Sunday, February 20, 2011

What does "Queer" mean?

I gave up referring to myself as "bisexual" long ago. Although it is accurate, it does not show the full picture of who I am. In recent culture the term "queer," has become in vogue. Conveniently vague, it is an umbrella term for anyone who is not straight. In my case, it can mean attracted to men, women, gender fluid, trans, or whoever.

The term "bisexual," is riddled with stereotypes. Personally, I think of one of those straight girls who kisses other girls because it's fun and turns on the guys. That's what "bisexual" conjurs up for me. The term also seems to provoke hesitancy and wariness in people. Which are you going to choose? If you date one gender, are you going to miss the other? Do bisexuals fuck more people than straight or gay?

These questions don't even make any sense. As a "queer," person who by definition is ill-defined, I can play around with different gender roles and looks, which suits my well-balance feminine-masculine personality.

3 comments:

  1. In terms of sexuality queer still = "gay" to most people - including a lot of gay men who question why so many lesbians are calling themselves "queer" instead of lesbian these days. So if you're a bisexual queer rather than a homosexual queer sooner or later you find yourself having to explain that you're bisexual anyway. If you're sexual with other people then you're either hetero, homo or bi - there's no escaping it.

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  2. I actually disagree. For the most part, the LGBT folks and communities I've met now refer to it as the "queer community," and the word queer is the newest in-vogue word. "Bi-sexual," is becoming archaic.

    That said, I usually make a judgment based on who I'm talking to. If I'm talking to someone more traditional or who isn't familiar with queer lingo, I use the term bi-sexual. It all depends on who I'm talking to, because these words are like fashion and style.

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  3. YOu might enjoy this article written by a transwoman about deciding to ID as bisexual. She's very cool. http://www.thescavenger.net/glb/bisexuality-does-not-reinforce-the-gender-binary-39675.html

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