Queer: Meaning, Identity, History, and LGBTQIA+ Usage

For example, someone may know that they are attracted to more than one gender but may prefer queer instead of choosing between bisexual, pansexual, or another label. Another person may use queer because their gender or relationships do not fit traditional expectations.

The word can help people describe complexity, but it has a painful history. Respectful use depends on context and on whether the person or community has chosen the term.

• a queer person;
• queer identity;
• queer culture;
• queer history;
• queer relationships;
• queer literature;
• queer communities.

It may also appear after a linking verb:

• She identifies as queer.
• The character is openly queer.
• Their relationship is queer.

As a noun, it may refer to a queer person:

• He describes himself as a queer.
• The event was organized by local queers.

However, using queer as a noun can sound empowering within some communities and offensive in others. Queer person or queer people is generally safer when discussing people respectfully.

In academic language, queer may also function as a verb:

• to queer a traditional interpretation;
• queering the family;
• queering ideas about gender.

Here, it means questioning or disrupting fixed assumptions about what is normal.

• lesbian;
• gay;
• bisexual;
• transgender;
• nonbinary;
• pansexual;
• asexual-spectrum;
• aromantic-spectrum;
• genderfluid;
• another sexual or gender minority.

Not every person within these groups identifies as queer. The umbrella is available to those who find it meaningful, but it should not replace the specific identities people choose for themselves.

They may choose it because:

• their attraction includes several genders;
• their identity changes or feels fluid;
• narrow labels feel incomplete;
• they do not want to specify private details;
• their gender and sexuality are closely connected;
• they identify with queer community or culture;
• they reject rigid categories.

Using a broad label does not mean that the person is confused. A flexible term may be the most accurate description of their experience.

Queer may function as a shorter umbrella term for many of the same communities.

However, they are not always interchangeable. Some LGBTQIA+ people do not identify as queer because of the word’s history, personal preference, age, culture, language, or community experience.

When referring to a broad population, LGBTQIA+ people may be more precise. Queer people is appropriate when the individuals or community use that term.

Queer is an identity or umbrella term.

Questioning describes someone exploring or reconsidering their sexual orientation, romantic orientation, or gender identity.

A questioning person may eventually identify as queer, choose another label, or use no label. Questioning is a process, while queer may be an ongoing identity.

Queer is broader. It may include attraction to one gender, multiple genders, no genders, or a gender identity that differs from cisgender expectations.

A person may identify as both gay and queer. Another may prefer one term and reject the other.

Queer does not specify the number or gender of people someone may find attractive.

A bisexual person may also call themselves queer, especially when discussing community, culture, or shared political experiences. However, using queer should not erase or replace bisexual identity when a person has identified specifically as bisexual.

Queer may concern sexuality, gender, or both.

A transgender person may be heterosexual and not identify as queer. Another transgender person may use queer as an identity, community term, or description of their relationships and gender expression.

Being transgender does not automatically determine sexual orientation.

Genderqueer is a more specific gender identity for people whose gender does not fit exclusively within conventional categories of man or woman.

A genderqueer person may identify as queer, but the words are not exact synonyms.

Many LGBTQIA+ activists, artists, academics, and community members have reclaimed queer. It appears in expressions such as:

• queer community;
• queer pride;
• queer culture;
• queer studies;
• queer art;
• queer liberation.

Reclamation does not remove the word’s harmful history. A term used positively by one person may still feel painful to another.

Helpful practices include:

• using queer for people who use it themselves;
• not forcing the label on everyone in the LGBTQIA+ community;
• avoiding the word as an insult;
• respecting someone who dislikes or rejects it;
• using specific identity terms when known and relevant;
• considering age, culture, language, and personal history;
• asking respectfully when wording matters.

When discussing an individual, their chosen identity term is usually the best guide.

Queer culture may include:

• shared history;
• art and literature;
• activism;
• community events;
• chosen family;
• discussions of identity;
• resistance to discrimination;
• alternative ways of understanding relationships and gender.

There is no single queer lifestyle, belief system, appearance, or political opinion. Queer communities contain wide differences in culture, religion, race, class, disability, nationality, and personal values.

It may question assumptions such as:

• everyone is heterosexual;
• gender is always binary and fixed;
• bodies determine identity in simple ways;
• relationships must follow one accepted model;
• sexual identities are always permanent and clearly separated.

Queer theory is broader than personal queer identity. A person may study queer theory without identifying as queer, and a queer person may have no interest in academic theory.

For example:

• queering a historical text;
• queering traditional family roles;
• queering ideas about masculinity;
• a queer reading of a film.

This use does not necessarily mean changing a person’s identity. It means questioning fixed categories or offering a different interpretation.

Every LGBTQIA+ person identifies as queer.
Some embrace the term, while others strongly dislike it.

Queer means confused or undecided.
It can be a clear and lasting identity.

Queer refers only to sexual orientation.
It may also relate to gender identity, gender expression, community, culture, or theory.

Queer and gay are exact synonyms.
Gay is usually more specific, while queer is broader and more flexible.

Using queer positively makes it acceptable in every situation.
Context, history, tone, and individual preference still matter.

• queer person;
• queer identity;
• queer community;
• queer culture;
• queer history;
• queer relationship;
• queer family;
• queer theory;
• queer representation;
• openly queer.

• Someone chooses queer because more specific labels feel restrictive.
• A bisexual person also identifies with the queer community.
• A transgender person does not personally use the queer label.
• An older gay person dislikes the term because it was used against them.
• A university offers a course in queer history.
• A film includes several complex queer characters.
• A family welcomes their relative’s queer partner.
• A writer uses queer theory to analyze traditional gender roles.

1. She identifies as queer and uses the term with pride.
2. Not every LGBTQIA+ person is comfortable with the word queer.
3. The festival celebrates queer art and culture.
4. He prefers the specific label bisexual rather than queer.
5. The course examines queer history and social movements.
6. Their queer relationship does not follow traditional gender roles.
7. The word was historically used as a slur.
8. Respectful speakers do not impose the label on others.
9. Queer theory questions fixed assumptions about sexuality and gender.
10. A person’s chosen identity language should be respected.

The term may also connect sexuality with gender. A person’s queer experience may involve sexual orientation, romantic attraction, gender identity, gender expression, relationship structure, or several of these at once.

Queer identity does not reveal a person’s sexual behavior, anatomy, libido, relationship status, or boundaries. It also does not imply consent or sexual availability. Healthy queer sexuality, like all healthy sexuality, depends on bodily autonomy, honest communication, mutual respect, and freely given agreement.