Queer Is Not A Queer - 1218 Words

I was walking to my house from the bus stop one day with my neighbor, Michael, and I was joking about how I have a girl crush on Selena Gomez. I asked Michael, Hey, what male celebrity do you have a man crush on? He responded ferociously with, None. I m not a freaking queer. This is the exact type of mindset that transforms innocent words into ones dripping with negativity and spite. Language is one of the most powerful tools a person could have, and the way they utilize it reveals their character. As time progresses, words and their meanings can change. For my great-aunt s generation, the word queer just simply meant weird or strange. However, as gay activism has become much more prominent in society, the word queer is now mainly used to describe someone s sexual orientation. Queer is not a derogatory term unless used as such, and it is instead a term of equality and acceptance that should reverberate positive feelings. Sadly, this is not the only way people translate it, inst ead morphing it into a shameful word and a cutting insult. Until recently, queer had been primarily used to describe something odd. There was nothing derogatory about the word, it was just a normal, everyday adjective. Queer originally originated in Germany in the sixteenth century, meaning perverse. From there its use broadened to the term, not straight. This did not mean sexual identity necessarily, but it did mean out of character or not totally normal. Since then it evolvedShow MoreRelatedThe Queer Of Queer Youth889 Words   |  4 PagesBackground As queer youth become more visible in schools, it becomes increasingly important for school libraries to provide resources that affirm students’ queer identities (Hughes-Hassell, Overberg, Harris, 2013; Pierce, 2015; Whelan, 2006). Schools’ adoption of queer-themed media has been uneven, often checking boxes without adequate understanding of or attention to queer students’ needs (Hughes-Hassell, Overberg, Harris; Pierce; Whelan). Several authors, including Hughes-Hassell, OverbergRead MoreQueer : The Queer Nation Manifesto1973 Words   |  8 Pages The Queer Nation Manifesto is a document that was passed out by ACT UP advocates marching in the New York Gay Pride Parade of 1990. It is a passionate article that reminds queer folk where they reside in society due to their own silence and invisibility, always second and less privileged in everything in comparison to straight people. It also encourages them to fight back against this oppressive and demeanin g behavior by being assertive and loud with their sexuality and going public withRead MoreQueer : An Archetype Of The Ideal Queer1883 Words   |  8 PagesThere seems to be a prevalent belief among queer theorists that there exists an archetype of the â€Å"ideal queer.† This person is subversive in everything that they do, and disrupts norms in all ways. Obviously, this ideal is different from dominant society’s view of the ideal queer - a person who keeps their identity to themself, is not â€Å"outwardly queer,† holds some type of stable corporate job, is â€Å"just like the rest of us† in all other aspects of being, and is decidedly non-radical. Of course, neitherRead MoreAnalysis Of Queer 1988 Words   |  8 PagesIn the past decades, the word â€Å"queer† traversed many definitions, from a pejorative for gay to a self-affirming umbrella term. While the word â€Å"queer† is primarily associated with â€Å"non-normative† tenden cies (Love 172), the word â€Å"uncanny†¦applies to everything that was intended to remain secret, hidden away, and has come into the open† (Freud 132). Upon closer inspection of the words, queer and uncanny, and Andrew Davenport’s popular children’s television show Teletubbies, we see that the TeletubbiesRead MoreQueer Theory : The Matrix2120 Words   |  9 Pages The Matrix Queer Theory Postcolonial Theory Kaupapa MÄ ori Mana Wahine Value Queer theory questions creations of normal and divergent, insider, and outsider.2 Queer theorists analyse a situation or a text to determine the relationship between sexuality, power and gender. Queer theory challenges basic tropes used to organize our society and our language: even words are gendered, and through that gendering an elliptical view of the hierarchy of society, and presumption of what is male and whatRead MoreWhat is Queer Theory?1029 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"Queer theory does not provide a positivity, rather it is a way of producing reflection, a way of taking a stand vis à ¡ vis the authoritative standard†. This quote comes from Thomas Dowson who suggests that the queer remark makes room for reflection while it requires a reflection of ones own self as well as their own involvement. The term queer can be a quarrelsome phrase and one that is surrounded by disregard, triumph and rejection. It mainly concentrates on the imbalance between sex, gender andRead MoreQueer Theory Essay1261 Words   |  6 PagesQueer theory derives from Womens Studies and Queer Studies during the early 1990s. Queer theory is said to be related to bisexual and lesbian roles. The main focus of queer theory is to reject the categories of gender and sexuality that we as a society have come to know as traditional. Queer theory is rapidly expanding through more and more findings and studies. What is interesting about queer theory is that it does not just challenge the traditional makeup of society., it challenges what is normalRead MoreEssay on The Queer Theory1875 Words   |  8 PagesQueer, a word first used by the Scottish in 1508 to mean strange, peculiar, or eccentric, has evolved into a critical theory signifying resistance to the traditional views on gender and sexuality since the early 1990s. An Italian author and professor, Teresa de Lauretis coined the term â€Å"Queer Theory† during a conference on conjecturing gay and lesbian sexualities held a t the University of California. Heavily influenced by deconstruction, post-structuralism, and feminism, queer theory challenges theRead MoreAnalysis Of Foucault And Queer Theory 1211 Words   |  5 PagesIn Foucault and Queer Theory Spargo defines queer theory as a nebulous group of cultural criticism and analysis of social power structures relating to sexuality . It is these power structures and aspects of culture that are responsible for the discourse that creates and informs ones understanding of gender, race, and sexuality. However these aspects of identity do not exist separately from one another, but are constructed in tandem throughout history. These layers of identity inform each otherRead MoreGender, Transgender, And Queer Essay1917 Words   |  8 PagesAs a nation, the United States often views itself as a champion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) rights. While we are far ahead of many countries, quite a few of which still criminalize same-s ex relationships, we aren’t the queer utopia we like to see ourselves as. Even today, there are many states within the US that do not have laws explicitly prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation in the workplace or during the hiring process. According to the Human Rights