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What does it mean to be Queer?

192 Answers
Last Updated: 06/10/2022 at 12:23pm
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Top Rated Answers
Anonymous
June 6th, 2021 2:35pm
Queer is a political identity, for anyone who is not cisgender or straight, it also includes questioning individuals and Intersex individuals, so it's an umbrella term for everyone LGBTQIA+. It means your sexual orientation, sexual behavior, gender identity, gender expression or biological sex, is a cause of your oppression or you are politically conscious about the systematic oppression and represent your queerness through your vote and political activity. Personally it is a declaration of your radical acceptance towards everything LGBTQIA+ and their rights, it's a label which unites us. Previously it was used as a slur against us, but we reclaimed it and gave it a positive meaning, It's still highly inappropriate for any cisgender and straight person to use it, only LGBTQIA+ can identify with the label.
Profile: sunnyvision
sunnyvision
July 8th, 2021 4:24pm
Queer is a word that describes sexual and gender identities other than straight and cisgender. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people may all identify with the word queer. Queer is sometimes used to express that sexuality and gender can be complicated, change over time, and might not fit neatly into either/or identities, like male or female, gay or straight. The word “queer” has history to it that’s hurtful — “queer” used to be (and sometimes still is) used to put down or disrespect LGBT people. But more and more, people use the word with pride to identify themselves. So don’t call someone “queer” unless you know they’re cool with it. The best thing to do is ask what labels people prefer.
Profile: Arthurtakh
Arthurtakh
July 21st, 2021 5:21pm
it means to like the people of your same gender and have affection towarsd the same, it is similar to gay people. To Pasciucco, queerness encompasses an intersection of identities. She adds that the term queer indicates an “individual who self-identifies as either Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (also sometimes called “questioning”), intersex, and or asexual, aka the LGBTQIA+ community. For Pasciucco herself, she also utilizes the + sign when referring to the queer community, to indicate pangender or pansexual individuals, and even those in alternative relationship communities, such as polyamory, kink, or non-monogamy. so that is the defenition of it
Anonymous
September 3rd, 2021 12:33pm
In literal terms, Queer means something which is weird or isn't normal. But nowadays people who don't have those mainstream sexual orientations of being Straight or Cisgender have been using it as an umbrella term for their sexualities. It could be a person who is a member of the LGBTQ+ community. This term could be used mostly by people who do possess sexual desires towards same genders or different genders at once. The term was first coined during the 19th century and has been used extensively by people showing sexual desires towards their own gender. Many people are now openly accepting their sexualities which is a great start towards a better world
Anonymous
October 3rd, 2021 6:11pm
In my mind it means that you are anywhere on the spectrum of the LGBTQIAP+ community. It also could mean that you don't exactly identify with any identity, which is also very valid and understandable. I know some people that identify as that just because they haven't quite figured out their label yet, or some people identify as that because they don't necessarily want to find out what their label is and they're comfortable just identifying as queer. I think honestly it depends on the person and it is a very open and broad term to use for anyone, really.
Profile: SupportiveSoul3
SupportiveSoul3
October 8th, 2021 5:46pm
To be queer is whatever you want it to be. The word used to be a slur, but it has been largely reclaimed by the 2SLGBTQ+ community and has become an umbrella term for many identities. Not everyone likes this term, identifies with it or uses it, but if you do, that's totally okay! I usually ask the people I'm speaking with if they're comfortable with the term before using it to reference the 2SLGBTQ+ community. I identify as queer, and for me, it means unsubscribing from the gender binary, cisheteronormativity (the norm of being cisgendered and heterosexual/straight), and mononormativity (the norm of being in monogamous relationships). It is a form of resistance, autonomy, agency and love!
Profile: AFoolishSamuraiWarrior
AFoolishSamuraiWarrior
October 27th, 2021 7:37pm
It means to be outside the gender norm roles set by society, there are various types of queer to be, typically just the word queer means queer in a sexuality aspect. Which would just mean that you're not Heterosexual, you haven't put a label to what your sexuality is yet, you just know it's not hetero. Secondly there's Genderqueer, if for example you were AFAB, being Genderqueer would just mean you don't identify as female, and again still haven't put a label on what you DO identify as. It's a safe term for people still exploring parts of themselves without having to commit to a label yet, and for those who just don't want to label themselves. I, personally, identify as Bi-Sexual and Genderqueer because I don't really feel entirely like a male. I hope this explanation helped, feel free to message me if you have any more lgbtq+ related questions ^-^
Anonymous
November 13th, 2021 10:15pm
Queer can mean many things to many people. Queer can be used as an umbrella term for LGBTQ+ individuals who identify outside of sexual orientation and gender norms. Some people use it interchangeably with bisexual and pansexual. Other people use it to express that they are gendernonconforming. It can even be used as another term for gay and lesbian identifying individuals. Queer has seen a new revival in this decade, with more people using it to express their complex identities. In certain contexts, this term can be used in a derogatory way by hateful people. The LGBTQ+ community has always had a wonderful way of reclaiming words to be empowering, and queer is definitely on that list.
Anonymous
December 31st, 2021 4:16pm
Being Queer is a part of the LGBT community. Queer can either be that your sexuality is undecided, or you just don't want to put yourself into a specific sexuality because you have aspects that are specific to you only. For example, if someone asks you your sexuality you could say that you're undecided or queer. When I say that you don't want to put your self into a specific group, it could be because your sexuality branches out into different aspects.
Profile: CherryBlossomListener
CherryBlossomListener
January 8th, 2022 2:32pm
The word queer, is such as huge umbrella term, the word queer to me doesn't have a specific meaning, I mean if you were to look up the word in the dictionary I am sure they would have a definition, but for me, queer is just how I identify, I don't identify with any specific labels, with my gender or my sexuality and romantic preferences, being queer for me is that I am different, I don't like certain people, I like who I like, my gender isn't specific, I feel how I feel, people can identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, non-binary, asexual, anything but the letter q in LGBTQIA+ is there for a reason, for people who don't identify with those other labels, or dont WANT to identify with labels, being queer is being you, and you should always be you.
Profile: EscapingReality1438
EscapingReality1438
January 20th, 2022 1:11pm
I'm queer, and I think that that experience for me has really been about learning to be myself. There is so much that I hide from the world that I'm able to show when I'm around people in the LGBTQ+ community. It really is a community. I can talk to anyone and they know exactly what I'm going through and are able to offer excellent advice. I bonded with some of my best friends through being able to talk to them about whatever I need, and listening in return. They understand. It's called a community for a reason. I think that the queer experience is about learning who you are and how to be yourself.
Anonymous
June 10th, 2022 12:23pm
Queer: A person whose sexual identity falls outside of the heterosexual mainstream or the gender binary Basically, being queer means that you are a part of the LGBTQ+/MOGII community. Once you acknowledge that you are a member of the LGBTQ+/MOGII community, you are somewhat an official queer. Being queer means you could be any of the following things: bisexual, pansexual, gay, lesbian, asexual, agender, nonbinary, demi, and so many more(I know I left a ton out, just listing some examples). Once you know you are queer, the second step is figuring out what pronouns you have and how you identify.