Queer

Disclaimer: People can experience identities in different ways. As such, people can identify with a label without exactly matching the definition because identities are fluid.

Queer is an umbrella term that refers to the entire 2SLGBTQIA+ community. It was originally used as a slur against 2SLGBTQIA+ people, but it has since been reclaimed. However, some people within the community do not like using it because of its negative history, so it should never be used to refer to a person unless they specifically use it to describe themselves.

Queer has many definitions, so the meaning of the term can vary from person to person. It can be used to describe someone who is not exclusively heterosexual, can refer to someone's gender identity or gender expression, and/or describe someone who has fluid identities. Some people use the term as an alternative to labelling their sexuality as gay, lesbian, bisexual, etc. because they find it less restrictive.

The following quote is from an anonymous student at Lehigh University, who is queer:

"For me, the identity queer is freedom. Funnily enough, I am someone that prefers having labels that define small aspects of myself, but those labels are for me only. No one else needs to know everything about my identity, especially when it is fluid and something I have not even fully figured out myself. My identities can be considered strange to people, which is another reason I prefer the identity queer. The reclamation of the fact that queer people are strange or unconventional feels freeing to me because my identity does not need to be palatable or understandable; it just deserves to be respected."

There is no official flag for the queer identity, but the most recognized one is the chevron queer flag, which was created by Tumblr user bizexuals on October 5, 2016. This flag was created because the previous chevron flag did not consider sensory issues. It originally had a pure white background, but it was switched off-white on October 6, 2016.

Each element of the chevron queer flag was chosen for a specific reason, with quotes from bizexuals:

• Shades of lavender: historical association with the 2SLGBTQIA+ community
• Chevron shapes: non-straight lines, "our pride in the radical anti-assimilation of queer identity"
• Off-white: "represents the queering of identities and the inherent non-straightness of queer identity"

One of the oldest queer flags was created by Pastelmemer on DeviantArt around August 17, 2015. Each color of this queer flag has its own meaning (although the stripes are grouped together):

• Pinks and blues: same-gender attraction
• Orange and green: nonbinary genders
• Black and white: the asexual, aromantic, and agender spectrums

Another flag was created by bihetnaomi in 2016. It was created as an alternative to the chervon queer flag.

Queer is an umbrella term and can include labels such as:

• Agender
• Aromantic
• Asexual
• Bisexual
• Gay
• Genderfluid
• Genderqueer
• Lesbian
• Nonbinary
• Pansexual
• Transgender
• Two-Spirit
• And every other 2SLGBTQIA+ identity!

• PFLAG's "About the Q" defines queer and questioning, as well as answers common questions about both terms.
• Them's "9 LGBTQ+ People Explain How They Love, Hate, and Understand the Word 'Queer'" provides many personal experiences surrounding being queer and some varying definitions for the term.
• CNN's "What it means to be queer" explains the history of the term and how it was reclaimed.
• Many support resources for queer people include all 2SLGBTQIA+ people, so you can visit the Resources page for those.

Sources:

• LGBTQIA+ Fandom Wiki's "Queer" page
• Wikipedia's "Queer" page
• LGBTQIA+ Wiki's "Queer" page

Images:

• "Queer Pride flag" by Kautr, licensed under CC0 1.0
• "Queer Flag" by pastelmemer, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
• "Queer pride flag" by bihetnaomi, licensed under CC0 1.0