ABSTRACT
In this chapter, I first describe the anatomy of slur use by providing a definition of slurs and discussing the power of slurs in the context of dehumanization. Next, I offer definitions of the six lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) slurs covered in this text. I then briefly review existing LGBTQ slur research. Then, I provide my own theoretical arguments to explain LGBTQ slur usage that include a discussion of how LGBTQ people are “othered” and how LGBTQ slurs function as real-life literary foils to dominant norms about masculinity, femininity, and hetero-cis-normativity. Specifically, I offer The Queer Adjustment and a Theoretical Model of LGBTQ Slur Use as analytical tools to explain LGBTQ slur usage. I also highlight the significance of age in understanding LGBTQ slur use through the age-slur curve. Finally, I conclude with an introduction to Chapter 3 which will further explicate the significance of hetero-cis-normativity and intersectionality alongside the theoretical framework for this book, Norm-Centered Stigma Theory (NCST).
