#by izzy

[izystan-archive]

[underrated-idols]

3ye - queen

[femnet]

TW: f slur, d slur, q slur, h slur. 

As language evolves, there’s a growing movement to take once offensive and oppressive language (slurs) and reappropriate them. Reappropriation is the process of re-evaluating a term that is, or was, pejorative and bringing it back into acceptable usage. A reclaimed word can have neutral or acceptable connotations, but more widely, the words are often given a positive meaning within the community reclaiming it. As such, those outside the community using the word is still seen as derogatory.

The LGBTQ+ community has a vast variety of reclaimed slurs, and this is mostly because there’s been so many slurs thrown at the community over the years. Words like ‘f*g’, ‘d*ke’, ‘h*mo’, and ‘queer’ have all once been used said with disdain, a way to oppress. But the community has taken them back, made them into an identity of which one can be proud. A lot of people have started using ‘queer’ as an umbrella term, using it in place of ‘gay’ or ‘LGBTQ+’. And while it’s fine on an individual level to reclaim queer, applying it in a broader sense is a problem.

There are plenty of people who haven’t reclaimed the slur for themselves, and still view it as something hurtful. And while you can argue and debate all you want, it doesn’t change the fact that I don’t want you to call me queer.

I shouldn’t have to give you some long drawn out explanation on why I don’t feel comfortable with the word queer. I don’t want to tell everyone who argues with me about how it felt to hear my deeply homophobic grandmother use the word queer as an insult and tell me that all “queers” were going to burn in hell for their sins. No one should have to justify their feelings about a word that’s still used as a slur against the LGBTQ+ community.

Reclaiming it on an individual level is great! And that’s how it should be. There isn’t a universal experience within the LGBTQ+ community. Our experiences differ vastly based on our personal identity and environment. So, there shouldn’t be a vast movement for everyone to reclaim a slur, because you can’t know how someone else feels about that slur. You can’t know how that slur has been used against them.

When someone tells you they don’t want you to call them ‘queer’, your response shouldn’t be indignation. You shouldn’t break out some pseudo facts, anecdotes you heard but have no real source for. Your response should be acceptance and understanding. You should be able to recognize that not everyone had the same experience with the word that you did. Not everyone is going to want to reclaim the slur either. And that’s okay.

[ankhshusband]

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