Hi! What’s story behind #queer as in fuck you? I identify as queer and want to use the tag but I was wondering where it first came from so I can be mindful of that.
the full line is “not gay in happy, but queer as in fuck you.” i know it’s been around for ages, though i can’t say i know whom to credit it to, though i do believe it’s well over thirty years old at this point-- i’m sure someone who’s more versed in queer theory and/or queer history could give you a more effective answer regarding the historical context and background of the quote.
the function of it, at least in my vocabulary for the last ten-ish year, is that it’s a statement of intent, of purpose, of taking up space in a world that hasn’t wanted to allow us to take up space. it’s not just a statement about sexuality or gender identity, but about identity as a whole: i’m here, i’m queer, and i’m not concerned with what you want from me because i’m concerned with what i want from me. it’s a statement about community, because queer is a community that, to borrow from someone far more eloquent than i am:
Queer says no, you cannot insult me by lumping me in with the most marginalized and scandalous among us. I am unabashedly for their quality of life and not just my own. (x*)
i can’t speak to exactly where the quote came from and can only speak to how i’ve seen it used over and over again, and that’s this: queer is inclusive, queer is intentional, queer is a community of marginalized people who came together to care and support each other and fight together for their right to exist safely and happily in a world that’s always told them no. it’s just as eloquently put in this very beautiful post about queer as in i love you, which can be summed up with:
this is the core of it: love, but radically. love, but in defiance. and i don’t mean “love is love” either; i mean love like militant solidarity between queer women and queer men and all other iterations and permutations of both and neither and something else.
i’m sorry i can’t give you a more thorough background of the quote at this point, but if you’re looking for permission to use it as your own tag, then you have it, because queer is a community. queer is your community, so use the tag and take up space.
*if you haven’t seen it, i would highly recommend the mykki blanco video linked in that post, i want a dyke for president
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