ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an historical and contemporary discussion of “queer” as related to its use as a slur and as a reclaimed identity. Age cohort is highlighted due to the fact that younger people—especially those who are college educated, liberal, and social justice-motivated—are more likely to embrace queer as an identity compared to older people who more commonly perceive the term “queer” to be offensive. First, a description of the “queer” slur and its history are provided. Then, current research about the use of the “queer” slur is discussed. Next, descriptive statistics are given. Following this, Norm-Centered Stigma Theory (NCST) is used to investigate the sociological patterns of “queer” slur usage with survey data collected from adults ages 18–64 that was stratified by U.S. census categories of age, gender, race/ethnicity, and census region (N = 3,104; n = 1500 cisgender men and women; n = 1,604 LGBTQ people). To conclude, a summary of key findings that integrates the previous literature while also highlighting the unique contributions of the text is offered.
