Queer

A popular queer PRIDE flag! 

One could write an entire book on the word "queer" itself. This blog post is meant to act as a brief summary of using the word "queer" as an individual sexual identity for one's sexual orientation.

The term "queer" originates from the German language, back in the 1500s. As time went on, it eventually turned into what we know as "queer" today. In today's LGBTQIA circles, the word "queer" means "not straight". Some people use it as a way to say "my identity is very complex, so I'll simplify it and use 'queer'". Other people use it to mean "I know I am not straight, I don't know anything beyond that." Some people use it as a 'placeholder' term until they find something more appropriate to whatever term closer fits their own unique circumstances and personal history.

Queer can be used as an individual term or an umbrella term. There are academia fields known as "queer theory" and "queer history" that essentially go over the history of the LGBTQIA community as well as explore different types of theories (philosophy, art, etc.) that influence today's LGBTQIA community. One example of queer theory is the idea of "pomosexuality" that first came into existence during the late 1990s (the short version is that it's a label that means "I am between labels of the LGBTQIA community, I don't quite fit into any contemporary label", I actually wrote about pomosexuality on this blog, -click- to read it!)

The flag posted at the top of this post is one of the most popular variations of the "queer" flag (numerous flags have appeared for the identity "queer" throughout the years, both as an umbrella and individual term). This flag was created by a person who goes by the username Pastelmemer online (unknown year it was made, it's been around since at least 2015 according to many LGBTQIA resource websites). The flag colors (according to the original maker) mean: "The pinks and blues next to each other represent same-gender attraction, the orange and green are for nb, and black and white for ace/aro/agender spectrum people as well!"

During the AIDS crisis (1970s and 1980s in the USA), many people became fearful of those who said they were gay or bisexual. Because of that, the term "queer" was often used as a way to dehumanize these individuals. However, large surveys across the LGBTQIA community across numerous popular social media platforms (Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, Reddit, etc.) have found that majority of today's generation of the LGBTQIA community (as of the late 2010s and 2020) found that the term queer is either "reclaimed" and/or "no longer a slur".