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The Allusionist

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A PODCAST ABOUT LANGUAGE
BY HELEN ZALTZMAN

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The Allusionist

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Allusionist 79. Queer - transcript

June 1, 2018 The Allusionist

AMY SUEYOSHI: I see 'queer' as an umbrella term, as a political call for revolution as well as unity across different groups of people.

JONATHAN VAN NESS: I think of it definitely with positive and loving energy around it, I don’t think of it as an insult at all; growing up, I would have thought of it more as an insult. I think it was in 2015 when we got marriage equality, and the media, especially the LGBTQ+ media, began to use it as an umbrella term, something we could all be part of. So I think I got the cue from media to know that it was a gorgeous amazing word, one where we’re taking the love back and it wasn’t one to be offended by any more.

KATIE MINGLE: I haven’t always loved the term for myself, because it feels like an umbrella term that you can use if you’re gay and in a relationship with someone of the same sex, or you can use if you’re a basically straight couple who occasionally has a threesome with someone. That’s what ‘queer’ has come to mean: anyone who’s not inside the norm.

AMY SUEYOSHI: I think it's rejecting things like patriarchy and heteronormativity, mandates of morality. So not just to be able to keep things gray or to be postmodern, post category, but instead rather to call for a true revolution of the way we see the world, the way we categorize the world. So it's not just about LGBT rights per se but it's about creating a world that's more respectful of equity and thinks about diversity as a plus and values different ideas as a side of radical change rather than fear.  

KATIE HERZOG: I sort of hate it. It’s too broad.

TOBIN LOW: It's so useful. I mean especially as there is this proliferation of identities that people can call themselves and identify with and really claim, it's a great way of just sort of acknowledging that it's all in the umbrella and that it's all valid; it's just like a way of acknowledging the validity of all the things, which I think is great.

ERIC MARCUS: This word has tortured me.

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In transcript Tags words, language, history, sexuality, sexual identity, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, identity, non-binary, trans, transgender, queer, queerness, queer history, queer studies, LGBTQIA, oppression, suppression, gay, lesbian, bisexual, homosexuality, bisexuality, law, legal, homophobia, NYC, New York, Pride, Queer Nation, USA, San Francisco, protest, reclamation, reclaiming, Queer Eye, Jonathan Van Ness, Getting Curious, Amy Sueyoshi, Eric Marcus, Making Gay History, Nancy, Kathy Tu, Tobin Low, Oscar Wilde, Bosie, Lord Alfred Douglas, 19th century, 20th century, 21st century, sexology, sex, military, WW1, WW2, World War One, World War Two, Presidio, Baker St Vice Ring, California, semantics, Queensberry, respect
Allusionist Patreon
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Allusionist 202: Singlish Singlish
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Tranquillusionist: Ex-Constellations
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Allusionist 200: 200th episode celebratory quiz!
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live tour of the UK!
live tour of the UK!
Creative Commons Licence
The Allusionist by Helen Zaltzman is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.