What does it mean to be Queer?

Being queer means your in the LGBTQ community. Everyone one of them is queer if you are gay or nonbinary. Some people choose to identify as just queer. Many reasons could make someone want to do this. So queer is the umbrella term for everyone, in the LGBTQ community. I have a friend who goes by queer, because they are nonbinary and like women. But even cis people could go by it. If you have a confusing identity that doesn't fit in one category it could be used. It is very broad, so there isn't one thing that it means, it means a lot of things.

The textbook definition for queer is basically an umbrella term for sexual and gender minorities who are not heterosexual or are not cisgender. In simpler words, being queer means you identify as non straight or/and not the set gender you're born into the biological body of. Which means if you identify as bisexual, homosexual, pan sexual, gender fluid, transgender, etc. you're queer. Although some had attempted to incorporate heterosexuals into the ''queer'' category, essentially labeling straight people as queer heterosexuals, it was met with a wide range of criticism, as the queer community wants to keep it as a symbol of their pride.

Being Queer is when you are not cis, nor straight. Being cis means that you have been assigned a gender and you still identify with the same one. Being straight means you are attracted (romantically and/or sexually) to the opposite gender. So, if any of those things don't apply to you or someone, you/they are, by definition Queer. Though, it is important to note that "queer" was originally an insult, that was reclaimed by the community. Some people in the community might not like being called as such. The word "queer" in arts and culture refers to a category of non-conforming people.

anybody who doesn't feet into known gender identities or sexual orientations (or not considered normal and usual) are called queer, in lgbtq+ it is used for people who won't fit into any of the other subcommunities but it can also be used for the whole lgbt community in some case...

Queer is an umbrella term used by LGBTQ+ and MOGAI communities to mean anyone who is considered a part of those groups. If you are homosexual, you are queer. If you are genderfluid, you are queer. If you are aromantic, you are queer. Some people prefer to use that as a personal label instead of something more specific (ie. a bi man saying he's just queer). Some people use it to mean the community as a whole, since it's easier to say (ie. The Queer Community). However, it has also been used as a slur historically, even though that's not how it was used originally. Some people are not comfortable being referred to as queer, so keep that in mind. Basically, if it fits for you, then you have full rights to use it! As long as you are LGBTQ+ in some way, then it applies.

To be queer means to identify as something not cisgender-heteroromantic-heterosexual. If your gender is different than your birth sex, then you aren’t cisgender. If you feel attraction to more than ‘the opposite’ gender(more than male-female), then you aren’t heterosexual or heteroromantic, depending on what type of attraction it is. It used to be a slur against the LGBTQ+ community but has been reclaimed. It can serve as a label for people who feel they don’t ‘fit’ with any other labels for gender or sexuality or can refer to any LGBTQ+ person. Being queer is perfectly valid in every way and a number of people express themselves as queer.

Being Queer is an umbrella term but can also be used by a specific term as an identity. Anyone in the LGBTQ+ community can use the term, Queer. It generally implies the person is not straight, and you can also identify as something else along with being Queer. It's a great way to show who you are without having to be very specific. The term Queer is also used when talking about the LGBTQ+ community as a whole. It implies a person that doesn't follow heterosexual norms. It's a great and helpful term and I think it also means awesome!

(This got a bit poetic at some point, so sorry about that!) To be queer means to dare to be your true, authentic self in a world which would sometimes rather we lied. To be queer is to take all of the things that society has taught us are wrong about ourselves, and celebrate them regardless, knowing we are not broken or sick, but rather beautiful in all our quirks and individuality. It is to struggle, to feel that you have to hide something as important and innocent as who you love or who you really are, and yet to go on loving and existing anyway. It is to be part of a global movement of people who are paving the way for the next generation to feel safer and more confident than ever before, and inspiring others. To be queer is a superpower of sorts, but also simply a slightly different way to be a human.

It means to be part of a community of people who are different. People who sometimes have to hide who they are but are brilliant and wonderful. Being queer means being a little different from everyone else because of your sexuality or your gender. But it doesn't make you any less. It's something you can call yourself because the world decided you weren't normal and you didn't fit their expectations. Being queer means having stereotypes attached to who you are and people judging you before they know you. It means people being entitled and thinking they have a right to know everything about you. It means a lack of representation. But it also means discovering who you are. Understanding what makes you you. Learning more about yourself and choosing how you wish to identify. Being queer means being different but it also means being special.

Being a queer person can mean a lot of different things to different people, but the most broad definition is probably being an LGBT+ person, or to be different than heterosexual and cisgender (identifying with the gender you were assigned at birth). "Queer" is a broad term for the LGBT community, but it has a lot of history that brings many gay people to dislike the term to describe themselves. Using the term "queer" is often associated with those that choose not to specifically define themselves, like nonbinary people or those with specific attractions that don't like labels. In the end, to be queer means to be you!