# Has the word “Queer” been usurped by the Gay Community ? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 29, 2013, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-word-queer-been-usurped-by-the-gay-community/677412 "2013-12-29T16:34:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-word-queer-been-usurped-by-the-gay-community/677412/61 "2013-12-30T19:27:29Z")
> [@FXMastermind](#): > > I wish I was. Try asking some teens. You will discover the terrible truth. “Gay” has been usurped by them to mean “stupid” or “uncool”, not a sexual term at all. > > I’m actually surprised that anyone does not know this. Not knowing that is SO gay! ---
**Author:** ![FXMastermind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fxmastermind/32/7289_2.png) [@FXMastermind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FXMastermind)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-word-queer-been-usurped-by-the-gay-community/677412/62 "2013-12-30T19:29:41Z")
Damn you! :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-word-queer-been-usurped-by-the-gay-community/677412/63 "2013-12-30T19:35:50Z")
So if I saw an odd stick of wood in a bundle of sticks of wood that were on fire at one end, that somehow seemed more cheerful than the others, and I said, “Look at that queer gay faggot!” people would get all over my case? I’m shocked, shocked I say! ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-word-queer-been-usurped-by-the-gay-community/677412/64 "2013-12-30T19:37:27Z")
Spare a thought for [these poor people](http://mrbrains.co.uk/) when you casually toss out double entendres. ---
**Author:** ![FXMastermind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fxmastermind/32/7289_2.png) [@FXMastermind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FXMastermind)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-word-queer-been-usurped-by-the-gay-community/677412/65 "2013-12-30T19:47:47Z")
Imagine how the Gay family feels. ---
**Author:** ![FXMastermind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fxmastermind/32/7289_2.png) [@FXMastermind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FXMastermind)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-word-queer-been-usurped-by-the-gay-community/677412/66 "2013-12-30T19:49:41Z")
I’m not kidding. Gay is a family name. > **[Buick GMC Dealership Houston TX | League City | Dickinson](https://www.gaybuickgmc.com/)** > > Visit Gay Family Buick GMC for all of your Buick GMC needs in Houston, TX. Shop cars for sale, browse lease deals, or schedule service. Turning an innocent word into some sex thing is a real [dick](http://www.californiascapitol.com/2011/11/how-tricky-dick-nixon-became-tricky-dick/) move. ---
**Author:** ![Falchion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a88e57/32.png) [@Falchion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Falchion)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-word-queer-been-usurped-by-the-gay-community/677412/67 "2013-12-30T20:44:14Z")
> [@Enola\_Gay](#): > > The word Oriental also falls into this category. Technically it just means “from the Orient or the East”, but apparently was used in a derogatory manner for so long, that it has now been replaced with Asian. Is that true? (the derogatory thing, not the offensive thing. I know Oriental, like Chinaman, is no longer the preferred nomenclature). I had understood it to be the case that Oriental was frowed upon because it defined a people by their location in reference to the West (i.e. “east of _what_”) and therefore perpetuated the “othering” of East Asians. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-word-queer-been-usurped-by-the-gay-community/677412/68 "2013-12-30T20:46:59Z")
> [@FXMastermind](#): > > I’m not kidding. Gay is a family name. > > [http://www.gaybuickgmc.com/](http://www.gaybuickgmc.com/) > > Turning an innocent word into some sex thing is a real [dick](http://www.californiascapitol.com/2011/11/how-tricky-dick-nixon-became-tricky-dick/) move. There’s also the online tribulations of [this](http://kotaku.com/5632871/xbox-live-gamer-suspended-for-living-in-fort-gay) XBox gamer from Fort Gay. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-word-queer-been-usurped-by-the-gay-community/677412/69 "2013-12-30T21:02:09Z")
> [@vontsira](#): > > Those word-uses are all but impossible nowadays: they would trigger automatic ribaldry and ridicule…I realise that language changes, and that English has a huge vocabulary, rich in alternatives; but the more-than-tiny number of words effectively lost to the language – as described – for use in any sense _not_ to do with sex, galls me. I’m shocked, shocked to find that ribaldry is going on in here. Kids today with their double entendres and code words and phrases that cause juvenile giggling. Back in my day, words had only one meaning, and we liked it that way. ---
**Author:** ![FXMastermind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fxmastermind/32/7289_2.png) [@FXMastermind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FXMastermind)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-word-queer-been-usurped-by-the-gay-community/677412/70 "2013-12-30T21:13:15Z")
Grumpy old man! ---
