Originally meaning 'strange' or 'peculiar', queer came to be used pejoratively against LGBTQ people in the late 19th century. From the late 1980s, queer activists began to reclaim the word as a neutral or positive self-description. [4][12][13] Though most people and institutions today use “queer” as an umbrella term to refer to fluid sexualities and genders within the LGBTQ+ spectrum, historically, the word has been used to degrade the very community that now often claims it. While queer can mean "strange" or "odd," it's more often used as a slur against or a self-identifier for non-heterosexual or non-cisgender people. QUEER definition: 1. having or relating to a gender identity or a sexuality that does not fit society's traditional…. Learn more.
