Let’s talk about the “Q” in LGBTQ—
Many people have asked us over the years: “Why use queer?” “Isn’t queer a bad word?” In fact just a few weeks ago when we were at Chalkfest here on campus, I overheard someone commenting on our chalk mural saying “Are they allowed to use that word?” The answer is actually, yes we can. We purposely use “queer” in the title of our film festival because today it has a reclaimed and empowering connotation. While “queer” was used in the late 19th century as a derogatory term, its meaning has shifted in recent decades. In the late 1980’s the activist group Queer Nation used queer in its title as a positive depiction, and since then LGBTQ activists and scholars have followed suit and adopted it. In academia the word “queer” works as an umbrella term for gender and sexual minorities in general—gay, lesbian, bisexual, agender, transgender, questioning, intersex, asexual, pansexual, demisexual and everyone else in between! Some people identify as “queer” because they don’t feel like their sexuality and gender expression can be categorized by a single label.
Here at Eau Queer Film Festival, we wear our label with pride. To us, “queer” is all the letters in LGBTQ, and gets at both gender and sexual fluidity. That’s why this year’s theme is “Beyond Binaries.” Inherently, “queer” is not a binary; it allows for a range of underrepresented sexual and gender identities. Our quest this year was to bring films that go Beyond Binaries of gender identity (man and woman), gender expression (masculine and feminine), biological sex (female and male), and sexual orientation (homosexual and heterosexual), and instead represent the entire spectrum. We look forward to talking to you about all that is “queer” on September 30th —October 4th.