The Wake

The word queer used to be considered derogatory. Now, it may be more acceptable to refer to someone as queer than as homosexual. “We in a sense are reclaiming the dignity that we’ve lost over the years by having that word used against us,” says Mike Grewe, co-chair of the Queer Student Cultural Center. “Queer in itself is a much more broad term then GLBT because when you’re talking about GLBT you’re talking about gay, lesbian, bisexual, [and] transgender, when in fact there are so many gray areas to gender and sexuality.”

Those who developed early psychology definitions coined homosexual in the late 19th century. The term homosexuality can be considered offensive is because it was first used to define a disorder. It was even coined before the term heterosexual. “So it was like we were going to define what was abnormal before we came up with a word for what was normal,” says Owen Marciano, assistant director in the GLBT office.

Similarly, terms like homoeroticism can be viewed with a very negative connotation. In the Nov. 9 issue of The Wake, I put the word on a headline about the Delta Lambda Phi fraternity, whose membership consists of gay and allied men on campus. This term was especially frustrating to members of the frat, which abides by a hands-off policy. The policy prohibits intra-fraternity dating, or dating within the DLP frat. We sincerely apologize to DLP for any misunderstanding. Although such missteps often raise tensions, it allows a more open dialog to occur on campus.

Marciano, the GLBT assistant director recalls a moment on the Regis and Kelly show when Queer Eye for the Straight Guy first came out. They had people calling in to the show to discuss whether queer was an acceptable word to use. “That was such a huge step in the right direction,” he says. “I have a lot of problems with Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, but it’s doing some good.”

It’s important to remember that phrases that have worked their way into our culture such as “that’s so gay,” or referring to someone as homosexual when that person may not be comfortable with the term can be hurtful. Grewe says that he finds an especially high occurrence of hurtful language in the residence halls, when first-year students may feel isolated or alone already and such negative language can amplify that. Two groups that reach out to GLBT students as well as allied (or students that support the rights and interests of GLBT students) students on campus are the GLBT Programs Office and the Queer Student Cultural Center.

For more information about related issues, subscribe to the GLBT Programs Office weekly newsletter by emailing .