Queer

Origins and early use

The word queer entered the English language in the 16th century, originally meaning strange, odd or peculiar. By the late 19th century it was beginning to acquire a connotation of sexual deviance in the UK, used to refer to men perceived as effeminate or thought to have engaged in same-sex relationships.

In early 20th century London, gay men adopted queer as a discreet in-group term — 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 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 known as the "Lily Pond" becoming a recognised meeting place from around 1910 .

The word as pejorative and reclamation

Queer, came during 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.

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.

In 2005, the Chief Constable of North Wales apologised after calling homosexuals "queer".

Many people reject the term queer as abusive

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

Queer has figured in a positive sense in the names of a number of LGBT organisations, groups, or events, for instance:

• Queer Goings On
• Queer Youth Network
• Queer Social Centre
• Queer Ink
• Queer Love Quest
• Queer Notions
• Queer Space
• Croydon Queer Choir
• Outburst Queer Arts Festival
• Foyle 'Queer' History Project

Books and resources

It has also appeared in the title