Only if you want it to.
Well done sir. Chapeau.
I don’t want to derail the original thread too much, but suffice it to say that I’m young enough that “gay” and “queer” have always referred to same-sex relationships, but old enough that I’ve seen other words be re-defined. What can I say? It was an inconvenience, for example, when I learned that “hooking up” no longer meant simply meeting, but now implied sex.
Perhaps one day you’ll have some yet to be born person tell you that what you just said was wrong and that whatever word you just used now means something entirely different. Maybe it will annoy you, maybe you’ll just laugh. For me, it’s a bit of both.
I’m wise enough to choose my words according to whom I am speaking and for the occasion.
I also work in construction projects at refineries and we have erections all the time.
This has also happened to the word “Gay” It’s difficult to use these words anymore in their intended fashions.
Wiki is your friend.
Since there are other words for strange, weird, bizarre people, I’d say let the queers have “queer.”
I don’t like using “queer” to describe homosexuals, because it used to be used as a term to describe a homosexual, and in a very negative way.
Same as the N word. Only the victims are allowed to use a word that used to be used to victimize them. To me, it will always sound ugly when used by a non Q word or N word person.
The curse of being old.
Language changes! News at eleven!
I think that’s a bit of a stretch WRT queer. It’s still in fairly common use in its original sense, while gay is not.
I hear the word gay all the time. The kids use it to describe something stupid, or that they don’t like. Never used in regards to sexual orientation.
… you’re joking, right?
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.
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.
How do you feel about the fact that, generations from now, most of the pictures, mementos and other items of emotional value to you will be gone or in a landfill?
What about your legs? Should you be any less attached to them today because they’ll be gone in the future?
The English language has a great variety in vocabulary, and part of the fun of using it is picking from so many choices of words, each with a potentially subtle difference in meaning. Replacing the words in a piece of text with synonyms can take value away in the same way that taking the experience of person speaking with emphasis and body language and reducing it to text does.
Besides that, “queer” sounds so much nicer than “odd”.
Gay is also a last name.
Everybody knows that. What’s surprising is that you don’t know how the word acquired that meaning: it stems from the use of the term gay as a pejorative for homosexuals. A 12 year old may not realize that, but anyone your age (since you’re “old”) should.
No, that is completely not true. Just as most people don’t know how gay came to mean the many things it has meant.
Well that sucks!
I can remember when saying somebody sucks was a good thing.
Huh. Well, whatever. I guess if you want to be upset by someone using “queer” to mean “strange/unusual/etc”, you can. To me, that’s looking for offense where there is none. Directing the word at a person? That’s not cool, but I haven’t heard anyone do that since grade school. (Not that I’m denying it can be used that way.)
I’m guessing you didn’t read that.
You would be wrong.