#by izzy

TW: f slur, d slur, q slur, h slur. 

As language evolves, there’s a growing movement to take once offensive and oppressive language (slurs) and reappropriate them. Reappropriation is the process of re-evaluating a term that is, or was, pejorative and bringing it back into acceptable usage. A reclaimed word can have neutral or acceptable connotations, but more widely, the words are often given a positive meaning within the community reclaiming it. As such, those outside the community using the word is still seen as derogatory.

The LGBTQ+ community has a vast variety of reclaimed slurs, and this is mostly because there’s been so many slurs thrown at the community over the years. Words like ‘f*g’, ‘d*ke’, ‘h*mo’, and ‘queer’ have all once been used said with disdain, a way to oppress. But the community has taken them back, made them into an identity of which one can be proud. A lot of people have started using ‘queer’ as an umbrella term, using it in place of ‘gay’ or ‘LGBTQ+’. And while it’s fine on an individual level to reclaim queer, applying it in a broader sense is a problem.

There are plenty of people who haven’t reclaimed the slur for themselves, and still view it as something hurtful. And while you can argue and debate all you want, it doesn’t change the fact that I don’t want you to call me queer.