Queerly undefined

By Cirrus Wood
Source: BETA

Words have power. I genuinely believe that. Before I use a word I want to know exactly what it means and where to point it. If I can’t grasp either, I don’t pick it up.

But some words there’s just no avoiding. ‘Queer’ is one of them.

The word makes me feel deeply conflicted. Communication relies on the generally understood definitions of words, but “to be queer” is to resist definition. It is a rejection of labels, even though it is itself a label.