Date:  Thu, 29 Feb 1996 10:18:04 -0600

From:  "Kathleen M. O'Neill" <koneil1[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]UIC.EDU>

Subject: More on "queer"



I thought you might find a different

viewpoint interesting. Note that the

final poster uses the phrase

"lesbians and gay men".



--Kathleen M. O'Neill



----Begin Forwarded Message----

>Date:     Thu, 29 Feb 1996 00:23:03 -0500

>Subject:   Re: Them hurtin words

>To:      Multiple recipients of list BIFEM-L <BIFEM-L[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]BROWNVM.BROWN.EDU>

>

>At 10:32 PM 2/28/96, Emily wrote:

>>> But then again.. most of the people I know here don't like that word...

>>> and dont' use it. I do, though...

>>

>>I know lots of queers who hate that word. (In its proper context, I mean)

>>Usually they are lesbians. In fact, I heard this argument a few weeks ago,

>>I was at a meeting for organizing this year's Pride, and the word queer

>>came up. THis woman said that she doesn't like that word because it makes

>>lesbians invisible. I couldn't quite figure out what she meant, except

>>that maybe she thought queer is thought to refer to males (?) If anyone

>>else can help me here, I sure would appreciate it...

>

>I think that the term is used most often as a way to include bisexuals and

>transgendered folk. We used to use "lesgay." Then, when I started up the

>bisexu-l list (a predecessor of bifem-l, for those of you interested in

>history :-)) we started using the term "lesbigay" or "lbg." Eventually,

>people were willing to use "lbgt" but that was a real mouthful, and it

>seemed that the more inclusive people wanted to be, the more willing the

>they were to use the term "queer." It's just so much easier than saying

>"lesbian, bisexual, gay, transgenderd and/or s&m folk."

>

>Most of the hostility towards it I see comes from lesbians and gay men who

>really want the movement to be -their- movement and no one else's.

>

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