Christa B. Hanhardt Among the first lsons stctors teach lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr (LGBT) history class is about the changg fns and of the word queer. Up through the neteenth century the word was primarily ed to mark dividuals nsired odd or outsi social norms. Queer rried particular currency sndal om the
Contents:
A BRIEF HISTORY OF LBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, AND TRANSGENR SOCIAL MOVEMENTS
Queer theory emerged om a variety of studi and cultural movements, cludg femism, gay and lbian studi, sexual subcultur, and black activism, particularly around the late 1980s and early 1990s. Over time, “queer” veloped as a pejorative term to scribe someone who was “homosexual”, particularly the late 1800s and early 1900s the US.
This, along wh “new ernmental regim” that sought to regulate sexualy om the 18th century onwards, is believed by Fouult to have a hand the nstctn of the ncept of morn homosexualy. The homosexual inty and other groups of “viant” people who were typified by the medil field “were signed to prerve and foster a productive and procreative populatn (or workforce) that met the needs of a velopg palist system”, wrote Spargo. Sce this book was published 1990, Judh Butler beme one of the biggt nam femist theory, gay and lbian studi, and queer theory.
Alongsi the analys, Sedgwick offers thought-provokg arguments about the nstctn of the homosexual man and the homo/heterosexual bari and norms rerced the 20th century. Many archiv appear to lack material that clu the intifiers Lbian, Gay, Bisexual or Trans, bee the labels did not always exist. Durg the famo 1895 trial of Osr Wil, a letter om the Marquis of Queensberry tailg his disgt at Wil’s relatnship wh his son Lord Aled Douglas was read aloud urt, which he refers to Wil and other homosexual men of the time as ‘Snob Queers’.