"Queer" - quick question

[CallMeCleo]

Sorry if I seem naive but I am in my 60s and clearly am not too hot on ever changing meanings.

I belong to a neighbourhood social media site and a young woman (19) has joined and posted in the women's section asking to make new friends. She describes herself as "Vegan, queer, artistic."

I don't understand what she means by queer. If she is a lesbian, why not put "lesbian"?

Am I missing something? Can someone bring me up to date, please?

@justanotherneighinparadise

Self-describing as queer isn't a clamour to be special and interesting though - it's a valid identity, and for you to suggest otherwise when you don't know anything else about this person seems pretty vitriolic to me.

🙄

Gee, great rebuttal

According to Stonewall (so it must be right!)

Queer is a term used by those wanting to reject specific labels of romantic orientation, sexual orientation and/or gender identity. It can also be a way of rejecting the perceived norms of the LGBT community (racism, sizeism, ableism etc). Although some LGBT people view the word as a slur, it was reclaimed in the late 80s by the queer community who have embraced it.

And as far as a know became more common in the 80s because of Queer Theory which in fact is quite different from how Stonewall etc., now use it. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queer_theory

For instance the editor of the guardian (a woman) is quoted as saying queer politics informs every decision she takes.

(Does this mean the Guardian is Queer?!)

Stonewall are really fond of lying, aren’t they? ‘Reclaimed in the 80s’ like fuck it was.

Back in the 80s I was getting my clock cleaned for having a Q sister. No embracing here.

@Ereshkigalangcleg

https://slate.com/human-interest/2016/12/young-queer-women-dont-like-lesbian-as-a-name-heres-why.html

This is a doozy of an article.

And it has a link to a Cosmo article on Lesbian Sex Positions that I'm really not convinces is written by lesbians - it looks more like a male fantasy.