extent reclaimed by some people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or trans, and is sometimes used to cover a wide spectrum of LGBT people, or indeed anyone falling outside the heterosexual or gender-binary norm. Its use in this sense is however still controversial, and many LGBT people may still regard its use as offensive.
	In 2005, the Chief Constable of [[North Wales]] apologised after calling homosexuals "queer".<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/north_west/4343017.stm</ref>		In 2005, the Chief Constable of [[North Wales]] apologised after calling homosexuals "queer".<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/north_west/4343017.stm</ref>
	So called Queer Theory promotes belief that 'To be queer is inherently to exist on the margins; to be odd, peculiar, weird, queer, hated, oppressed, and in revolt and rebellion. To be queer is to be dedicated to subversion, to mock conventions, to deconstruct language, to dismantle the human body, to defy “nature” and, above all, to liberate humankind from the prison of gender' <ref> 'The Queers Versus The Homosexuals		So called [[Queer Theory]] promotes belief that 'To be queer is inherently to exist on the margins; to be odd, peculiar, weird, queer, hated, oppressed, and in revolt and rebellion. To be queer is to be dedicated to subversion, to mock conventions, to deconstruct language, to dismantle the human body, to defy “nature” and, above all, to liberate humankind from the prison of gender' <ref> 'The Queers Versus The Homosexuals
	We are in a new era. And the erasure of gay men and lesbians is intensifying'.Blog by Andrew Sullivan (accessed 18 July 2023) </ref>.		We are in a new era. And the erasure of gay men and lesbians is intensifying'.Blog by Andrew Sullivan (accessed 18 July 2023) </ref>.