Queer vs. Gay: How The Words Are Different, And Why It’s Important |

Contents:

• I CALL MYSELF GAY
• ABOUT THE CENTERSCE 1983 THE CENTER HAS BEEN SUPPORTG, FOSTERG AND CELEBRATG THE LGBT MUNY OF NEW YORK CY. FD MORE RMATN ON AND OUR WORK ABOUT THE CENTER. VIS ABOUT THE CENTEROUR MISSNCYBER CENTERCENTER HISTORYRACE EQUYMEDIA CENTERLEARSHIP & STAFFEMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNICORPORATE PARTNERSHIPSANNUAL REPORTS & FANCIAL INFORMATNCONTACT USHOURS & LOTNSEMAPSUPPORT THE CENTER
• QUEER VS. GAY: HOW THE WORDS ARE DIFFERENT, AND WHY IT’S IMPORTANT

I CALL MYSELF GAY

Sexual orientatn refers to the endurg physil, romantic and/or emotnal attractn to members of the same and/or other genrs, cludg lbian, gay, bisexual and straight orientatns. As GLAAD not, "Transgenr people may be straight, lbian, gay, bisexual or queer.

A person who transns om female to male and is attracted solely to men would typilly intify as a gay man.

Acrdg to The Trevor Project, a non-prof anizatn foced on suici preventn efforts among lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr, queer, and qutng youth, there are a number of pronouns that n be ed:. I Call Myself Gay. LOG IN WITH FACEBOOKHome›Polics and Activism›I Call Myself Gay›When I tell people that I’m “nonbary and gay, ” I get some nfed reactns.

ABOUT THE CENTERSCE 1983 THE CENTER HAS BEEN SUPPORTG, FOSTERG AND CELEBRATG THE LGBT MUNY OF NEW YORK CY. FD MORE RMATN ON AND OUR WORK ABOUT THE CENTER. VIS ABOUT THE CENTEROUR MISSNCYBER CENTERCENTER HISTORYRACE EQUYMEDIA CENTERLEARSHIP & STAFFEMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNICORPORATE PARTNERSHIPSANNUAL REPORTS & FANCIAL INFORMATNCONTACT USHOURS & LOTNSEMAPSUPPORT THE CENTER

This is unrstandable—at prent, “gay” generally means “attracted to the same genr as onelf, ” so naturally, they wonr what gayns means to someone wh a nonbary genr. When I expla to them that to me, beg gay means that I’m generally to girls and girl-of-center people, I’m met wh even more nfn, and some disbelief the validy of my own nonbary genr. After all, if I ll myself gay, and am to girls, don’t that make me a girl as well?

I cid to reclaim “gay” a way that sued me. When I ll myself gay, easily gets the pot across that I’m not straight— and rri wh the assumptn that I’m not really to guys (bee I am so often assumed to be a girl).

QUEER VS. GAY: HOW THE WORDS ARE DIFFERENT, AND WHY IT’S IMPORTANT

So, gay is a great shorthand for me to e— pecially around those who unrstand that my inti sometim require g accepted terms nontradnal said, the nfn remas a central theme peopl’ reactns to me tellg them that I’m “nonbary and gay”.

Other people might be, but I thk gay functns much the same way, and has much more benign nnotatns. “Gay” isn’t the only term beg repurposed to apply to a wir variety of people— lbian is beg ed by self-proclaimed woman-aligned nonbary people, who are only attracted to other women/-aligned people.