What is the difference between Queer and Gay?
Queer is a word that describes sexual and gender identities other than straight and cisgender. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people may all identify with the word queer. Queer is sometimes used to express that sexuality and gender can be complicated, change over time, and might not fit neatly into either/or identities, like male or…
Queer is a word that describes sexual and gender identities other than straight and cisgender. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people may all identify with the word queer.
Queer is sometimes used to express that sexuality and gender can be complicated, change over time, and might not fit neatly into either/or identities, like male or female, gay or straight.
What is the difference between Queer and Gay?
The original meaning of gay was ‘light-hearted and carefree’, while queer originally meant ‘strange or odd’.For this reason, the word queer is still offensive to some, as it has been used pejoratively inaboutGBT people.
Now, the term gay, as Stonewall states, “refers to a man who has an emotional, romantic, and/or sexual orientation towards men.”
It is also “a generic term for lesbian and gay sexuality, some women define themselves as gay rather than lesbian. The term has now been reclaimed by LGBT young people in particular who don’t identify with traditional categories around gender identity and sexual orientation,” the entry continues.
