Taking Possession of the Word "Queer"
Yet while the issue of protecting gay students and whether GSAs should be recognized roils school districts across the country one Canadian school board is taking a pro-active approach.
The Toronto School Board is launching a major survey of its students this fall to help set a policy to better serve all of its pupils.
Among the 55 questions being asked of students from junior kindergarten to grade 12 is whether they are “lesbian, transgendered, bisexual, queer or two-spirited”. There is also a box to indicate “don’t know”. (source)
I think it’s great that the Toronto School Board is trying to assess how many gay, lesbian, transgendered, and bisexual students that have enrolled in their system. I was a bit shocked that they would use the word “lesbian” in referring to females who are homosexual, then turn around and use the word “queer” in referring to males who are homosexual. I mean, shouldn’t they have used the word “gay”?
More and more gay males are referring to themselves as “queer” these days. Hell, even I have used it to describe myself. When I was beaten in high school, the kids that did that made reference repeatedly to the word “queer” while beating me. It was then a derogatory word used for gay people.
But over the years, we have taken possession of the word “queer”. Speaking for myself, I find it liberating to use it when referring to myself because it takes the stigma away from me. And, in some small way, it feels like I am taking back something that they took away from me so long ago.
Does that make sense?
But, I don’t know if I would use the word “queer” in a high school situation. It would seem to me that some kids would feel that’s a put-down. But then again, times have changed and this generation of gay kids are nothing like the kids I grew up with.
Thank God for that!
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Well, personally, I dislike the word "queer", "homo", or "faggot". I refer to myself as "gay", but then again, I'm not a kid in high school that constantly hears "...that's so GAY...", as a bad thing. So, I can understand that they don't want to be called gay. I did look up the word "faggot" to try to get the origins of the word. It had an interesting result.
We need to get away from name calling. The longer I live, the more I realize that the only purpose a label has when referring to people, is to separate us from each other (usually in a bad way).
In England the word fag means a cigerette. I always laugh to myself when i hear matcho guys in the pub saying I am just popping out for a fag! Just goes to show how language differs
I recently spoke to some gay teens who strongly object to the term "gay" because it is now used by their peers as a common putdown. Not too many teens use the word "queer" these days. They see that term as very positive.
They've grown up with "Queer as Folk", "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" and other popular uses of the word "queer". They only hear "gay" used as a smear word by their peers -- "That's so GAY!"
So, it really depends on how old you are. The collective gay students in Toronto may have chosen "queer" and the preferred term. That's very likely.
Some teenagers are actually using the term "fag" to describe themselves -- believe it or not. "Queer" has lost its edge. So, they are taking back the term "fag" and using it the same way we used "queer" back in the '80s.
Hi bill I am very interested in this. I always think it is not the words that are used to describe people it is how they are said. I do not allow the word queer to be used in my house for the very reason that when i have heard this terminology used in the past it has always been used in a very negative way. Also if something is queer then it is odd, not normal which i feel is what gay people both men and women are trying very hard to get away from. Being a woman i have an objection to being refered to as a bird or a bint! I have blonde hair and boy does it annoy me when idiots link hair colour with IQ.Having said that if other women have no problem with this then it si up to them. I think names and lables can be problematic but it is really down to personal choices.
As I read your stories of your life I see a reflection of my own life. The little boy is right. We are the same. We are one. We are Love!