As 麻豆传媒映画prepares to commemorate 2018 as Year of the Queer, opinions are mixed about using the reclaimed slur to encompass a rainbow of sexualities.
And while it may be easier than calling this the Year of the LGBTQIA2S+, the debate also suggests that acronyms have not outlived their usefulness.
鈥淭he word queer, it was almost a disgusting word,鈥� says 麻豆传媒映画city councillor Tim Stevenson, 73, who came out nearly six decades ago.
鈥淚 fought against it 鈥� 鈥楾here's nothing queer about us!鈥� But over time, as generations have come into the gay rights movement, a lot of people have reclaimed this and use it in a positive way, so I too have made a change in how I view the word.鈥�
In March, Stevenson was approached by organizers of anniverary celebrations for 15 local arts, cultural, health and community organizations that do important work on behalf of Vancouver鈥檚 LGBTQ2+ community.
麻豆传媒映画Pride Society鈥檚 Andrea Arnot, frank theatre company鈥檚 Fay Nass, Out on Screen鈥檚 Stephanie Goodwin and Pride in Art鈥檚 SD Holman came up with the name 鈥淵ear of the Queer.鈥�
However, former councillor Ellen Woodsworth, who with Stevenson spearheaded the Vancouver鈥檚 first Stonewall celebration 鈥� named after the riots that took place in New York City in 1979 considered by many as the first demonstration of pride 鈥� says there鈥檚 a reason that the acronym LGBTQIA2S+ continues to expand. She says that while queer is a great 鈥渃atch-all,鈥� the term shouldn鈥檛 be used in lieu of the different groupings within the community..
鈥淚 fought against the word gay,鈥� says Woodsworth. 鈥淭here are different issues for gay men than there are for lesbian women 鈥� childcare, pay equity, healthcare 鈥� and the same should be recognized with the transgender and Two-Spirited communities.鈥�
The BC Teachers鈥� Federation recommends the resource The Gender Spectrum: What educators need to know when teaching students grades K-12 sexual education. In the book鈥檚 glossary, queer is defined as:
鈥淎 term becoming more widely used among LGBT communities because of its inclusiveness. 鈥楺ueer鈥� can be used to refer to the range of non-heterosexual and non-cisgendered people and provides a convenient shorthand for 鈥楲GBT.鈥� It is important to note that this is a reclaimed term that was once and is still used as a hate term, and thus some people feel uncomfortable with it.鈥�
For Osmel B. Guerra Maynes, 鈥渜ueer鈥� is a term that can be used by anyone, although differing intentions still exist.
鈥淵ou put power to words. I see it as accepting a word that made us feel like lesser beings saying 鈥楾his is not a word you can use anymore to say that we鈥檙e worthless and mean nothing. We鈥檙e taking it back and sharing it,'鈥� says Maynes, the executive director of QUMUNITY, B.C.鈥檚 resource centre for queer, trans and Two-Spirited people.
He feels the same about racial terms.
鈥淚t鈥檚 the context behind it,鈥� says Maynes who as a black Latino man never uses the n-word. 鈥淔or me that鈥檚 just a word you don鈥檛 use.鈥�
On Tumblr there was a discussion among users who called themselves officialqueer, violet-lesbian, and robotbisexual. Their differing opinions demonstrate how personal definitions of the term can vary widely within the community it鈥檚 meant to address.
While the asexual panromantic argues the word tells people all they need to know "I'm not straight," the lesbian user says she's tired of people including her in a word she considers a slur. A bisexual user responded with the argument that 鈥済ay鈥� was also a term reclaimed after a dark history, and cautioned readers against dubbing someone鈥檚 identity as a slur.
鈥淭here are a lot of divisions within the LGBTQ+ world. Queer is the only word that not only demands equal acceptance for everyone, but leaves the door open for words and descriptors that haven鈥檛 even been invented yet.鈥�
The official declaration of 鈥淵ear of the Queer鈥� is May 23. It begins with a panel discussion at City Hall, followed by a celebration on Helena Gutteridge Plaza. Pride, trans and Two-Spirited flags will be raised on Cambie and 12th from then until Aug. 19.
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