Queer, Gay

[uksnowy]

We used to have a saying "Nowt so queer as folk" which meant odd, eccentric or simply strange activity or actions. Nothing to do with queers.

I also used to say I arrived here as a "gay young man", but not anymore.

There's nowt so queer as language.

 

[NOIRTRASH]

ts an old word. In her memoirs my ancestor called her future husband a queer rooster for resisting her seductions...she was 16, he was 29 and a preacher. He said its rude for a guest to seduce his hosts daughters. They married when she was 18 (he was 31) in 1814. Eleven children.

 

[Handley_Page]

We used to have a saying "Nowt so queer as folk" which meant odd, eccentric or simply strange activity or actions. Nothing to do with queers.

I also used to say I arrived here as a "gay young man", but not anymore.

There's nowt so queer as language.

I knew a young man who's name was "Gay".
Fortunately for him, he was a big lad, well set-up and not stupid.

At one time, 'gay' meant happy and light-hearted. Then the 'translators' got to it,
sadly. And I'm told that the N-word should not be used in some placed. The Q-word is similarly discouraged round here.

 

[Bramblethorn]

I knew a young man who's name was "Gay".
Fortunately for him, he was a big lad, well set-up and not stupid.

At one time, 'gay' meant happy and light-hearted. Then the 'translators' got to it,
sadly.

It's had sexual connotations for a long time, though they've drifted a bit: http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2010/02/how-gay-came-to-mean-homosexual/

And I'm told that the N-word should not be used in some placed. The Q-word is similarly discouraged round here.

That one depends very much on age; a lot of older gay folk receive "queer" as a slur, but many younger folk use it to self-describe and don't find it offensive.

 

[Kantarii]

I remember when people used to use the word "queer" to mean strange or odd. It used to be such an awesome word to use in stories. Alas, it got tied up and lumped with all the other degrading words people use to refer to people that aren't socially conforming. Kinda sad and pathetic in a sense. Kant

 

[uksnowy]

Thanks for the responses. I was told last week by a coloured person, that the N word is favourable compared to coloured.

 

[yukonnights]

Seems to me that the word "queer" has actually been embraced and commandeered into the larger LBGT conversation. One just as often sees LBGTQ anymore. Personally I like the word and use it to describe myself quite often. It really does just mean odd or out of the ordinary:

queer
adjective
1 his diction is archaic and queer: odd, strange, unusual, funny, peculiar, curious, bizarre, weird, uncanny, freakish, eerie, unnatural; unconventional, unorthodox, unexpected, unfamiliar, abnormal, anomalous, atypical, untypical, out of the ordinary, incongruous, irregular; puzzling, perplexing, baffling, unaccountable; informal fishy, spooky, bizarro, freaky. ANTONYMS normal.
2 queer culture. See gay (sense 1 of the adjective).

Still, in regard to using it in current writing I would think it could be confusing to the reader who is familiar with the "gay" connotation. But, if the overall story is clearly not about gays, then it should be just fine.

 

[49greg]

My favorite Rum is "Mount Gay" rum, made in Barbados. Named after the mountain, presumably near where the distillery is. I think the mountain is named after someone named 'Gay'.

The rum is smooth and tasty, a nice amber color, or colour, depending on where you hale from.

 

[Bramblethorn]

Seems to me that the word "queer" has actually been embraced and commandeered into the larger LBGT conversation. One just as often sees LBGTQ anymore.

For a lot of my friends it's the preferred term. It has the advantage of being a bit less specific, e.g. it can encompass both "gay" and "bi", which is handy for people who are still working out the details.

But I would be cautious about using it for somebody aged fifty-plus, unless I knew they were okay with the term.

 

[yukonnights]

For a lot of my friends it's the preferred term. It has the advantage of being a bit less specific, e.g. it can encompass both "gay" and "bi", which is handy for people who are still working out the details.

But I would be cautious about using it for somebody aged fifty-plus, unless I knew they were okay with the term.

Totally agree with the more universal reach of the word...I usually refer to myself as simply queer since it's so inclusive of all my various flavors.

 

[hylas_]

Agreed, I like "queer" for its umbrella-ness.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Agreed, I like "queer" for its umbrella-ness.

Queer has been in South Australia government policy since at least 2014 (see link below), no big deal here. It probably helped having the first gay Premier in Australia's history to pave the way, several decades ago now. Sooner or later the world might catch up...

http://publicsector.sa.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/20140501-DCSI-LGBTIQ-Strategy.pdf