Queer vs. Gay

Main Difference

The main difference between Queer and Gay is that the Queer is a umbrella term for sexual and gender minorities that are not heterosexual, heteronormative, or cisgender and Gay is a homosexual person, especially a man

• Queer

  Queer is an umbrella term for sexual and gender minorities who are not heterosexual or cisgender.

  Originally meaning “strange” or “peculiar”, queer came to be used pejoratively against those with same-sex desires or relationships in the late 19th century. Beginning in the late 1980s, queer scholars and activists began to reclaim the word to establish community and assert an identity distinct from the gay identity.

  People who reject traditional gender identities and seek a broader and deliberately ambiguous alternative to the label LGBT may describe themselves as queer.

  Queer is also increasingly used to describe non-normative (i.e. anti-heteronormative and anti-homonormative) identities and politics. Academic disciplines such as queer theory and queer studies share a general opposition to binarism, normativity, and a perceived lack of intersectionality within the mainstream LGBT movement. Queer arts, queer cultural groups, and queer political groups are examples of expressions of queer identities.

  Critics of the use of the term include members of the LGBT community and others who associate the term more with its colloquial usage as a derogatory insult or who wish to dissociate themselves from queer radicalism.

• Gay

  Gay is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term was originally used to mean “carefree”, “cheerful”, or “bright and showy”.The term’s use as a reference to homosexuality may date as early as the late 19th century, but its use gradually increased in the 20th century. In modern English, gay has come to be used as an adjective, and as a noun, referring to the people and the practices and cultures associated with homosexuality. In the 1960s, gay became the word favored by homosexual men to describe their sexual orientation. By the end of the 20th century, the word gay was recommended by major LGBT groups and style guides to describe people attracted to members of the same sex.At about the same time, a new, pejorative use became prevalent in some parts of the world. Among younger speakers, the word has a meaning ranging from derision (e.g., equivalent to rubbish or stupid) to a light-hearted mockery or ridicule (e.g., equivalent to weak, unmanly, or lame). In this use, the word rarely means “homosexual”, as it is often used, for example, to refer to an inanimate object or abstract concept of which one disapproves. The extent to which these usages still retain connotations of homosexuality has been debated and harshly criticized.

• Gay (adjective)

  (of a person) homosexual (used especially of a man)

  “the city’s gay and lesbian people”

  “a gay couple”

  “my friend is gay”

• Gay (adjective)

  relating to or used by homosexuals

  “a gay bar”

  “the gay vote can decide an election”

• Gay (adjective)

  light-hearted and carefree

  “Nan had a gay disposition and a very pretty face”

• Gay (adjective)

  brightly coloured; showy

  “a gay profusion of purple and pink sweet peas”

• Gay (adjective)

  foolish, stupid, or unimpressive

  “he thinks the obsession with celebrity is totally gay”

• Gay (noun)

  a homosexual, especially a man.