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Queer 101By Kenny & Maureen

What We’re Talking About

• Origin of queer• Historical uses of the word• The queer identity• A little queer history lesson• A little sociology lesson• Queer as a verb• Discussion

Etymology of Queer• Scottish: “strange,

peculiar, eccentric”• Low German:

“oblique, off-center”

• German” quer “oblique, perverse, odd”

• Old High German: from PIE root twerk “to turn, twist, wind”

The Use of The Q Word• Historically used to

describe someone different, who exhibits behavior deemed socially inappropriate

• Early 20th century: gay men in NYC began using it as a code word

• Became synonym for immoral, perverted, subversive

The Use of The Q Word• Throughout the

20th century, it transformed into a derogatory term

• Only directed to men in receptive/passive roles in sex– Men who had the

active/penetrative roles were still perceived as straight

Reappropriation• 1969: anarchist, pacifist

author Paul Goodman published The Politics of Being Queer– Influential in mainstream

gay movement as well as the queer movement

• 1990: survivors of queer bashing formed Queer Nation– Anti-assimilation, direct

action activist organization– “We’re here, we’re queer,

get used to it!”• 1990s: introduction of

queer theory in academia

Uses of Queer Today

• All-encompassing term for the LGBTQIA community

• An identity• Radical queer

separatist movement• General term for a

non-normative, nonconforming individual

The Queer Identity• Used by people who don’t

identify with any of the ‘traditional’ LGBTQIA identities or dominant norms

• “Queer” as the gray area in between the black & white boxes of LGBTQIA

• Queer as a statement of fluidity• Used by people attracted to

many genders, within and outside of the gender binary

• Used by radicals as an anti-assimilationist identity

Why Identify As Queer?• Queer Identity Emb

raced By LGBT Community

• Kenny’s Story• Maureen’s Story

Queer Identity as a Political Statement

• After the Stonewall Riots, the radical, anarchist Gay Liberation movement followed until the mid-70s

• Mid-70s to present: gay Rights movement– Reformist– Assimilationist

Queer Identity as a Political Statement

• Gay rights movement focuses on normalizing the gay & lesbian identities, assimilating into heteronormative society– Criticized for bi, trans*,

genderqueer exclusion– Criticized for lack of

intersectionality– Current focus: marriage rights

• Radical queers challenge mainstream gay politics, use the queer identity as anti-assimilationist political statement

• “Queer” as a form of resistance against normalization

Queer Is Postmodern• Essentialist

– Born with sexual desire for same sex or opposite

– Gender & sex always match• Constructionist

– Born with undirected sex drive, shaped by experiences

– Fit into either man or woman gender box, regardless of sex

• Postmodern– “Boxes” of essentialism and

constructioinism are confining, oppressive

– Sexuality & gender are fluid identities that exist on spectra

Queer Is A Verb• “To queer something, whether it’s a text, a story, or

an identity, is to take a look at its foundations and question them. We can explore its limits, its biases, and its boundaries. We can look for places where there’s elasticity or discover ways we can transform it into something new. To queer is to examine our assumptions and decide which of them we want to keep, change, discard, or play with. This becomes a practice in transcending the habit of settling for pre-defined categories and creating new ones. And even when we leave something unchanged, we have changed our relationship to it.” –Charlie Glickman

Queering Questions• Can a straight person be considered

queer?• How can we make LGBTQIA-

designated spaces queer-inclusive?• What are some things we can queer?• What are some ways you queer your

lives or ways of thinking?