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"Gay" Versus "Queer"

by Hugh Coyle

There’s been a lot of discussion lately
concerning the use of the word “queer” to
stand for gay men and lesbians. Those in
favor of a “queer community” point to the
need for a more unifying term to bring
together gay men and lesbians under one
definition. Others see it as an attempt to turn
around what has been considered a deroga-
tory term and claim it as our own. From the
start we ask the term to do two very differ-
ent things at once, so dissenting opinions
are bound to arise.

By definition, the wor “queer” means
deviant, strange, odd, unconventional, or
eccentric. There is no positive denotation
of the word in the dictionary. Likewise,
when used to describe homosexuals, the
connotations of the word remain negative,
referring back to the original meaning.

In adopting the term to stand for the
gay and lesbian communities, we would be
in essence asking two things: first, that
American society as a whole somehow
modify its interpretation of the word to
allow for a new meaning; and second, that
homosexuals cease to view the word as a
depreciating slur.

There are many Americans who would
see nothing wrong with homosexuals call-
ing themselves “queer,” since it would
confirm what they’ve believed all along -
that we are deviants. Trying to argue other-
wise would be futile; the authority of defi-
nition is on their side. After allathergay, and
lesbian communities don’t write the dic-
tionary, and what the dictionary says under
“queer" is “deviant.”_Even if the word were
to be accepted into standard usage to refer
to homosexuals, the original meanings of
the word would remain there prior to the
new meaning. “ 

Some argue that the use of the word
“queer” is akin to the wearing of the pink
triangle, the symbol used in Nazi Germany
to label homosexuals who were killed by
the thousands in concentration camps. The
pink triangle was an emblem, however, not
a word. Its use was determined by a politi-
cal force no longer in power, and its original
meaning, despite the attendant connota-
tions, was “homosexual.” In adopting the
pink triangle as representative of the gay
community, we weren’t redefining that
meaning; we were stripping it of its nega-
tive social and political connotations and
appropriating it for our own use - as an
emblem of homosexual perseverance and
pride in the face of oppression.

Others claim that use of the word
“queer” has intrinsic shock value, yet who
are we trying to shock? Those who already
use the term against us? One might argue
that our acceptance of the term robs it of its
power in the hands (or mouths) of our
oppressors, but by that argument, we might
just as well try calling ourselves “deviants”
or “perverts."

If we need a term to unify the men's and
women's communities, why not try chang-
ing the established meaning of "gay" to be
more inclusive (which, some people argue,
it already is). Why complicate matters by
trying to redefine a negative word at the
same time? Such a tactic threatens further
divisiveness, as current debate over the two
terms has shown.

Our adoption of the word “queer”
won’t magically remove it from its history
of derogatory use, not will it somehow
enhance the original meanings of the term.
Likewise, it won’t instantly desensitize
those of us who see the word as insulting in
its use, no matter what the context.

If we feel we need a new term to stand
for all our communities, why don’t we
make use of the creativity that has been a
hallmark of gay and lesbian people
throughout time and invent a word that is
truly ours? When it comes to matters of
identity, we should define who we are in
our own voices, using our own words and
not the words of our oppressors.

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