#i have a very complicated relationship w the word. i'll call myself a queer occasionally but if anyone else does they can come outside w me | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

shrinevandal · 18 days ago

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one thing that's frustrating but also really sad about the "queer isn't a slur nowadays and has never been one, actually" crowd is the way they completely miss the point of reclaiming it. if queer is a benign word and always has been (provably false obviously, but just to play their game for a second) then what's even the point of identifying with it? you're taking an act of courage and bravery by flipping the meaning of a word used against us on its head, by standing up loudly and proudly and going "yeah guess what? i AM abnormal, i AM unconventional, and there's nothing wrong with that", and instead watering it down to "heh... i'm just such a weirdo aren't i.... i'm not like other gays.... teehee" like it's honestly just really sad to me. the point of reclaiming queer should be to denounce the cisheteronormative fallacy that there is a "right way" to exist, and to honor the people that came before us who were called that and much worse and didn't let it stop them from fighting.

but saying that fight didn't even happen... to me that's somehow worse than using it against people who are uncomfortable with the word. because harassing people and not listening to their boundaries is awful obviously, but what's even worse is denying your own pride and spitting on the efforts of the people who came before us. you go from being shitty to one person to being shitty to an entire community. i just honestly don't get it. does this fulfill you?

#roach talk #i'm sure this is a tired discourse but it's something i've been thinking about a lot lately #i have a very complicated relationship w the word. i'll call myself a queer occasionally but if anyone else does they can come outside w me #dating back to being in middle school and hearing it from the first time (from people who denied it was ever a slur actually) it'd always-#rubbed me the wrong way. even before i knew the historical usage #i mean it quite literally does mean abnormal. that is just what the word itself means outside of an lgbt+ context #and you know. little autistic nby lesbian jack had been called abnormal plenty of times. mostly for the autism #so of course i was uncomfortable with it #over the years it's grown on me but i still think a lot of people act really weird about it #No you don't understand you actually HAVE to be completely comfortable w me repeating a word that's been used against you personally your #whole life as well as historically against ppl like you!! you need to let me call you a queer i promise it's woke and not my own insecurity #like okay. sure. if you say so #i think queers should be a little nicer to each other and yes i am using it as a slur here #oh yeah and obligatory this is My Opinion and how I Feel about the word and nothing is subjective ever.#do we still need these disclaimers in the big year 2025

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