'Queer' becomes an umbrella term for some LGBTQ community members


Farwell senior Hayley McNichol noticed that whenever something went wrong in an old science fiction film, a character would comment on how things were beginning to feel queer as a way to describe their strange environment.

Much like the current popular use of ‘gay’ to negatively describe something or someone, 'queer’ was once used as a derogatory term. However, it has now evolved into an umbrella term that can be used as a form of identity in the LGBTQIA+ community.

Coming Out Week presents the opportunity to help put a face to the word, McNichol said. Instead of the stereotyped image of who is ‘queer’, they get to see a real person, humanizing a word that has a long history of negativity that once made it almost dehumanizing.

“Identifying as queer is less restricting. I think the only people using it should be the people who identify themselves as queer or genderqueer, not just let it be thrown around,” McNichol said. “What’s so strange about people who aren’t heterosexual? We’re trying to normalize it.”

The negative connotation attached to ‘queer’ makes those who identify as queer feel outcasted, Ann Arbor sophomore Alicia Johnson said.

Reclaiming the word puts a more positive meaning behind it, especially when being used as an umbrella term, Johnson said.

“I would say because there is the negative connotation attached to the term ‘queer’ they’re brave,” she said. “It takes a lot of confidence to identify as something in the spectrum, but to identify as queer it’s like what is that person going to say? Are they going to think of it in a negative way or the newer, positive way?”

Johnson, who doesn’t label her sexuality, said that she personally feels that labels come with stereotypes.

She also noticed that people seemed to only acknowledge two sexualities: straight and gay.

“I think it’s like race almost. It’s one of the things that aren’t talked about and are swept under the rug,” Johnson said. “They’re just like identified as one term. You’re either identified as this or that and if you’re not either of those then oh well, you don’t get any representation.”

Fraser sophomore Mackenzie Eddy thinks that it’s “great” when people want to identify as queer, but feels uncomfortable using ‘queer’ as an umbrella term.

She also dislikes when heterosexuals use the term because they have never been victimized by it, so it’s not their word to reclaim.

By reclaiming the word queer, it can no longer be used to attack or marginalize those across the LGBTQIA+ spectrum, Instead it becomes an empowering word that unifies those across the spectrum.

“I get uncomfortable when people use it as an umbrella term because there are people who aren’t comfortable with it so calling them that is not respectful unless they said they’re okay with it,” Eddy said. “The more we try to use it as a the default umbrella term, the more straight people use it.”

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