**Author:** ![Bozuit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/edb3f5/32.png) [@Bozuit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bozuit)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-word-queer-been-usurped-by-the-gay-community/677412/71 "2013-12-30T21:30:16Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Spare a thought for [these poor people](http://mrbrains.co.uk/) when you casually toss out double entendres. I remember [this story](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/2698507.stm) from some time ago, after a competition held by Mr Brain’s: > [@](#): > > The Doody family from Wolverhampton has been crowned The Faggot Family in a national competition, and to kick off their reign they will launch National Faggot Week. ---
**Author:** ![vontsira](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/51bf81/32.png) [@vontsira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vontsira)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-word-queer-been-usurped-by-the-gay-community/677412/72 "2013-12-30T22:23:24Z")
> [@vontsira](#): > > Those word-uses are all but impossible nowadays: they would trigger automatic ribaldry and ridicule… I realise that language changes, and that English has a huge vocabulary, rich in alternatives; but the more-than-tiny number of words effectively lost to the language – as described – for use in any sense _not_ to do with sex, galls me. > [@Lemur866](#): > > I’m shocked, shocked to find that ribaldry is going on in here. > > Kids today with their double entendres and code words and phrases that cause juvenile giggling. Back in my day, words had only one meaning, and we liked it that way. OK, I’m a humourless old prat; but I get so sick of the endless, automatic, knee-jerk nudge-nudge-wink-wink stuff – has me wondering at times: is the entire population of the planet, twelve years old? I’m sure that a hundred years ago, various sub-groups had their own off-colour meanings for words in general currency; and enjoyed among themselves, great hilarity about same – but the relatively primitive communication media of those days, were less conducive to such crap “going viral” world-wide. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-word-queer-been-usurped-by-the-gay-community/677412/73 "2013-12-30T22:50:44Z")
> [@FXMastermind](#): > > I’m not kidding. Gay is a family name. > > [http://www.gaybuickgmc.com/](http://www.gaybuickgmc.com/) > > Turning an innocent word into some sex thing is a real [dick](http://www.californiascapitol.com/2011/11/how-tricky-dick-nixon-became-tricky-dick/) move. There is professional golfer named [Brian Gay](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Gay). Not very famous, but he’s won a few tournaments. As some of you may know, the caddies all wear some sort of vest or whatever at each tournament with their employer’s name on the back. Tiger’s says “Woods”, and Brian’s says “Gay”. Gotta be very comfortable with your masculinity to walk around in front of 10s of thousands of sports fans every week with “Gay” written on your back! ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-word-queer-been-usurped-by-the-gay-community/677412/74 "2013-12-30T23:01:42Z")
I went to middle school and high school with a Gay. He played football and we all gave him shit on game days when he wore his jersey. He was cool though. The Gays were really nice people. He became a cop. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-word-queer-been-usurped-by-the-gay-community/677412/75 "2013-12-30T23:10:13Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > Queer seems to be something like the n-word; once the vilest insult that could be applied to its respective group, part of the group is now attempting to reclaim the term as a badge of pride. Alright, youse gays can have queer if we straights can have rainbows back. 🙂 mmm ---
**Author:** ![Spaghettifrier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e99b99/32.png) [@Spaghettifrier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spaghettifrier)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-word-queer-been-usurped-by-the-gay-community/677412/76 "2013-12-30T23:18:34Z")
The mentality that a group has a right to actually take a word and make it taboo for you to use is bad. First of all, it’s an act of separatism in the fact that it gives some people the right to use a word, but not others. This causes more rifts between people on the outside of the ‘community’ who are prejudiced, those on the inside who are prejudiced due to bitterness, and makes it harder for those who are first seeing themselves as ‘other than straight’ to bridge the gap, which is now filled with bloodthirsty sharks. Furthermore, it’s what you say and your meaning that counts. Not the words you use to say it. If you use queer in the original sense, that is cool. If someone doesn’t get it, explain your meaning. If they stubbornly continue to protest, then that person has a major problem. Making a problem and an offense out of nothing is another backwards thing to do. ---
**Author:** ![Spaghettifrier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e99b99/32.png) [@Spaghettifrier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spaghettifrier)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-word-queer-been-usurped-by-the-gay-community/677412/77 "2013-12-30T23:31:35Z")
There’s also a new use of the word queer to denote sexual orientation, more specifically. “Queer” is now a word that kind of serves as the “other” or the “none of the above” function of sexual orientation labels. Someone who doesn’t wish to specify, or feels they can’t specify, their sexuality as being straight, gay, bisexual, asexual etc. Who might this apply to? Someone who loves women romantically but lusts after men physically. Someone whose preferences have changed, even gone back and forth throughout life. Some people are rock solid one-way their entire life, others are ridiculously fluid. Queer is a good term for this and an accurate application to its original meaning. There needs to stop being such walls between “gay” and “straight” people. As someone who once experienced a change in my original identity as straight, it makes most people uncomfortable to be thought of as something other, something in a new category. People are just people, and your being straight doesn’t mean that any gay person has any authority telling you what words you can and can’t use. You know your meaning and you have every right to express it. The next step with society’s understanding of sexual orientation is to make less of a deal out of it… it should be about as important as, say, whether you are right- or left-handed, pr what types of food or music you like. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-word-queer-been-usurped-by-the-gay-community/677412.md?page=3)