Riley got an article he wrote about queer language published at Queer 2 the T! The article is called Positively Queering. It is being promoted via the blog’s Quilling Queerly section where they feature LGBTQ+ writers. Riley’s article will be featured for the month of May!
You can check out the article here (or click the photo above). Please spread the word about it, and feel free to leave comments on the article page!
S I G N A L B O O S T !
Positively Queering - an article I wrote for Queer 2 the T.
Check it out and make sure to leave a comment about what you think!
(TW: anti-trans* slur/transmisogyny) Community and Consequences: Understanding the Costs of Reclaiming “Tranny”
I was coaxed into writing one more article about the term “tranny.” This time, it’s more of an emotional appeal than an argumentative one. Check it out.
“I want to be clear I have no investment in policing anyone’s language, if for no other reason than that’s a full time job and I’ve got better things to be doing. I’m not going to start any boycotts. I’m not going to nag and lecture. I’m not going to leave angry comments on your Facebook page. I just think that trans men and other female assigned trans folks should be aware of the impact of using that word and the alienating effect it has on many trans women. I give performances, and if I was ever alienating a lot of folks, I would want to know, especially if I was alienating people along lines of oppression.”
Queer is a Verb
by Dr. Charlie Glickman
What does “queer” mean?
One of the things about the word queer that fascinates me is how many meanings it has. It can be used as an adjective, a pejorative, a noun, an identity, a sexual orientation, and as a gender identity (as in genderqueer). But there’s one use that we don’t hear as much anymore: queer is also a verb. What does it mean to queer something? There was a time when that phrase meant “to mess it up,” as in queering a business deal. While I’m glad that use has gone out of fashion, I like using queer as a verb.
To queer something, whether it’s a text, a story, or an identity, is to take a look at its foundations and question them. We can explore its limits, its biases, and its boundaries. We can look for places where there’s elasticity or discover ways we can transform it into something new. To queer is to examine our assumptions and decide which of them we want to keep, change, discard, or play with. This becomes a practice in transcending the habit of settling for pre-defined categories and creating new ones. And even when we leave something unchanged, we have changed our relationship to it.
Click the link above to read the full article.
For those of you concerned about ableist language in the queer community:
(TRIGGER WARNING: mention of ableist language)
To some, the use of the words ‘homophobia’, ‘biphobia’, and ‘transphobia’ are considered ableist. Ableism is discrimination in favor of the able-bodied. Certain words used (in or out of context - accidentally or on purpose) can be found to be discriminatory if spoken/written by able-bodied folks.
In all honesty, it is best to avoid using such words to begin with - especially if you wish to be as inclusivel and respectful to ALL people. That is why you will never see Project Queer use tags that end in -phobia (among other words).
NOTE: From time to time, I will re-blog posts that have these words in them. When this occurs, I will try to include trigger warnings.
To avoid offending folks you can use these alternatives:
- instead of homophobia you can use: heterosexism
- instead of biphobia you can use: monosexism
- instead of transphobia you can use: cissexism
This issue of trigger warnings and ableism has come up a number of times within the queer community - online and offline. What do YOU think? Let’s open this up for discussion - and try to be respectful, folks.
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UPDATE: I have put together a piece about WHY the above words are considered ableist. You can check that out here. Thank you for reading, folks.
Sincerely,
Riley (PQ creator/editor)
Indeed, for the linguist, inequality is conceived as resulting not from difference itself but from intolerance of difference
QVF: Regardless of what you believe/know/understand about gender, sex, and/or identity:
No one is “born a woman” or “born a man” — I mean, really?! As far as I know, human beings only give birth to babies.
Before you even attempt to talk about someone’s experience and/or genital configuration and/or gender identity make sure of a few things:
- That it is actually your place to…
