Jinkx Monsoon

Drag superstar

I think members of the LGBTQAI+ community are allowed to have different views on the usage of this word, as we all come from different backgrounds and have different stories. For me, I was raised in a very LGBTQAI+ friendly city and community, and I was taught the word “queer” as an umbrella term for all members of our community. It was used not only to reclaim the word from our oppressors, but also to unify those of us who do not fit in with the heteronormative community at large. I’ve alway used the word with pride, as that’s the only way I had ever heard the word used in my personal experience. However, now that I have a public platform – when I use the word, there are always people who respond telling me that the word still strikes a chord with them as something negative, because of where and how they were raised, or because of things they’ve endured in their own lives. I don’t know if we as a community can come to a consensus on the usage of this word, but I believe we have to give each other the benefit of the doubt. Seeing as we don’t all know each other’s stories, my hope is that we can look at the context of the person who is using the word. Using myself as an example, I believe I have proven time and time again that I wish to be a strong advocate for our community, and when I use the word “queer”, it is in the spirit of unifying us against our oppressors – and in the same vain, I try to be sensitive to when and how I use the word, knowing that people have different experiences with it. I’m reminded of the battle over the word tr*nny within our community. While some people have very negative experiences with that word, others have only ever used it for self empowerment. I don’t believe it is right to tell a trans person not to use a word they have reclaimed for themselves... while I also believe we can’t use the word flippantly, ignoring the damage it has done to others.

If I had to sum my feelings up, I believe that we should be able to express ourselves, within our community, under the conceit that our community is a safe space for us to have a dialogue with each other. However, when we are speaking publicly, we must be very conscious to how and when we use the word “queer.” It’s one thing when we are talking to each other, taking the time to consider our various backgrounds – but when we use the word in conversation with outsiders, we run the risk of giving outsiders the idea that they can/should use that word – when they don’t have the same understanding or education on the word as we do. The last thing we need is our oppressors attempting to re-reclaim the word from us to be used as something negative against us.

I think to strengthen our community, we must move forward with compassion and empathy towards one and other; both those who use the word for empowerment, and those who have a negative history with the word. We must look at the context and the person using the word, and give each other the benefit of the doubt – while at the same time, making sure we aren’t using the word flippantly when speaking to outsiders who don’t have the same history with the word, good or bad.